Report claims that Dick Van Dyke suffered from health problems at the age of 100

And yet, despite the vulnerability he describes, Van Dyke insists that a sense of play remains essential in the way he deals with aging, saying he still likes to think of the world “as a giant playground.”

He wrote that he continues to sing, joke and dance around the house with Arlene, who he calls his source of strength. “Every day she finds a new way to keep me moving, clear and hopeful and needed,” he said.

Van Dyke said he still pushes himself to stay active.

“I still try to go to the gym three times a week,” he said, adding that he even sings while moving between machines.

“By ‘going’ I mean dancing. You heard me dancing,” he added.

When asked what keeps him looking ahead, he offered a simple checklist, saying everyone must ask themselves if they want to stay optimistic and alive: “What are you going to do today? What do you want tomorrow, next month, next year to look like?”