100 +

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Just read the news that it is getting easier to live to be more than 100 years old. I'm not sure if that is good news or bad news.

I can remember my gradnfather's 80th birthday - I was in my early 20's and just couldn't fathom living to the age of 80. I remember saying this to my grandfather. Being just plain stupid, I said, "I don't know if I want to live until I'm 80."

Grandpa said - "When you're 79, you do."

True enough, but I often have this particular conversation with my wife - will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 94?

My wife, bless her heart, doesn't mince words - "When you can't take care of yourself anymore, we'll put you in a nice home, and stop by to visit once in awhile."

At least I have the visits to look forward to.

The problem I have with living to 100 is that I can barely get up the stairs now. I seem to have a perpetual ache that just moves around my body - today it's in my right shoulder - I'm guessing back for tomorrow. Yet, I'm not that old!

As soon as I completed reading the article about all of us living longer lives, I turned the page to read a story of a woman hitting the age of 108. She explained that clean living allowed her to last that long.

Seriously? You mean the two-thousand beers I drank in college are going to come back to haunt me?

In the end, I suppose it is all about quality of life. I am aiming for the century mark in the year 2064.

Perhaps the Buffalo Bills will have won the Super Bowl by then. I may not be coherent enough to notice, however, but I'm certain my wife and kids will visit me at the home to let me know.

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