Getting Older

I have decided that getting older is not for the weak or fainthearted. It seems that each year I see a few more new wrinkles and experience a few more aches and pains.

I went for an eye exam a few days ago. The eye doctor told me that I’m getting cataracts, but they aren’t “ripe,” or ready to remove. The idea of having surgery on my eyes scares me to death. I don’t even like to put eye drops in my eyes. They will have to sedate me when it comes to cataract surgery.

I have also noticed the last few years my increasing use of the “shuffle.” When I first get up in the morning or when I have ridden a while in the car (anything over half an hour), I shuffle until I can get rid of my stiffness. I used to laugh at Tim Conway when he would imitate an elderly person by shuffling his feet. I guess the last laugh is on me.

Osteoporosis runs in my family, so I’m trying to not add that to my list. Osteoarthritis is also stalking me. And when did my skin start looking so crepey? The Poise commercial with Brooke Burke-Charvet would make me laugh except it wouldn’t be a little leak, more like a gush, and believe me, that is no laughing matter. For me to go see a comedian, like Jeanne Robertson, takes preparation–if you know what I mean!

I’m also seeing doctors more often than when I was younger. I now have an ophthalmologist, dentist, gynecologist, surgeon, oncologist, and physical therapist in addition to my primary care doctor. Hopefully the physical therapist is only for a few weeks. No wonder you need to retire when you reach a certain age. You have to spend your time going to doctors.

I have also found that my brain is aging, too. It is much harder for me to remember things than it used to be. I will get in the car and start driving. Then I panic for a few minutes when I can’t remember where I’m going. So I have to think hard about where I am going and how I’m going to get there. If an appointment is not in my calendar on my phone, then it doesn’t exist. I figure I’m doing pretty well, though. I can still remember the names of my children, their spouses, and my grandchildren. I can also remember the names of their pets.

Getting older also has some bright spots, too. You are much too wise to fret over the insignificant stuff, and most stuff in life is hardly worth noticing much less stewing over. You don’t worry about what people think because you finally realize that they are not really thinking about you as much as they are thinking about themselves. You learn that friends and family are more important than anything else. People can lose their homes and everything in it, but as long as they have their family and friends, the rest is just “stuff.”

So all you young whipper-snappers out there should never laugh about old people. Don’t forget that your day will come.