As he nears 100, Dick Van Dyke, 99, makes a touching confession about his life.

In reality, she brings structure, joy, laughter, and companionship to his days. She is his partner in the truest sense: someone who keeps him connected to the world, encourages him to stay active, and provides emotional nourishment as he navigates the complexities of aging.

Their relationship shows that love has no age limit — and that connection can be a healing force at any stage of life.

“Life Is a Giant Playground” — His Philosophy of Joy

Perhaps the most inspiring part of Van Dyke’s reflection is his explanation of how he managed to reach 99 with optimism still intact. “No one is genetically miserable,” he wrote. “We all have the capacity for a joyful life.”

This is not blind positivity — it is a deliberate philosophy shaped by experience.

“I’ve made it to 99 in no small part because I have stubbornly refused to give in to the bad stuff,” he explained. “Failures, defeats, personal losses, loneliness, the physical and emotional pains of ageing.” These challenges are real and universal, he admits. But they are not the full story.

Instead, he has chosen — again and again — to lean toward joy. To embrace curiosity.

To stay playful. “To me, being alive has been doing life not like a job, but rather like a giant playground,” he wrote. It is a sentiment only a person with a century of wisdom could express so simply and so beautifully.Continue reading…