What I miss about being young isn’t the waistline or the hairline. That’s gone, and I’ve made my peace with it.

I miss the ease of it. Saying yes to things without a plan. Being able to change direction on a Monday just to see where you ended up. There was a built-in fearlessness then – or maybe I just didn’t know any better – that let me walk into jobs, trips and relationships I had no real qualifications for.

The upside of getting older is you read things and people a bit better. You’re harder to impress, and more inclined to notice the small, decent parts of a day. I don’t spend much time worrying about getting old. I’m more interested in how to do it without turning sour, switching off, or living entirely in the past.

If I can hang on to some curiosity, be of some use, and still manage to laugh at myself, that’ll be enough.