I'm not old, I'm just aging: 3 Friday thoughts

Likewise, I'm not Paul, 58. I'm Paul 5.8.

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1 | I’m not old, I’m just aging

After writing last week about getting called old on the internet, I found myself washing dishes this week thinking, “I’m not old, I’m just aging.” But like all writers, I can’t claim total credit for the cleverness, for it comes indirectly from my past.

One gratifying benefit about having a few decades in the bank is that sometimes, if you just let your brain wander (the only enjoyable part of doing dishes), that lack of busyness allows your current thoughts to connect to long-buried memories, ideas or language. And that’s what happened here:

“I’m not old, I’m just aging” is my adaptation of a 39-year-old Albert Collins blues song, “I Ain’t Drunk” (I’m just drinkin’), which I saw Collins perform live at the Chicago Blues Festival in 1992. Apparently, I never forgot it. It’s a fun tune to jumpstart your weekend, so give it a listen.

ALSO: If drinking is something you’re trying to reduce or do less of, check out my recent “Drinking Less” podcast conversation with my friend and fellow journalist Gwendolyn Bounds, creator of Not Too Late. Wendy’s tips are worth a listen.

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2 | Becoming a “super ager,” Part 1

I recently interviewed Dr. Eric Topol, one of the world’s leading medical researchers and the author of the incredibly helpful new book, “Super Agers,” in his office at the Scripps Research Translational Institute, in La Jolla, Calif. The first published link from that interview came out today in The Los Angeles Times, for which I write a column on aging with strength. (The column is aimed at a slightly different audience than you here on Substack, fyi.)

But in these two AGING with STRENGTH posts, I published Part 1 and Part 2 of my 70-minute, in-person interview with Dr. Topol, in Q&A form. If there is a single takeaway from these posts, it’s that we should focus on maintain a powerful immune system for maximum longevity.

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In case you missed it…

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3 | Paul, 58 vs. Paul 5.8

Maybe it’s from my years working in big tech and the Silicon Valley venture capital scene, where software versions are the virtue signal that nothing ever gets older (just better!), but upon waking up the other day with no major aches or pain — other than my surgically repaired tender right shoulder — I thought:

“I’m not Paul, who’s 58. I’m Paul 5.8!”

I encourage you to also consider placing a decimal point between the numerals in your age. It’s a remarkably simple and totally acceptable Fun Friday amendment to the official record.

Because you’re not old; you’re just aging.