Facing old age and death: a study in contrasts

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“We do not suddenly fall on death, but advance towards it by slight degrees; we die every day.” (Seneca, Letter 24.19)

Aging and death have been on my mind more than usual, of late. Not because I’m particularly old, yet. Nor because I’m facing imminent demise, that I know of. Rather, I’ve been interacting on and off with two relatives, let’s call them Eda and Oddo (not their real names!). They have given me much to reflect on because they are both older than I am (and about ...