Old age comes on suddenly, and not gradually as is thought.

Ageing happens slowly and gets noticed all at once. The change is continuous and the awareness arrives as a jolt: a photograph, a flight of stairs, somebody offering you a seat, and a category you thought belonged to other people has quietly included you. The suddenness is in the recognition rather than in the body. That is why it can feel like an ambush.

Rather than waiting for the jolt, look honestly at where you are now. What you would regret not having done, who you have not seen in years, what your body currently allows. Acting on that list early is the only part any of us controls.