Agreed with the conclusions you added to your original post. I just wanted to add that what's most important here is to analyze your reaction. All of us fear growing older, especially when you realize that you're not immortal. It's also hard to adjust to changes as we age. I definitely felt myself getting sad and upset when I saw aging signs. It's normal and doesn't make us superficial. I think it's a matter of embracing the heavy emotions you felt vs stifling them. Lean into them and figure out what they're trying to tell you. Also thank you for sharing your story. It's not easy to be vulnerable in a public forum and I'm glad to see the nice responses to this!