Thursday Tidbits
Posted on October 15, 2020 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet
Fall golf in the Cape Breton Highlands
“The autumn of my life”
I was humming that old Bobby Goldsboro song the other day as the days become shorter and shorter up north. I think we’re much closer to winter than fall these days as darkness arrives earlier and earlier. Locals tell me that at this time of the year, we lose 15 minutes of daylight every day.
I was hoping to use a few of the lyrics of this song released in 1968. However, when I looked up the words and realized that it was about a man leaving his family, I decided that this was not the metaphor I wanted for this piece!
Unless some drug company magically comes up with an anti-aging pill, many of us find ourselves in the autumn of our life. Lest you think that this is a depressing post about growing old, I happen to love autumn. I also happen to love being 69 even though I recoil occasionally when I wonder how this could have possibly happened. How did I get from being sure footed and supple to someone who now gingerly and cautiously walks down a flight of stairs watching every step? And whose joints ache most of the time and tying my laces constitutes a yoga workout. Of course, transitioning to progressive lens several years ago required learning new skill sets. A few years ago, while doing music therapy in a nursing home, I was coming down a flight of stairs carrying my guitar and song books when I missed the last step, rupturing a quadricep muscle. The home’s administrative staff were prepared to take me in as a resident without applying!
It is hardly surprising that I spend quite a bit of time chatting with people my own vintage and it is interesting to hear what they want from life heading in to their “golden years”. I always laugh when I think about a couch pillow I once saw that said “The only thing golden about the golden years is the color of my pee.”
Many of us still have the yen (rupees… euros) to travel but Covid has thrown a soggy blanket over that. It is not impossible to travel these days, but it has become a riskier and less desirable proposition. Yes, lineups are considerably shorter, but the safety protocols add another layer to an ofttimes tedious process, especially if one is traveling abroad.
My independent survey of “silver seniors” tells me that what most folks my age want can be narrowed down to a few key themes. At the top of everyone’s list is good health. We badly want to be well and stay well as long as possible so that we might enjoy more sunrises and sunsets, walks in the park or sharing an ice cream cone with a grandchild. Or curling up on the couch with a good book. Most of us know that it is incumbent upon each of us to work at wellness. Many of us have moderated our lifestyles (I still eat far too many sweets) and realize the importance of regular exercise.
Many of us are alone either by choice or circumstance. While being independent and free has its appeal and is quite liberating, having companionship is life giving. Single seniors want to love and be loved. They want sincerity, honesty and fidelity in a partner, mixed with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor.
I think they call this friendship.
“Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call. And I’ll be there, you’ve got a friend.”
You’ve Got a Friend – Carole King
Have a great weekend.
Comments