WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE OLD GRANDAD?

THE OLD RUSTY NAIL

AN E-JOURNAL FOR OLD PEOPLE

Russell Burton, an Old Person

What’s it like to be old is a simple question with a very complex answer.  When I was asked that I thought for a moment and said that there was pain, some balance problems, and I fell a few times. He shrugged and smiled and went about his business. But, what a question and my answers were not exactly uplifting. But it got me thinking about this stage of life that I am now living.  Like I wrote about before it all happened when I turned 80 years old.  And, ‘years old’ is more explicit than ‘years of age’.

My answer stayed with me as I thought more about what it is like being old as I narrowed it down to thinking about my body and mind.  I must admit that my mind is about as sharp as it ever was which some people would agree with a smile.  But included in my mind are my thoughts and these are quite different as I tend to think about different things in different ways than when I was younger. 

I believe that our thoughts are tied very closely with our age bracket and I think there are several of those.  Exactly the ages of these stages of life will vary with each person I am sure but here is my take: Baby 0-3; child 4-10; teenager 11-19; young adult 20-30; middle-age adult 31-65; mature adult; 66-79; and finally ‘old adult’ 80-?

Of course some of these are by definition, you know ‘teenager’ for example. The age which got my attention the most of any age was when I became 30.  Oh my suddenly, I was not in my 20s what I call the young-adult stage which seemed to last forever.  There is no doubt that mentally when I became 30 something inside of me changed which I guess is when I became a ‘middle-age adult’.

As I thought more about his question, I began to think about my answer which was nothing more than a list of the symptoms of old age and not what is old age?  Perhaps that was the question he wanted to ask. And the one word answer is it is a challenge!  In a way that was what Art Linkletter reminded us when he said “Old age is not for sissies”.

Now when I say it is a challenge I must admit that it is a very different kind of challenge.  Usually when someone is challenged that person accepts the challenge and either wins or loses it. But old age challenge is something which must be accepted for an old person must take on that challenge each day.  And, the winner is the person who has taken that challenge and dealt with it each day in a satisfactory manner.  And, the same challenge will be there tomorrow or perhaps it will be a little more difficult challenge.

Therefore, the winner in the old-age game is the one who does not falter but accepts the challenge and fights it every day.  Simply if you do not like a challenge then you will end up rocking in a chair on the front porch thinking about the good old days as your mind and muscles wither away.

Earlier I noted that my mind is as sharp as ever but my thoughts are different.  I catch myself suddenly realizing that I am an old person.  Yes suddenly like I am surprised by this realization and which nearly all the time takes my thoughts back to when I was younger. Then old age had never crossed my mind. Suddenly I remind myself that hey you are not that young person anymore.  It is a very strange thought pattern.

The challenge of old age is one which requires a daily effort supporting your mind and body.  And, these supporting activities are not easy ones to accomplish most everyday because it requires activities which become harder to do each day.  And of course, that is this never-ending challenge.  Well that is not entirely true for it will end some day.

Now, I am the first to admit that this challenge is not an easy one for it requires both the mind insisting on doing what must be done.  And, it is so easy to think well not today but I will do it for sure tomorrow.  Of course like the musical Anne, ‘tomorrow is just a day away’.

I have written before about what I do regularly so I will not repeat those here.  And too what I do specifically are not that important it is just that I do them. But, it is not fun before they are done, it is after they have been accomplished that I get the reward that I have met the challenge.  Do I feel younger?  Of course not but I feel that I have accomplished what had to be done and that is a good feeling – no not a feeling of being younger but a feeling that old age has not beat me yet!

No not yet but it is just a matter of time for it always wins.  How much do you want to enjoy that ‘matter of time’ is the challenge for each of us old people.