Things to do

• Learn to speak Italian, if not Mandarin, at least a little.
  
• Fall in love with a younger man,or an older woman, at least a little — if only in courtly fashion.
  
• Learn to sing, at least a little, and do it in front of someone.
  
• Write a novel. Write a play. Write letters to all your grandchildren, even those not yet born.

• Become a mentor, but to someone your own age.

• Slowly, but a little more each day, get in better shape than you were at 30. It's entirely possible.

• Tell the truth, every day. If nothing else, it will catch people off guard.

• Adopt an older child. If you have an empty nest, and don't feel finished, remember that if a child knows the love of one relatively sane adult before the age of 12, nothing else matters. If a child doesn't, nothing else matters.

• Give away something you love and that squeezes you to part with — even if it is your time.

• Commit to memory this phrase: "I'd love to, but I can't." Do not elaborate.

• Purge. Sell or give away the bread machine and Crock-Pot you've used once. Donate your unopened makeup, '80s outfits, and all your thick, embroidered Swiss sweaters (unless you live in Switzerland or even a chalet). Do it before your children or before your grandchildren know the definition of the word "hoarder."
• Dance outside, at night in a country where a Romance language is spoken.
• Skinny dip, outside, at night, in any place where romance is spoken.
• Scuba-dive, if it scares you. Zip-line, if it scares you. Do ropes, if it scares you. Try to master something that won't kill you, but that scares you.
• Collect great lines, and great moments, instead of owls, frogs or beautiful plates.
• Photo albums cost about $9. Take those photos out of the drawer and put them in chronological order. Start with your wedding. You will feel cleansed, virtuous. You may feel thinner.
• Have the courage to stick to what you believe to be true. Without losing your temper or your dignity, stand firm. It's not "unpleasantness." You've lived long enough to pick a side.
• Take care of your feet. No one wants rough, moldy oldies. Attractive, springy feet change your mood, and your life. Wear the best shoes you can afford. Get pedicures — as a couple (yes, guys do!).
• Honor sleep. It really does make you better looking.
• Earn enough to retire, then don't.