My last blog about the old bull received great feedback, and several readers asked for more. So here we go.
What’s this aging process all about?
Eyes, ears, and other organs not working quite the same way they used to. Wrinkles and sagging body parts, all the result of the power of gravity – getting us closer, bit by bit, to the earth. Ugh. Not where I want to go -figuratively or literally.
So much for the external physical side. That’s apparent in all of us so called, “seniors.”
OK, let’s look inside. Oops, that could take us to more organs. Again, not where I want to go, but my fingers keep typing about it. “Why,” I ask. Is it an obsession? I guess, just like in dealing with difficult conversations, we’ve got to get the emotional part out of the way before we can deal with the rational. I suspect I’ve got to deal with this physical component of aging, get it under control, at least in my mind, before I can focus on the non-physical part. It breaks my heart to see friends and family struggle with illness. And, yes, I do read the obits daily in the paper, and as my brother told me, “You always did enjoy a good funeral.”
Is there actually some good news here? Pain and illness are nothing new to seniors. We’ve had our share along the way, so we should be used to it, know how to deal with it, be able to manage it, and put it in perspective. It’s just the abundance of it that sucks. Funny to type the word, “sucks.” Takes me back to the ‘70s and gives me a rapid recall of when I almost fell off my chair at dinner the first time I heard my son use it. I asked him what he thought the word meant and he explained it was a synonym for “terrible” or “lousy.” Ah, ok, that was news to me.
Are free association and random tangents symptoms of aging?
I remember the first time (it was several years ago), when someone called me, “sir.” Would you ever say, “sir” to a young person? No! So, what’s the corollary? Does that mean someone called, “sir” is viewed as old?
My wife and I just purchased a Sleep Number bed. The sales clerk enthusiastically started to tell us about the 25-year guarantee. We laughed. I’m fast approaching 74 and she really thinks I give a %&#@! Twenty-four years ago, at the age of 50, I used to joke that I was now on the back nine. If that was true, I’m fast approaching the 14th green. Just got to be sure I don’t shank one or knock it out of bounds.
Seniors: pay attention. The more you understand what you’re facing in your own lives, the easier your transition will be. Members of the next gen: hang in there. The more you understand what Dad and other seniors are going through, the better you’ll be able to support them with patience even a dose of love. And that’s guaranteed to help them make sustainability easier for you.
Time to segue to the non-physical or metaphysical side. Stay tuned for more – challenges with memory, focus, attention span, patience, self-reflection. And on and on and on…
