I Was Thinking... becoming old

Did you ever wonder when you got old? It is easy to count birthdays, but that isn’t always a good indicator when you are old. Old is a relative term. Some people seem old, well before they ever qualify for a senior citizen discount. Others have had plenty of birthdays to be considered old, but it doesn’t seem like they are. So, what makes a person old?
The obvious things about being old are the physical changes. The greying of hair or the loss of it are good indicators. The once tight smooth skin gets more wrinkled, spotted and saggy. Our eyesight and hearing begin to become more problematic as well as our energy level. Then there are the normal aches and pains almost everyone encounters as we age. But there are other things that make us feel old too.
It is easy to feel old as things change rapidly. Technological advancements in particular can make a person quickly feel out of it. While I do use direct deposit and automatic payments for some things, I still also write checks and pay for things in cash. Although I have a smart phone, I don’t use it to pay bills but have bought tickets with it. But I don’t understand Venmo or bitcoin and use only a small percentage of the things my phone is capable of doing. But I’m still trying to learn. That often is the key to staying young. If you don’t adapt at all, you will feel older sooner.
But being old has a lot to do with attitude. Some people forget they’re old and are as active as when they were younger. While they may not be working anymore, they have filled their lives with new pursuits or as a volunteer. They have a reason to get up every day.
The discussion of aging came up with a men’s book study one day. One man’s advice was “Don’t let the old man in.” He was referring to the “old man” persona some people achieve. This is the guy who yells at kids who scream when playing, bounce the basketball too loud, or step on his lawn. He is crabby about all kinds of change. He criticizes how young people dress, their music, and those damn tattoos. He complains that drivers go too fast, the traffic is terrible, and everybody tailgates. He longs for the “good old days” when everything was done the way he was used to.
Aging is inevitable but to quote a friend, “It is better than the alternative.” Many of my friends are now 80 or older. Yet most of them still lead active productive lives. Many of the most active members of our Lions club are in their 70s and 80s. None of them are without some type of physical ailment and most have a regular number of clinic appointments but keep going. For them, “old” doesn’t dictate their lives. While I usually don’t feel my age, I do see many signs that show I’ve arrived.
First, people of my age seem to eat out a lot. At our stage in life, it gives us time to be social and our wives are tired of cooking. When we do go out, it is usually early because we don’t like to drive at night. Secondly, our conversations also reflect our concerns at this time of life. What appointments with doctors are coming up or what medication is being taken dominate many discussions. For my male counterparts, we often share what strategies we are using to battle squirrels, rabbits, or gophers. We also seem to be obsessed with fighting dandelions, crabgrass, or ants. If those topics run their course, we also speculate on the chances of the Vikings winning a Super Bowl before we all expire.
But when we lament our advancing age, my friend’s comment sums it up best, “I’d still rather be seen than viewed.”

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