One of the things about aging that you're *not* directly told about is the slowly growing realization that *your body is wearing out.* ![0330-Gazebo.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23wMcPA5XXb9SuAivbkw4P38jh9cXgyYkm1Rc4q4Heph2bTL9i1jTyKKyTqpEB1tTbD4A.jpg) I'm not talking about aches and pains, or illness, or age-related changes like my gray hair... I'm talking about the subtle ways in which you realize that your *"get up and go"* sometimes has gotten up and went... *without you.* I look at the list of things I need to get done every day and rather than just launching myself into it, there's a *lag* during which I find myself wishing that I could just sit at the window and watch the birds doing their spring thing. Truth is that I am not *that* old — I'm 65 — and I *will* end up launching into aforesaid to-do list, but I can *observe* that my willingness and enthusiasm for *doing* so is slowly waning. Sometimes I reflect on memories of *"what 65 looked like when I was a kid,"* and it mostly looked like grandma knitting and planting flowers in the garden and grandpa building model airplanes or working on his coin collection. Few 65-year olds were energetic and dynamic and going to the gym or climbing mountains. ![0639-Skipper8.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23wX5EQYbp181nsfqTRD5KBTdEwftntwzepYaxJgT5Eib3V9yiFCvWf8rUoFhDpLgjxDX.JPG) But then again — *statistically speaking* — only 15-20% of the population did *not* retire by age 65. So maybe it's only *"right" (biologically speaking)* that we start feeling our age at this point, since *biology* doesn't move nearly as fast as *technology.* Along with this awareness that I'm *"starting to feel my age"* comes the reality that I am also *never going to be able to retire.* Thankfully, I'm not too dependent on any kind of *"heavy lifting"* as my means of work... but that still doesn't address the psychological part of the equation; that little voice in my head saying *"shouldn't you be slowing down?"* Regardless of these sneaking thoughts, I remind myself that my life is *blessed,* as compared to so many others in the world. I was doubly reminded during my recent train trip to California, where it was truly amazing *and* alarming how many people's lives in the USA have been reduced to living under a tarp next to the train line. Every night, something on the order of *a million* people in the USA are unhoused and sleeping out in the open. ![0646-MarineStation.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23xp4Bs7hx11Ba4gnBKDAJ2hnyaL2BVr8paE53WiTHmBWErzJmqCrpufVqmsw1wXFMU2U.JPG) That's pretty scary. And it doesn't count those living in their cars or vans, or spending their nights at shelters. How did we *get* here? What went so *wrong* with the proverbial *"American Dream?"* I'm by no means some kind of socialist or communist but I do believe we've reached a point where ostensible *"free enterprise"* has created a system in which *work hard and get wealthy* has been replaced by *"win the lottery or have nothing,"* at least metaphorically speaking. We idolize gazillionaires and view them as the yardstick for success, while the local guy who started a hardware store and ended up with four in his local town is considered a nobody. Meanwhile, gazillionaire madness has led us to a place where you either are expected to reach way above your head, or perish. ![0880-Cilantro.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23w2iz3EmaKdAYo6FruBuqpbfZF9m8qy7QLoNgdbvuQKUF7UkPpu2JCLvXiGDpgG3FcBN.JPG) What does that have to do with bodies wearing out? Well, you get to my age at 65 and realize that you're still expected to keep going at a speed that would be challenging to a 25-year-old... and if you *don't,* you can look forward to living under a tarp, under an overpass, eating cat food for the rest of your life! Am I exaggerating? Perhaps a little, but it's not *that* far off the mark... Thanks for stopping by and have a great Sunday! ***Comments, feedback and other engagement is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!*** ![HivePanda.gif](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/nnhCakFg-Hive-Panda.gif)

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*(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly and uniquely for this platform — not posted anywhere else.* *2026.03.29 01:53 PST* ***1538/2803***

My body is a temple