Herbert I. Kavet is the author of a book titled “You Know You're Over 60 When ...” It's illustrated by Martin Riskin with very clever cartoons.

It holds a great deal of truth for us senior citizens. All you senior citizens will recognize some of these symptoms in yourselves.

€ You tend to refer to anyone under 40 as a “kid.”

€ People start telling you “You're not getting older, you're getting better ...” and you believe them.

€ You keep forgetting! You surround yourself with calendars, memo books and notes and you still forget.

€ You feel like the “morning after,” and you can swear you haven't been anywhere.

€ Your children start to listen to you.

€ Your grandchildren are taller than you are.

€ You start dressing like a sport.

€ You add “God willing” to most of your statements.

€ You're more comfortable straddling two lanes.

€ Fifty-five mph seems a very reasonable and safe speed to travel at.

€ People keep saying, “You haven't changed.”

€ Walking to the mailbox is exercise enough.

€ You're finally smart enough to hire a kid to mow the lawn.

€ Your children start losing their hair.

€ You've stopped smoking, drink in moderation and eat more sensibly. Still, you have to carry antacid pills with you!

€ Your calendar is filled with doctor and dentist appointments.

€ Your children start giving YOU advice.

€ You've tried every diet and still weigh too much.

€ You can finally afford the fun things in life that your doctor won't allow.

€ While you wear sweaters, kids are running about almost naked, and you can't believe they're not freezing.

€ You give up trying to learn all the names of those new African countries.

€ You'd rather talk about your grandchildren than brag about your conquests.

€ Your back goes out more than you do.

€ You think “software” is a new comfortable undergarment.

€ You start to look forward to dull evenings at home.

€ You are positive they build stairs steeper these days.

€ Your oversize racquet isn't oversize enough.

€ Sometimes you mix up your children's names.

€ You figure you can fake it long enough to remain “computer ignorant” the rest of your life.

€ Your medicine cabinet struggles to contain all your pills, lotions and medicines.

€ You can't remember when prumes and bran weren't a regular part of your diet.

€ You read columns like this all the way to the end!

Yes, life really does change for the “over 60” crowd.

As Grandpa used to say, “You gotta keep a real stiff upper lip.”

Dorothy Nelson lives and writes in Auburn