MARC AGRONIN: What is one element of growing older that has surprised me?
The new normal. A friend once related to me that when his mother moved into an assisted-living facility, her first complaint was having to spend so much time with all of the “old ladies” there. This was a surprising statement coming from a woman in her 90s, but it typified an element of growing older that many of us discover. With each age attained, we quickly accommodate to the change and feel that it is the new normal. In this mind-set, we often perceive “old age” as something that “other” people have.