Sounds as if you haven't made the most of it. Let go of the regrets, what's done is done, and make the most of what you have left. There are no do overs.

Even at 11, I knew that I did not need a sniveling, whining, greedy, neverending requests and demands and condemning newborn babies to hell deity in my life.

I've suffered the 'slings and arrows' of aging, along with other insults that come with my genetics, but God has never entered into my thought processes. Mostly, "Damn, why didn't I take better care of myself?"

Regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle and diet get results. My lack of belief in an invisible deity has nothing to do with it.

1. My father was a chain smoker. In third grade, I vowed never to smoke.

2. At age 51, my father died of colon cancer. I was 24. Immediately I eliminated from my diet preserved and processed meat with cancer-causing nitrites and nitrates. Forty years ago, we knew it increases your risk of cancer by 16.5%. The meat industry suppressed the research. I don't miss it.

3. At age 22, my sister got skin cancer. I was 27. That was the last year I had a tan. Since then, I have protected my porcelain skin daily with sunscreen and a wide-brimmed, Solumbra hat.

4. My mother was called a "health nut" and "exercise fanatic." She was 40 years ahead of the time. What a great role model! I took her habits to a new level. Thanks, Mom!

At 66, I still love hiking, running, weight lifting and stretching. Over the years, I also swam laps, cross-country skied, ran 10K races, ice skated and downhill skied.

Like my Mom, I am an exercise fanatic and health nut. Exercise makes me feel happy and strong.

Photos:

1. High in the Olympic Mountains, WA at age 26.

2. Me, 29, and Terry, 33, backpacking to Ingalls Lake, WA, before we were married.

3. Happy in the great outdoors, age 63.

4. Age 66. New haircut, February 2020. Forgot to suck in my stomach. "You look relaxed," a man said.

I came to the conclusion that there is no God when I was a teenager. I dedicated my life to learning about history, nature, science.

I never realized I was old until my husband died when I was 70. That was a mere fleeting admission and I am too busy to worry about getting old or dying much less religion.

I'm really okay with aging. Beats the hell out of the alternative, which is inevitable.
When my time is up, it's up. No fear. My consciousness will cease.
No regerts. (not a typo )

Actually, my not believing in a god makes it easier to accept the struggles of life and death.

Seeing everything as eternal energy, that sometimes takes the form of life and consciousness, and knowing we are a part of everything, and will return to our energy state after death, is much more satisfying than believing we are here to amuse, love, or piss off, some creator being.

Yes, I wish our lives were longer--say perhaps as long as a redwood tree or even a tortoise; but, look what we get in return--the ability to ponder our existence and to appreciate the tree and the tortoise.

As someone who has died twice, once by strangulation (abusive hubby) I can strongly state, without hesitation, that you should quit yer bitchin' and be grateful for every day, whether in pain, or disabled, or W.H.A.T.E.V.E.R.

As a lifelong atheist I can’t really say how I’d feel if I believed in god, but I can’t see how it would affect my thoughts on ageing and it’s attendant effects. I don’t actually hanker back to what has been, neither do I look too far ahead into the future, that is unknowable territory. What I do is, I live in the present, and enjoy my current life with good friends and interesting activities. We may be getting older and have accumulated some wrinkles and aches and pains along the way, but the alternative is much worse in my view. That addresses the first half of your post, however, you lost me when you started talking about vampires and drinking blood I’m afraid...and then saying your mother was stupid....! Mmh?

I think Atheism and reality have helped me age comfortably. Maybe genes have something to do with it. When check out time does come I'll be okay with it. I'm comfortable with my trip through life, and reality means it all comes to an end sometime. Enjoy life, relationships and reality.

"Insults of aging" is a horrible western concept born out of consumer culture. Aging is a gift to be cherished. Wisdom compounds with age.

Physical beauty is fleeting and shallow. Aging is fine, so long as you don't make poor lifestyle choices or contract a disease. I don't look like I did at 25. I am not ugly at my now 65, nor will I ever be.

In order to age gracefully we first must accept it with a positive attitude. There are many advantages to maturity. All you seem to be missing is a positive attitude. Many people don't get to attain our age.

At age 83, I ask you" What is the value of dwelling thigs you will never have, and on things that are simply a part of the life of each of us? It makes no sense.

Been there...regrets are written off as a waste of time and effort...and life is way too short for wasteing....just trying to do whats right keeps me busy, and others happier with me.

When I accepted treatment for cancer, they said I could expect 10 years. I wanted the 10 years between 40 and 50, but that's not what I got. I'm not very interested in the years between 68 and 78, for instance. If Trump wins this upcoming election, I think I will take an earlier flight. Another 4 years of his whiney, fake prep school voice, the spray tan, and the cherrio gesture are just too much. I fear for our Democracy and our Laws. I worked out and was strong and fit and ready to fight only 15 years ago. Getting old is the way we get to the time to die place.

At 68 I see no correlation between lack of belief in a god and how I feel about aging .

I accept my aging process and the consequences thereof as being mere facts.

I do not suffer fools gladly. The half-life of religious fools being in my company is about 2 minutes.

No

At 66 I have yet to reach an age where I wish I was younger. The only thing I miss are the years that are no longer in front of me.

Yes, I agree. Our constant whining and sniveling would have driven a god away a long time ago.

What’s God god got to do with it?

Wow, there is something I just read

Everything atrophies. All living things will die - even 75k year old viruses. Even if you were an immortal vampire, the Earth will vanish one day. And if you were to escape that, well, the universe will collapse at some point. I simply accept that fact. An occasional use of pot eases the pains from a life of beating up my body.

Beauty radiates from within ....I have never met an ugly Atheist age 80 but I met thousands of ugly 8 year olds in churches spewing hatred of Atheists Gays Lesbians African Americans.....Soviets and Palestinians all branded worthy of death forever in hell.....THAT IS PURE UGLY