I love this quote (below) from Joseph Campbell in his book; "The Power of Myth."
As I read this in my "mid-life" I keep a healthy sense of humility for the changes in my body, but also a sense of determination that I can continue to get stronger, mobile, and flexible (in mind and body).
As my 86-year-old father would say, "Ain't dead yet." 😊 (...pointing to the importance of a sense of humor). So make the years matter; strive to get stronger, make each day matter, and add life to your years not just years to your life.
Put down the fear or grief of the body getting older and work to stay strong. And, stay grateful for this body that carries your precious soul around.
Now, here's the quote:
"The problem in middle life, when the body has reached its climax of power and begins to decline, is to identify yourself, not with the body, which is falling away, but with the consciousness of which it is a vehicle.
This is something I learned from myths. What am I? Am I the bulb that carries the light? Or am I the light of which the bulb is a vehicle?
One of the psychological problems in growing old is the fear of death. People resist the door of death. But this body is a vehicle of consciousness, and if you can identify with the consciousness, you can watch this body go like an old car. There goes the fender, there goes the tire, one thing after another— but it’s predictable. And then, gradually, the whole thing drops off, and consciousness, rejoins consciousness. It is no longer in this particular environment."
Book: The Power of Myth