A Few New Things at 76

I've been noticing a progression of changes in me over the recent years especially, most I don't like.  For instance, this is the second day in a row that I've stayed home...it's too damn hot to be outside and I'm liking the peace and quiet maybe a little too much.

I've also recently developed a slight overlapping of 2 of my toes.  Now this might seem kind of insignificant but I remember very clearly how gnarled and horrible my grandmother's feet were and I'm hoping mine stay at least a little bit cute.

Of course, there's the obvious changes we expect as we grow older...wrinkles, grey hair (I happen to love mine because it has beautiful natural streaks in it), weakness, etc., and I can take all of this with a grain of salt but I often wonder why we have to age at all.  Was this the creator's mistake?

My personality began changing somewhere between 50 and 60.  That's when I "found myself".  I felt I could finally just be myself, warts and all, and people could take me or leave me as I was.  I knew I was an okay person but I've continued to work on my personal opinions, doing inner searching to see why I felt as I did and using logic and research to redirect my beliefs where necessary.  I like the expression, "I'm a work in progress", because it means I'm still improving.

When you're 76, you don't plan too far into the future.  It's easier for you to take one day at a time because you honestly don't have a whole lot of them left.  One of my faults is that I analyze everything.  During quiet times, I consider how fortunate I am to have my loving family and friends.  If that was all I ever had, I had a good life.

Back to my recent changes...I hurt now when I didn't hurt much before.  The worst culprit is my right bicep which was damaged last winter when I lifted the end of the futon.  There's been only minimal relief from the therapy I had but it aches slightly all day and that worsens during the night.  I hate this.  Hopefully, I'll get that cortizone shot before I leave for Florida and, hopefully, it works well.  

I get tired more easily, too.  A little nap in the afternoon is almost a necessity now but, since I usually get up about 6:30  A.M., that's not such a bad thing.  Sometimes I fall asleep without warning and that kind of worries me.  It worries me enough that I don't want to be looking after the babies by myself any more just in case I nod off and they get hurt.  The "nodding off" is definitely an old age symptom.

All in all, I do feel pretty good.  No-one has to like the changes that come with age but we tolerate them because we have no choice.  Me, I count my blessings and try to ignore the damn arm.