It’s Mond
ay, January 19, 2009. With all due respect to Simon and Garfunkle, today I find myself thinking about how much I tend to slip and slide (literally and figuratively) around these days. I fear that I’m beginning to redefine my age bracket. Before, I always thought about other folks as getting older. Not too long ago I expressed a scolding surprise when my wife got herself turned around by missing the turn off in the subdivision where we were living temporarily. Within three days I had done something very similar and I felt like God was letting me know that dishing out surprised comments may not be so much fun when it comes back to haunt you. Come to think about it, I never shared this little story with her so you can be sure I will have one big “Oh really?” headed my way. Life can be so unfair, especially to folks who begin to move a little slower, think a whole lot slower, and find themselves at times running on a treadmill, wondering why it’s so tough, only to find it was never turned on.
No one reaches their sixties without showing some wear and tear. And, I am well aware that for most of my time here on the planet I have exceeded the Manufacturer’s recommen
ded annual mileage. That’s really the gist of it. I am a high mileage vehicle and now some of the major components are beginning to short out, misfire, or, at times, refuse to start. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? All those posters of white haired seniors enjoying the good life are no doubt experienced by some but for the majority, well, there’s dealing with the aches, pains, and other challenges that tend to muck up most days. I read one comment on a posting board by a 22 year old who thought being old must be really cool because you get to retire, you have nothing to do, and you live out your life peacefully until you die. My response would be for him to hold on to t
hat thought for as long as he can because he will discover the truth soon enough.
The great thing for me is that I do try and have a sense of humor about it all. Since much of the laughing is targeted at myself; I have my own private comedy show running most of the time. I’ve found that many of the aging experiences are not negative at all, they are just different, and often, better. For instance, I am well entertained by spending quality time with one of our grandchildren when I hardly had time to say hello to my own children when they were growing up. I also don’t have to find something to entertain me now; I can always just take a nap. I’ve not gotten to that stage so don’t smile, it was only a joke, okay? That old joke from back in the early seventies does seem to tell the story. It said that when I was young it was wine,
women, and song. But now it’s Metracal, same old gal, and sing along with Mitch. (Metracal was one of the first canned diet supplements and sing along with Mitch was a TV program hosted by Mitch Miller where everyone was encouraged to sing along as very old standard song lyrics appeared on the screen.) I can’t remember for sure but I may have liked that program back then and that may be the source of many of my problems today. I need to really think about it, that is, if I remember even what it was I was writing about when I started talking about all this slip sliding around. Have a great rest of the week and may God bless you and yours. Amen. ….More later.
ay, January 19, 2009. With all due respect to Simon and Garfunkle, today I find myself thinking about how much I tend to slip and slide (literally and figuratively) around these days. I fear that I’m beginning to redefine my age bracket. Before, I always thought about other folks as getting older. Not too long ago I expressed a scolding surprise when my wife got herself turned around by missing the turn off in the subdivision where we were living temporarily. Within three days I had done something very similar and I felt like God was letting me know that dishing out surprised comments may not be so much fun when it comes back to haunt you. Come to think about it, I never shared this little story with her so you can be sure I will have one big “Oh really?” headed my way. Life can be so unfair, especially to folks who begin to move a little slower, think a whole lot slower, and find themselves at times running on a treadmill, wondering why it’s so tough, only to find it was never turned on.No one reaches their sixties without showing some wear and tear. And, I am well aware that for most of my time here on the planet I have exceeded the Manufacturer’s recommen
ded annual mileage. That’s really the gist of it. I am a high mileage vehicle and now some of the major components are beginning to short out, misfire, or, at times, refuse to start. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? All those posters of white haired seniors enjoying the good life are no doubt experienced by some but for the majority, well, there’s dealing with the aches, pains, and other challenges that tend to muck up most days. I read one comment on a posting board by a 22 year old who thought being old must be really cool because you get to retire, you have nothing to do, and you live out your life peacefully until you die. My response would be for him to hold on to t
hat thought for as long as he can because he will discover the truth soon enough.The great thing for me is that I do try and have a sense of humor about it all. Since much of the laughing is targeted at myself; I have my own private comedy show running most of the time. I’ve found that many of the aging experiences are not negative at all, they are just different, and often, better. For instance, I am well entertained by spending quality time with one of our grandchildren when I hardly had time to say hello to my own children when they were growing up. I also don’t have to find something to entertain me now; I can always just take a nap. I’ve not gotten to that stage so don’t smile, it was only a joke, okay? That old joke from back in the early seventies does seem to tell the story. It said that when I was young it was wine,
women, and song. But now it’s Metracal, same old gal, and sing along with Mitch. (Metracal was one of the first canned diet supplements and sing along with Mitch was a TV program hosted by Mitch Miller where everyone was encouraged to sing along as very old standard song lyrics appeared on the screen.) I can’t remember for sure but I may have liked that program back then and that may be the source of many of my problems today. I need to really think about it, that is, if I remember even what it was I was writing about when I started talking about all this slip sliding around. Have a great rest of the week and may God bless you and yours. Amen. ….More later.
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