Martha -- This is brilliant!!! My husband and I were talking today, and he said that he had no regrets. He wished he could have lived longer and he's sad that he's losing his mind (his words) but he's been happy with the life that he has had. Years ago when some of his elderly relatives retired and then developed serious illnesses (one died suddenly within 3 months after retirement), my husband and I decided that we would each figure out what our life dream was, and then that we would work towards reaching those dreams while we were "young" instead of waiting. We saved, skipped some vacations, and planned...and about 11 years ago we spent a week in Maui, which was unbelievable...I still look at the pictures! We also made our dream of going to Alaska come true, and renewed our vows on our 15th anniversary in the Russian Orthodox church in Sitka, Alaska, with our children as our attendants. I may not spend my final years with my husband next to me, but we made each other's dreams come true while we were together. Between that (and the fact that my husband tells me I look great even though I'm getting close to needing two seats on a plane) neither of us have any regrets. My husband was a healthy man in good physical shape, and came down with AD. My grandfather drank like a fish, smoked like a chimney, and lived to 98 (smoking and drinking to the end). I'm not saying that living a healthy life-style isn't good for you, but I've seen people who kept their weight down, didn't smoke, followed every instruction for healthy-living still get sick... A reasonable balance is good, but worrying too much about what's gonna "get" us in the future can get in the way of enjoying life. You know what they say...tell God your plans and listen to her laugh...