Old age has me outraged. Everywhere I go, lately, it has emerged, glaring at me, reminding me that the clock is ticking. And I cannot escape its ravages, only postpone them.
OLD AGE IN MY BONES
Nearing the three-month mark for my second knee replacement, I have been performing more physical activity. Things I did with ease several years ago are a bit scary. Climbing ladders and kneeling come quickly to mind. Kneeling with one artificial knee was a bit painful, but after trying it with two new knees, I do not recommend it.
I am not the only one who has difficulty. Did you know that about sixty to eighty percent of patients report difficulty kneeling after a total knee replacement?
I struggle to open jars, cannot stand on one leg for long, don’t hear worth a damn in one ear, and one of my eyes is blurry even with correction. Additionally, I have cracked two teeth. Oh, I forgot to mention that I am missing a breast, lost to a stage 1 cancer diagnosis.
Did you know that as you get older, these weird things can happen?
- Lower teeth become crooked,
- You shrink,
- Your migraines may decrease, and
- Your voice may change.
I can vouch for crooked teeth and shriveling.
OLD AGE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
In the last month, my friends have dealt with death, hospice, dementia, and the inability to care for themselves or their loved ones. One of my friends has two new knees and two shoulders. He is now headed for a new heart valve.
The event that pushed me over the edge was visiting our long-time neighbors last week. They are moving because he can no longer care for his wife, who has dementia. My husband, who has post-polio syndrome and is on a walker, sat in a patio chair as we talked. When it was time to leave, he could not get up. Between my neighbor (in his mid-80s) and I, we could not pull him out. Finally, we pushed him still in the chair to the patio’s edge where he could get some leverage, and pried him out.
The indignity of it all.
FIGHTING OLD AGE
Humans have dreamed of besting old age for centuries. The mythical Fountain of Youth is a spring that restores youth to anyone who drinks or bathes in the water. These tales have been around since the 5th Century BC.
Exploration of the New World brought hope that the Fountain of Youth could be located. Conquistador Ponce de Leon’s obsession to live forever led to his discovery of Florida. While legend claims that he found the Fountain of Youth, the fact that he died from an infected arrowhead wound in 1521 puts the kibosh on that assertion.
OLD AGE LAST THOUGHTS
- Time for an attitude adjustment. While I cannot change what old age does to me, I can change how I think about it. I’d like to share one of my father’s favorite poems:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
And, friends, when I start whining, give me a swift kick in the rear and tell me to “get over it.”
Sign up on www.mariewatts.com to receive future Stories About Life delivered to your email address or read more stories by clicking here.
Recent Comments