Getting Old
I’m getting old. Through the years, I have jokingly said that phrase on occasions when I’ve experienced unknown body aches or when I discovered the first few gray hairs in my beard. Despite the little signs of age here and there, the reality of actually getting old always seemed to be years away. But getting old doesn’t happen overnight, instead it gradually appears in subtle ways over time.
It’s discovering that the medicine cabinet is actually filled with medicines. It’s finding that doctors no longer first look in your ears and throat when you are sick, but rather choose to probe in areas that require compromising positions. It’s the realization that you can no longer eat and drink anything you desire because it either stays with you far too long and is difficult to burn off or it wants to leave your system far too quickly.
The aging process is continual, and we all accept that it’s a part of life. But until certain signs unfold in life, aging somehow doesn’t seem to be as real. Of course I am happy to report that it’s not all down hill from here, and there is still a great deal of life to be experienced and enjoyed. In the end, the best part of getting old is living long enough to experience it.