Showing posts with label old age. Show all posts
Showing posts with label old age. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The Butt Race into Old Age: Fighting Gravity

I realized something this morning. A couple of weeks ago, my youngest daughter purchased a shirt for me. I thanked her, and I wore it without giving it much thought. At the end of the day I took it off.

And then (shudder) I noticed something unusual about the shirt. Without thinking (that was my first mistake), I realized that I had taken from her a shirt that practically SCREAMED, "Old Lady!"

Was it true? Had I suddenly become an old lady? Was the slip into old age so subtle that I automatically slipped on an "old lady" shirt without giving any consideration whatsoever to the way I looked in the old lady shirt?

But what's worse is that she thought it would look good on me. Well, yeah, because you're old, she practically taunted me (without saying a word, but she spoke volumes with that shirt). 

What has become of me? Next thing you know, I'll be putting on flower-printed muu-muus, dying my hair pitch black, putting dark black eyebrow pencil on my eyebrows, and encircling my cheeks with rouge. 

And the fact that I called it rouge instead of blush further indicates my slip into old age.

Yes, that's exactly how it happens. We SLIP into old age, our bodies sagging into the ground in an attempt to slide six feet under before we are ready, and we drag our butts back up and say, NOT YET, fighting gravity with all our mights just to keep our bodies above ground.

No, Dylan Thomas, I WILL NOT GO GENTLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT! 

And so, it is with dignity and grace that I pull my jowls back up into my face, the flab back into my stomach and butt, and exercise the muscles that are racing to the floor.


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Sunday, July 10, 2011

The Wisdom of a 6 Year Old Regarding Old Age

Kaden with his younger brother, Zac, playing the Wii
Yesterday my grandson, Kaden, 6, looked at the calendar for a couple of seconds before he announced, "In a week and six days it's gonna be your birthday."

"Yeah, I know," I admitted, knowing that this year would be a landmark year for me. "This year is the year I become old."

Kaden raised his eyebrows and nodded his head up and down. "I know. You're going to be sixty."

"Yeah, that is old, isn't it?" I agreed.

"Yeah!" Kaden said, eyes wide open with amazement. "I'm surprised you're not dead."

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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Vitality, Vivaciousness, and Victory

Growing older doesn't bother me. What bothers me about aging is losing my vitality – my energy. At one time I might have described myself as vivacious (lively and animated), but as I get older, vivaciousness appears to be dripping out of me like condensation from a cold bottle of water on a hot summer day.

So many things animate me – kids, writing, conversations that deeply engage me, ideas, creativity, and surprising discoveries. Twitches of excitement cause electrical impulses to race through my brain at an alarming speed.

I become a ball of energy (perhaps too) tightly wound. Often, I grab thoughts as quickly as possible for fear of losing them before they escape my attention. Thankfully, I'm fairly quick about capturing them and recording them.

But what if – one day – I sit down to write and I can't think?

My biggest fear about aging is losing that vitality, that essence of energy that drives my body, my thoughts, and my spirit.

Will my brain slow down as I get older? Will my body fall apart? I already have a bad back and a bunch of other physical ailments. Getting older can't mean that I will lose my vitality.

Can it?

Breast cancer slowed me down, but it didn't stop me. Although I still don't have the same level of energy I had before I got breast cancer, I look forward to the day – four and a half years from now – when I'm finished with chemo, so I can regain some of my former energy.

And then I think about all those residents I've seen in nursing homes. Their lethargic stance with their slumped shoulders, their sad eyes, and their non-smiling mouths seem so pitiful to me.

The thought of being in a nursing home saddens me. I want to ask the residents, "Did you accomplish your goals? Were you happy? Did you ever feel victorious?

Or do you find joy only in your memories?"

My mom is 77 years old and as vivacious as many 30 year olds. She could walk circles around me. Though my age sounds old (I will turn 60 this year), I don't feel old. Maybe I come by that naturally. I hope to be as full of vitality as my mom is when I get to be her age.

I also hope to experience joy, hope, and love all the way up until the time I depart this world.

After all, what is life without joy – without hope – without love? I want a life filled with joy, with laughter, and with love. I want to feel victorious.

