How old is old enough?

How old is old enough?

Posted on June 19th, 2009 by Glenn Giangrande

Would you really want to live to be 113 years old?

According to Guiness World Records, the previous record holder of the “World’s Oldest Man” title passed away in his sleep on Friday, making a British World War I veteran the new leader. Henry Allingham celebrated his 113th birthday on June 6th, and here’s hoping that he enjoys every single day of his reign.

I also hope I never even approach that number.

There are certainly exceptions, but I do not like to think about what the quality of life is for the average centenarian. I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t enjoy being a burden to anyone, so if I were to reach that age, I have to imagine that I would be leaning heavily on family members. Anything I manage to save will likely be long gone. Driving would probably be a thing of the past. I’d have already seen a number of people close to me pass away. Hopefully, the Islanders will have won a Stanley Cup by then, or maybe professional sports will have imploded somehow. Knowing my personality, I cannot imagine what I could possibly do for fun.

So what might be a good age to go? I’m hoping to make it to at least 75. My mother’s dad passed away at 72 while her mother passed on at 80, and both didn’t exactly lead the healthiest of lifestyles. If I haven’t accomplished all of my life goals by then, it’d probably be time to hang it up anyway.

After that, it’s all gravy, but even though I’m terrified of dying, I think my elevator should stop well before triple digits.