Getting Older Isn’t Easy
There is a moment that comes quietly. It does not announce itself, but it settles in and stays. You notice it when you get out of bed and your back reminds you that it exists. You feel it when your knee does not respond the way it used to. You start to understand that your body is keeping score.
Getting older is not a theory. It is daily feedback.
I have begun to see more clearly that how I take care of myself shows up in very practical ways. Not in some distant future, but in how I move through a Tuesday. What I eat, how I sleep, whether I stretch, whether I ignore something small that becomes bigger. The connection between choice and function is no longer abstract. It is direct and immediate.
There is less room for neglect.
I still love coaching my kids’ teams. There is something grounding about being on a field, teaching, encouraging, watching them grow. But I also feel the gap. Energy is different. Recovery is slower. What used to be second nature now requires intention. There is a reason people say coaching is for the young. I understand that perspective now in a way I did not before. Still, I am not ready to give it up. It just means I have to approach it differently.
More preparation. More awareness. More care.
What has surprised me is the willingness to work on things I ignored for years. Mobility. Strength in smaller muscles. Balance. Posture. These were not priorities before. Now they are. Not because someone told me they should be, but because I can feel the difference when they are not.
There is value in paying attention.
There is also the reality that not everything is within control. Hereditary factors matter. Some of us are wired with advantages. Others carry challenges that show up over time. Old injuries resurface. Structural issues become more pronounced. You can do everything right and still have to navigate limitations.
That part requires a different kind of discipline. Not just physical effort, but mental steadiness. The willingness to adapt without giving in. To accept reality without lowering standards.
I am working on that. I am not trying to be who I was at twenty-five. I am trying to be fully capable at fifty-five. That is a different goal, but it is no less meaningful. It requires effort, attention, and some humility.
I am up to it.
I am worth it.
And so is everyone.
