Funny the things we think about as we begin to stir from our sleep in the mornings . . .

Last night after I watched an episode of the Scottish series Monarch of the Glen, I looked up one of its actors — Susan Hampshire — on the Internet. I think she is absolutely beautiful in that series, and I was curious about her age. It turns out she is 77 now, and has pretty much retired from acting. Monarch of the Glen ran for seven seasons, ending in 2005, so the Susan I saw last night on television was in her mid-60s.

It can be a bit startling to see actors and actresses in films made years ago, and then see photos of them today. Of course they age like everyone else — and Susan appears to have aged quite well — but it is a swift reminder of time’s toll on the body, nevertheless.

So this morning my first thoughts when I awoke were mathematical: three score and 10, or 70 years — the benchmark for the average human lifespan — seems like a pretty long time. But 25,550 days — 70 years x 365 days — don’t seem like a lot. And an extra, say, 3,650 days — or 10 years — doesn’t seem like a huge bonus.

And when you subtract the years or days that have already gone by in your life, well . . . There is a case to be made for not learning how to count.

Moral of the story: Other than the obvious one about making the most of every day, don’t look at present-day photos of actors and actresses from days/years gone by before you go to bed at night.

— Jillian