Some Thoughts about Aging
I will celebrate my 65th birthday in a few months, and my age is starting to show.
I retired at 52. Some people thought that I retired early, but I was quick to respond, "I may not be the oldest car on the lot, but I may have the highest mileage!" Still, for the first few years of retirement, I was active, and when I think of what I did then and what I do now, I can tell that I'm slowing down.
Somewhere along the way, I became a napper. I nap every day, and if I miss a nap, I feel it. Often, I nap a few times a day, and sometimes, my morning nap interferes with my afternoon nap or my afternoon nap interferes with my evening nap (or my morning and afternoon naps both interfere!!)
I just started taking senior citizen discounts, and it still feels strange, like a teenager sneaking into a bar with a fake ID. Yesterday, I saved a whole five bucks, and it felt like I won the lottery. (Five bucks is five bucks. Hurry up and use it before they ask for their money back!!)
Last year, I got hearing aids, because I had trouble hearing high voices, and I was always asking Jill to repeat herself. "Say again...?" Now, I hear much better, but I am still asking Jill to repeat herself. "Say again...? Yes, I'm wearing my hearing aids, but I'm listening to music on them."
I am eligible for Medicare in a few months, and that is a big change for me, since I had so much difficulty finding affordable health insurance over the years. Most people who have insurance through their employers do not realize the cost of health insurance for business owners and early retirees.
I think about mortality a lot more than I did in the past, partly because I have lost so many close friends and family members recently. Still, I do not expect that a personal god will send me to heaven or hell (or that an impersonal Universe will bring me back as a Buddha or a bedbug.)
If I just get stirred into the cosmic soup after 65 or 85 years (lights out) it's OK. I am grateful to have lived as much and loved as much as I have done here.
I retired at 52. Some people thought that I retired early, but I was quick to respond, "I may not be the oldest car on the lot, but I may have the highest mileage!" Still, for the first few years of retirement, I was active, and when I think of what I did then and what I do now, I can tell that I'm slowing down.
Somewhere along the way, I became a napper. I nap every day, and if I miss a nap, I feel it. Often, I nap a few times a day, and sometimes, my morning nap interferes with my afternoon nap or my afternoon nap interferes with my evening nap (or my morning and afternoon naps both interfere!!)
I just started taking senior citizen discounts, and it still feels strange, like a teenager sneaking into a bar with a fake ID. Yesterday, I saved a whole five bucks, and it felt like I won the lottery. (Five bucks is five bucks. Hurry up and use it before they ask for their money back!!)
Last year, I got hearing aids, because I had trouble hearing high voices, and I was always asking Jill to repeat herself. "Say again...?" Now, I hear much better, but I am still asking Jill to repeat herself. "Say again...? Yes, I'm wearing my hearing aids, but I'm listening to music on them."
I am eligible for Medicare in a few months, and that is a big change for me, since I had so much difficulty finding affordable health insurance over the years. Most people who have insurance through their employers do not realize the cost of health insurance for business owners and early retirees.
I think about mortality a lot more than I did in the past, partly because I have lost so many close friends and family members recently. Still, I do not expect that a personal god will send me to heaven or hell (or that an impersonal Universe will bring me back as a Buddha or a bedbug.)
If I just get stirred into the cosmic soup after 65 or 85 years (lights out) it's OK. I am grateful to have lived as much and loved as much as I have done here.
