Stepping down, stepping away

Like childbirth, growing older is a unique yet universal experience.  I've started feeling myself pulling away from the world that seems to spin out of control these days.  Watching my grandchildren taking on more and more adult-like qualities seems to reinforce that my days are truly numbered.  Weird thing is that it is ok.  I remember asking my grandmother once if she was afraid to die. She must have been about 83 or so and I asked her, "Grandma, at night when you go to sleep, are you ever afraid you might not wake up?"  She chuckled and said, "Oh Suzie, no.  You live while you're awake and you're too tired to worry about dying at night!"  I understand now more of what she meant.  Life seems to slip away first by the seconds ticking and I would guess by the time you turn 80, it is slipping away by the minutes.  And it really is ok.  I figured out the other day that if the age my ancestors lived is a hint as to my own longevity, I probably have another 25 Autumns, 25 Christmases, and 25 Springs.  It's weird to start a countdown.