Ahhhh, mortality. Recognizing and feeling that you might be getting a bit older always makes you pause, and I have felt this several times this past week. And it is the unexpected that make me feel the creeping years.
I don't think that anyone who is my age has not worried about the financial mess that seems to appear, with increasing calls for panic, in each day's news. I have weathered downturns before, like 1987, 1992, the end of the dot.com bubble, and 9/11. But now, with less than two decades between income and retirement, losing a third of your net worth does seem more of a point to worry about. Maybe not. A third of not very much still is not very much, and it will over time rebound...sorry, I had force on these rose-colored glasses for that one. But it makes it easier to say that at least I have Social Security to count on!
That is the financial aspect of getting old. There is a physical aspect of getting old that also creeps up and then smacks you in the head. On Tuesday I slipped on some wet leaves getting out of my car so I could get my Starbucks. I felt something twist or pop in my back, but there were no immediate shooting pains, and I just stumbled in for my legal drugs. But after four hours of sitting in chairs for meetings I could hardly walk. By the time I taught that night, I was pretty seriously hurting--it really only hurt when I stood, sat, or moved around. My class noted that I was hobbling around and I explained that while I was diving in front of a bus to save a three year old and her puppy, I hurt my back. No, I told them the truth. So I was already feeling old, then one wit in class pointed out that I had to be careful, because at my age I could break a hip, and that would be bad. He doesn't know it, but he immediately flunked the class...ouch!
So today, when I stopped at Walgreen's to buy some ibuprofen for my still nagging back, I shopped for deals. I figured that I would/will need at least 100 caplets, and then I saw the store brand deal where you buy one, and get one free. Score!!!. This purchase, though, apparently triggered the store's computer that an old person was checking out on aisle three. The cash register quickly zipped out an application for the AARP. I guess that only old(er) people buy ibuprofen by the gross!
And so it goes. I honestly don't feel old, but I am sore. I see and hear about people my age who really are old, and I know that I am not one of them. But changing society's view that being closer to 50 then you are to 40 makes you old is very difficult. It is why I get ads for AARP, ads for drugs for old people, and spam 30 times a week for Viagra. Sigh...maybe I am getting up there, but I still am young at heart. That is a pretty good defense for the onslaught and the things that creep up on you.
I don't think that anyone who is my age has not worried about the financial mess that seems to appear, with increasing calls for panic, in each day's news. I have weathered downturns before, like 1987, 1992, the end of the dot.com bubble, and 9/11. But now, with less than two decades between income and retirement, losing a third of your net worth does seem more of a point to worry about. Maybe not. A third of not very much still is not very much, and it will over time rebound...sorry, I had force on these rose-colored glasses for that one. But it makes it easier to say that at least I have Social Security to count on!
That is the financial aspect of getting old. There is a physical aspect of getting old that also creeps up and then smacks you in the head. On Tuesday I slipped on some wet leaves getting out of my car so I could get my Starbucks. I felt something twist or pop in my back, but there were no immediate shooting pains, and I just stumbled in for my legal drugs. But after four hours of sitting in chairs for meetings I could hardly walk. By the time I taught that night, I was pretty seriously hurting--it really only hurt when I stood, sat, or moved around. My class noted that I was hobbling around and I explained that while I was diving in front of a bus to save a three year old and her puppy, I hurt my back. No, I told them the truth. So I was already feeling old, then one wit in class pointed out that I had to be careful, because at my age I could break a hip, and that would be bad. He doesn't know it, but he immediately flunked the class...ouch!
So today, when I stopped at Walgreen's to buy some ibuprofen for my still nagging back, I shopped for deals. I figured that I would/will need at least 100 caplets, and then I saw the store brand deal where you buy one, and get one free. Score!!!. This purchase, though, apparently triggered the store's computer that an old person was checking out on aisle three. The cash register quickly zipped out an application for the AARP. I guess that only old(er) people buy ibuprofen by the gross!
And so it goes. I honestly don't feel old, but I am sore. I see and hear about people my age who really are old, and I know that I am not one of them. But changing society's view that being closer to 50 then you are to 40 makes you old is very difficult. It is why I get ads for AARP, ads for drugs for old people, and spam 30 times a week for Viagra. Sigh...maybe I am getting up there, but I still am young at heart. That is a pretty good defense for the onslaught and the things that creep up on you.
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