Want some laughter in your life? Check out Humor Outcasts (click the link) for some amusing stories. It will tickle your funny bone.

And from there, the rest of you will respond, because, as we all know, your funny bone's connected to your head bone (I know – most people call it a skull), your head bone's connected to your shoulder bones…and as you feel shivers running all the way down to your feet, you'll find your toes are tingling with vitality.

And that completes Day #22 from the A-Z Challenge. Brought to you by the letter, V. 


Previous A-Z Challenge blogs:

Amazon Hates Me – Day #1 from the A-Z Challenge

Bored – Why? – Day #2 from the A-Z Challenge

Craziness – Day #3 from the A-Z Challenge

When Your Daughter Develops, DON'T DO THIS! – Day #4 from the A-Z Challenge

Ellen – Day #5 from the A-Z Challenge

Family and Friends – Day #6 from the A-Z Challenge

The Grownup Table – Day #7 from the A-Z Challenge

Happiness & Joy – Day #8 from the A-Z Challenge

Idiots in the Attic – Day #9 from the A-Z Challenge

Jokes Accidentally – Day #10 from the A-Z Challenge

The Kid That Wasn't Named Ker – Day #11 from the A-Z Challenge

Living Out of Suitcases – Day #12 from the A-Z Challenge

Misunderstandings – I KNOW You Didn't Say What I THINK You Said

Networked Blogs on Facebook



The Old and The Elderly – At What Age Do You FEEL Old?


Peacocks Are Not Penguins

Quiz That Changed My Thinking

Reading Les Miserable
  

Sense and Nonsense

The Traumatization of a Third Grader

Under Pressure

Monday, April 18, 2011

The Old and The Elderly – At What Age Do You FEEL Old?

What I am about to say will probably sound terrible, but I always wanted to ask my grandmother this question: "At what point in your life did you realize you were old?"

Like I said, I realize what a rude question that is, but seriously, I'd really like to know the answer. Though I was curious about what her response would have been, I never asked my grandmother that question, because by the time she was really old, it was obvious she was old, and I didn't want to hurt her feelings. It just seemed to be disrespectful to ask her, so I never did.

But as I near the end of my sixth decade, I find myself asking myself, "When will you feel old? When will you look in the mirror and say, 'Wow, wasn't I just twenty'?"

Gray hair (which I am now coloring again) doesn't make people old, because people sometimes go gray in their teens. Arthritis doesn't make people old, because even young people suffer from arthritis.

So what is it? What is the trigger that alerts us to the fact that we have now crossed the threshold from middle age into OLD age?

My mother is in her 70s. One of my best friends is in her 70s. Neither of these women is what I would consider to be old. And yet sometimes I see people in their 50s and my first thought is, wow, they look really old!

I don't know the answer. I seriously still don't know when people pass the invisible line from middle age into old age, but I would really like to know the point at which a person realizes he or she is old.

Maybe old age creeps up on you, then forcefully knocks the wind out of you and demands you to accept the fact that you are aging. Or maybe one day you give up your dreams and your hopes, because you know the end is coming, and you figure, why not? – I've earned the right to be old.

But what happens if you never give up your dreams or your hopes? Do you remain forever young? I can honestly say that I would not like to live forever, but I also hope that I never feel old.

And that completes Day #15 from the A-Z Challenge. Brought to you by the letter, O.

Previous A-Z Challenge blogs:

Amazon Hates Me – Day #1 from the A-Z Challenge

Bored – Why? – Day #2 from the A-Z Challenge

Craziness – Day #3 from the A-Z Challenge

When Your Daughter Develops, DON'T DO THIS! – Day #4 from the A-Z Challenge

Ellen – Day #5 from the A-Z Challenge

Family and Friends – Day #6 from the A-Z Challenge

The Grownup Table – Day #7 from the A-Z Challenge

Happiness & Joy – Day #8 from the A-Z Challenge

Idiots in the Attic – Day #9 from the A-Z Challenge

Jokes Accidentally – Day #10 from the A-Z Challenge

The Kid That Wasn't Named Ker – Day #11 from the A-Z Challenge

Living Out of Suitcases – Day #12 from the A-Z Challenge

Misunderstandings – I KNOW You Didn't Say What I THINK You Said

Networked Blogs on Facebook