Think of me enjoying a two week January holiday in the village of Punta Mujeres in Lanzarote when I was 62. Waking up every morning deciding what to do by clouds, sun, wind or the strength of the tides.

Looking out from the apartment, I was reminded of the times I spent holidaying in Al Fujaira, the only east coast city in Abu Dhabi which looks out on the Gulf of Oman, when I worked in the capital—the horizon of sea expanding before my eyes. Here, there were no tankers dispelling their oily goo... no fear of being covered in oily spots while swimming that needed special sprays to dissolve the oil to get clean afterwards. Here, only the occasional sailing boat cruised passed with fresh, clear sea to swim in, snorkeling through seaweed and fish, all to enjoy.

Each day we watched the dawn—each an amazing sunrise, though rough in places, we walked and walked along the volcanic shoreline looking for hidden bays, explored rock pools, sunbathed, swam in deep sea and saw the fantastic array of fish life... angel sharks, garpike fish, electric blue damsel fish, and more besides.

In the evening, we didn't watch the pennies (or cents!) as we dined out every night enjoying delicious, fresh food in the local restaurants.

I was determined to try and stop the sense of panic or guilt that I should be doing something more productive but only to rest easy no matter what because rest is good for the soul, mind and body.

When you get to my age, I hope you won't be haunted by guilt, grief, fear, regret or any such negative emotion. Life is difficult and the past is not worth a thought... enjoy today because that's all each one of us has got.