Old age?

I am old and with any luck getting older. When I first set out to be a priest I assumed my age to be against me.
" I know I'm too old" I told the Bishop.
He just laughed and said "I know 30 year olds who are older than you!"
That single statement has kept me going for several years now and I suppose it is true that if your mind is open and still lively then to some degree we can avoid the worst signs of ageing.
But its only temporary and it will catch us up eventually as I'm finding to my cost this week.
I havn't done anything, fallen over or banged anything but I do hurt. I have no idea why. Until the weekend I was rushing around as normal and now I am not. Movement costs me effort and I am praying that it will go away before the week gets any busier.
It has got me thinking though. This community has got its young people but because its a favourite retirement spot its got huge numbers of old people. This I know is a burden on our doctors but we do seem to live longer here, the climate is good to us.
When I lived in Essex I used to ride my bike everyday and got quite upset at the sight of very old ladies passing me, pedalling away and nattering as they went. That was good exercise
In Cornwall I used to walk my dog every day, up and down the cliff paths for miles. That was also good exercise. Now he can't get much further than the end of the garden and in my present state neither can I!
I have always felt that so long as your mind stays active then the body can take care of itself. I used to do yoga and I'm sure that helps both spiritually and physically.
I still do the breathing exercises as part of my prayer program everyday but I think maybe the body needs a little more of a work out than I'm giving it. It feels as though its seizing up on me!
I refuse to join the ranks of those standing in front of a box doing daft exercises even if they are directed by a hunky man.
Swimming is a great exercise, and I enjoy it too but right now the sea does not invite!
And so have I come to this? This means chatting with friends, playing Backgammon and Scrabble on the internet to stop my brain from joining in the general decay and both tweeting and Facebooking!
There are worse things. Getting old is better than the alternative!