3 years or 30,000 miles

Much to my surprise, at 8pm this evening i decided to hit the gym to top off the last day in June. For many of you gym buffs who think nothing of late night workouts, please bear in mind there are those who suffer from gym phobia...myself being the president of that club. Despite my angst, tonight i tackled the elliptical with the intention of 30 minutes straight with no chumping out...i WILL do the arm movements with resistance and an above average heart rate. Minute 1- and i'm pumped! Minute 3- hmmm, getting a little winded. By minute 5- i tell myself instead of 30 minutes- i'm only doing 20!! Sans an ipod and planted in front of a muted Anderson Cooper, i literally had 47 internal battles to keep myself on that god forsaken contraption. Through shear will- i did it...all 30 minutes and not 1 second over!

Due to recent epiphanies and with another birthday looming, its occurred to me that ignoring the signs of aging is a BAD idea. While the wit and charm will never dwindle, one must be concerned that outer beauty can fade without proper maintenance. Hence, a mandatory gym schedule has been implemented. But, what about the other signs of aging like pessimism, fear, and isolation. What defense do we have to combat the things that only make you seem older- not wiser? What routine checkup can be performed to assess for spirit and vibrancy? What was the point to Benjamin Button? So many questions with so few answers.

My only snippet of hope is this...cherish your youth, embrace your mishaps, and regret nothing. I know i sleep better at night with the skeletons in my closet. And you? What's your anti-aging solution?