5-24-21

The person who first uttered those familiar words, “Age is nothing but a number”, was very observant and insightful. I can personally attest to the validity of this observation. However, I believe that he and I are looking at different numbers.

Two – the number of times I get up at night to pee.

Three – the average number of office visits per month to doctors and dentists over the past nine months.

Four – the number of pills I take every day, plus 2 more on an as needed basis.

Five – the number of invasive medical procedures in the past year.

And there was that fella who said, “old age is a state of mind”. I wonder what in the hell he was smoking. Varicose veins, enlarged prostates, and sagging breasts are not the result of a poor attitude. . I promise you there is no attitude adjustment that will get those boobs up any higher, or let you sleep through the night without getting up to pee.

Then there was the genius who said you are only as old as you feel. According to him I age 4-5 years every time my sciatica flares up. A few weeks ago I was 10 years older than I am now. The truth is, the older you get the more likely you are to develop all kinds of aches and pains. Biological systems are designed to fail. Our decay is inevitable. However, although we cannot stop the ageing process, we can, to a great extent, control how we react to it. Getting old does not deprive us of the capacity to enjoy life. It is a privilege often denied to many, and it should be embraced with gratitude, even when you have to sit down to put your pants on.