I met a man who reminded me of myself in the future. He was happy. He felt great about the life he had lived. He had only a few regrets. Just looking at him you couldn’t tell for sure how old he was. His face had happy wrinkles and his eyes a look of mischief. He looked a lot like my granddad. And in the future that will be me.

Aging is an inevitable thing. I am not at the age where you talk about it much yet. I expected people to make more of John McCain’s age than they have. I suppose the reason is he’s one of those people who are young inside and it shows on the outside. I am more convinced now than ever that age is a state of mind. The body tempers and emotionally you hopefully mature. But youngness is a choice.

I plan on being more up on things when I am 85 than I was at 40. I have numerous decades to go before I’ll know for sure. But I am not going to let myself be excused as irrelevant or out of touch just because I have lived long enough to know a few things not to do. I am really pretty young for a mid-baby boomer in my mind. I work at it though. Not all my friends have understood that how they think will reflect on what they see in life.

My goal is to always have a young mind and life with the wisdom learned by facing life as a positive challenge. I really find I have as much energy now as at 21 but I use it more wisely. But again age is all a state of mind.

I would really like to talk to one of my friends about how old he is letting himself become. He is rigid. He is fearful. And he talks only of yesterday. And probably worse he is sure the best days have already happened. He unloaded on me in a friendly way saying that I was not taking the risks of what I was doing seriously enough. I really am. I am just not afraid. And I am certain that my best days are just beginning. I wish he could just smile. I don’t think I helped things much by saying, “What got you here won’t get you there.”

I have a eighteen-point checklist for staying younger while maturing. I am going to write these in a small booklet form someday but the list will do for now. I have collected them from observation of successful life-long young people, reading, thinking, and discussing. Here they are:

• Thank Jesus for your life and all you love at least 50 times a day.
• Read books you won’t normally read.
• Buy a new piece of technology and learn how to use it.
• Have young friends and insist on being a peer.
• Learn a new language or Video game (word puzzles work too)
• Invest in something new.
• Make a new commitment.
• Trade in one old idea a month and replace it with a new conviction.
• Serve and mentor. Help someone else succeed however you can.
• Make learning your forever job… check out www.ted.com and use it everyday. These are video clips of the smartest people in the world talking about their stuff.
• Encourage at least one person a day.
• Learn a new kind of music every so often. Change the station dial for fun.
• Keep your people connections strong. If friends or family live far away use SKYPE and videoconference with them.
• Refuse to me an expert to anyone. You’re too busy learning for that.
• Refuse to feel awkward about your body.
• Make a list once month of what you need to forget and remember the rest.
• Get a dog. Pets actually cause you to produce endorphins (the body’s feel good chemical). Its proven people with pets face life better. I have two dogs and would have three if I could. They are great listeners.
• Walk a couple miles a day. We were made to move a friends recently convinced me. I walk my dogs and get a two for one benefit.

I think it’s a good thing that in 2008 we have an Africa-American, a woman VP candidate and a 72 year old all running for high office. Seventy two just isn’t old anymore. And one of the things that impresses me with Senator McCain is he looks to be a young guy in a mature and well used body.

I know when I am 72 at the rate I am going and if my young friends keep pushing me I will be younger now than I was then.