Conjugal love or the friendship of spouses can persist even after sexual desires have weakened withered and disappeared.
As a single withered tree if set aflame causes a whole forest to burn so does a rascal son destroy a whole family.
A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts not on marble.
Morality comes with the sad wisdom of age when the sense of curiosity has withered.
The only protection as a historian is to institute a process of research and writing that minimizes the possibility of error. And that I have tried to do aided by modern technology which enables me having long since moved beyond longhand to use a computer for both organizing and taking notes.