"A lot of things I thought were 'choices' middle-aged adults made as part of growing up are actually choices your body makes for you."

"Hardcore is an apt description. I had no idea how incredibly difficult it would be."

"I started traveling the world and seeing new things. Time slowed down again. We perceive time differently when we are learning and seeing new environments. As children, everything is new. But as we get older, we tend to get anchored in place and less and less is new."

"The really ironic thing is that people will usually like you more once you stop caring about whether they like you."

"My wife is so fucking funny. We fight, and an hour later we're laughing about it. No matter what happens, we've made this decision to be together, and it's all for fun, goddammit. Why else do it?"

"I remember a dentist visit in my 30s. I had done the lazy thing of only flossing for a week before the visit. They can tell. The dentist and I were talking about hobbies. I told her I played racquetball sometimes. She said, 'Have you noticed that as you get older, it takes longer for those sore muscles to recover?' I said yes. She said your gums are like that, and if you don't take care of them every day, eventually they will never recover. That's when I started flossing every day."

"And it won't hit your coworkers as hard as you think. There might be a moment of shared sympathy before they move on to their tasks. You are completely replaceable, and your work friendship is ephemeral."

"Just be aware that some people think your 40-year-old youth is wasted on you. Signed, age 66."

Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.