I'm using these illness days as practice for retirement.

Got up at 6:30, got dressed in warm clothes, went for a walk. I will aim to take one every day. Do you think that's reasonable? I started getting cramps in the arch of my foot on the home stretch, but I'm hoping that regular walking will help me get past them.

I get lots of exercise walking up and down stairs at work, but that will go away when I stop working, so I'm trying to transition to walking in the morning as a replacement. I don't want to become a couch potato. I had forgotten about the problem with the arches. I do have special, supportive walking shoes, but they don't do much. In fact, I'm wondering if they aren't the solution, but rather the problem.

So if you're in my neck of the woods, you'll see me out about 7 a.m. walking with all the other old duffers, taking my daily constitutional. I should get a dog so I can pretend I'm walking the dog, not myself.

After all my sneering comments about "looking good", I'm ashamed to admit I don't want to look like the old white lady (OWL) that I am. I'm proud of having survived this long, in reasonable good health and sanity. What do I care what others think?

Because what others think results in how they treat me. And I'm not ready to be relegated to the dust bin quite yet, thank you.