OK, keep her as a friend if you want, but try not to attach to her very much with false hope to the point of paralyzing yourself. Explore other alternatives. Just try that. Dwelling on the same idea won't change your situation. Sorry, but either you stay this way, or accept the change with all of what it entails from pains and fails. It is your choice. I wish there was another way around this, but you cannot change the past. You can still have a passionate love affair with older women. Like if you are in your late 50s, you can find women in their mid 40s or even late 30s. At this age, they are not that old, and many of them are beautiful, in shape, caring, and fun. The first thing came to my mind when I heard about dating younger women is that may be you wanted children. I don't know if this is the case, but still it is realizable with older women. Just try online dating sites and you will see broader options.