A few days ago, I bumped into my friend Reg, whom I hadn’t seen for a while. He was putting a small package that he had taken out of a backpack into a UPS drop box. I noticed a bike propped against a bench that he would mount when we finished this brief catch-up.

“How you doing?” I asked. “Oh, a bit rough today,” he offered. “You?”

“I’m OK. Say, you look tired. Do you need help with that package?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Are you still coaching tennis at the high school?

“Yeah, staying visible. It’s easy for older people to become invisible. Got to stay in the game.”

“I saw you playing the other day. How old are you?”

“I’m 82. You?

“77. I’ve been worrying that 80’s right around the corner.”

“Oh, 80, man, that’s a different world.”

“Hey Reg, that doesn’t look like an e-bike.”