Aches and Pains

            The older I become, the more aches and pains I have on a more frequent basis.  The bone spur in my hip reminds me of my age when I lift more than a few pounds or when I sit for too long on a soft sofa or chair.   When I was much younger, my sister-in-law said, “You can’t run to the doctor for every ache and pain.”  Now I understand what she means.  Whenever I tell my doctor about my aching joints in fingers, ankles, knees and on and on, he tells me it’s arthritis and moves on quickly to the next question I have, and I usually have quite a few.  I make a list before I go so I won’t forget anything. 

            Arthritis pain never goes away completely.  I manage it with exercise, healthy foods, and pain killers.  Various meds may dull the pain, but it’s a constant reminder of age-related maladies.  That’s why I begin each day with a 2-mile walk and always stretch afterwards.  If I’m stiff when I awaken, the exercise gets the blood circulating and I feel much better.  I have also noticed that the joints in my hands and ankles are less painful when I cut back on salt and sugar.  

            Now that it’s summer, I’d like to work in the yard, preparing and planting new flower beds and maintaining the older ones, but I know I’ll pay for it big time.  Keeping the patio plants watered, fed and dead-headed allow me to still feel like I’m gardening.  When I’ve completed those tasks, I sit on the patio with a book and a cold drink and enjoy the fruits of previous labor.  Come to think of it, that’s not so bad.

Aging

       

According to Census projections, the over 85 age group is expected to more than double by 2035.  By that time those of us who are 65+ will be in that category.  We’ll be the ones in need of social services that our parents have today.  The pressures and challenges associated with elder care are numerous.  What will we do?  How many of us have prepared adequately?  How adequate is adequate?  Will we want to move from our homes into managed care facilities or into our children's homes?  Will we be willing to give up our independence?  Will we even be able to afford to grow old?

Getting older is difficult, and I must admit I fear the unknown.   Regardless of the plans we make and the directives we put in place, in the end, it all comes down to loss of choices.  If we live long enough and have debilitating physical or mental conditions, we lose the ability to control our lives, and that’s a terrible thing to lose.

When I think about elderly people who, at the end, lose their capacity to enjoy life, I cry.  It’s not easy to look into vacant eyes and watch joyless facades going through each day just waiting for it all to be over.  Of course, there are many exceptions to this grim scenario, but I’ve seen enough cases to know this is true.  When our minds or bodies fail us, is there no other place to go except into mindless oblivion?  Can we hold on to joy, peace and love, even in our failed mental and physical states?  Does dementia make us more of who we really are?

Issues surrounding aging are complex and I have a lot of questions, but the alternative to growing older is dying younger.   There are no easy answers, so I live by the belief that a positive attitude goes a long way toward warding off mental and physical disabilities.   My advice to myself, and to others, is to get up,   get out and get busy.  Learn something new; renew acquaintances; turn off the television; find joy in simplicity.  This quote from Henry David Thoreau is appropriate for us all:

“When it's time to die, let us not discover that we have never lived.”