I had a great post I was going to do this week. I thought about it for days and it was going to be good. Then I sat down to write it and … yup, can’t remember what it was. It was interesting and timely, but my brain seems to have lost whatever electrochemical pointer it had to it and I have no clue what it was.
Age, I blame it on age. You know what they say, there are two signs of aging, memory loss is the first.
I’m not sure when it happened, but one day I looked at my hands and they looked old. Then I noticed the guy in the mirror seemed a lot older than me. Like my dear old daddy used to say (and he liked being called my dear old daddy), “What’s this young kid doing looking out of this old face?”
There are whole days like that now. What I find odd lately is that old people seem to be younger than they use to be. Just the other day my wife and I were out for a walk around the neighborhood when I commented, “There’s a lot of old people in this area. Must be a popular area to retire too.”
Took a few minutes for the irony of that statement to sink into my brain and remember that I’m one of those older retirees in the neighborhood. Heather did mention that she was getting old, but I said, “Yes, but you’re a young old.” Heck she’s older than me and can outwalk me on most days.
I’m sure I have a better memory though. Except for that blog post I wanted to write.
No, I mean it – I see a lot of old people who are younger than me. Even my friends seem to be older. I was talking to a friend just last week – you know exchanging medical information – when he described a condition that he has. After the call, I looked it up, that’s an old people’s disease. Dude!
Now it would be easy to complain long and loud about getting older, but it has its positive side:
You get to order from the senior menu.
Going to the store is considered a day out.
Scheduling appointees is much easier – “I’m retired – anytime works.”
You can now wear anything you want – the fashion police aren’t interested in the 55+ set.
Traffic is no longer a problem. I don’t leave the house till 10 and make sure I’m back by 3.
There are things that are a bit weird. Like being older than my doctor. She’s nice and knowledgeable, but she got out of med school after I’d been working for 30 years. It can be strange taking advice on aging from someone who never used a rotary phone or watched “Get Smart.” I’ve had to repeatedly remind her to refrain from using the phrase, “At your age,” or anything remotely like that.
The dentist is another strange thing. Before I moved, I had a dentist who was my age and also had grandkids. It was nice talking to him and sharing common experiences. Here in Reno, my dental hygienist is in her late 20’s and says things like, “There was TikTok thing …” and “My mom still likes YouTube.” My new dentist is also young, but likely the oldest person in the office.
Well, I’ve been writing for awhile and still can’t remember what I came here to write about, so I’ll just stop. Hopefully I’ll remember by next week.
Andrew's View of the Week 
I’ve been watching myself grow older for several years now. Looking in the mirror is something I’d rather not do, but find myself doing it out of habit. Chances are I’ll continue to do it too. Memory loss has been an issue with me for over 45 years because of the disability. The cognitive tricks I use to alleviate it still work.
Life is a process.
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I keep checking the mirror, but the face just gets older.
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Yea, we all have those “wow” moments! I remember my mama saying, “Who is that in the mirror?” as she looked at her 80+ year old face. Perhaps, it’s the heart we should look at💕. Nice post.
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Yes, our hearts are a lot younger.
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Two things I’ve noticed as I get older, Andrew (and I think we’re in the same ballpark with our ages). One, the face in the mirror when I first wake up looks older than the face I have later on in the day. That didn’t used to happen. Two, the nightly washing of my face is now a futile effort to remove wrinkles. Never works, but doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying 🙂
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So far all my attempts seem to have made it worse.
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I’ve had the same problem with “disappearing” blog ideas. For a while, I could still remember an idea for a day or two after I had it, but now the time lapse is down to hours. Or minutes. By the time I get to the computer to make a note of it, it’s gone. It must’ve been stolen by the old lady that keeps hanging around here. I don’t know where she hides, but sometimes I catch a glimpse of her in the mirror… 😉
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Yeah, there’s an old guy here who keeps moving my tools around and throws out my writing notes.
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I had something I was going to write about too. Any chance you remember what it was?
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Oh my, I recall you mentioning it, but darned if I remember.
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And I’m reading this with a birthday looming later this week! LOL! I can remember when my mother-in-law was getting “up there” in years and struggling, saying, “Oh, don’t get old!” And I can remember my retort, “What’s the alternative?” I guess I can hear my 30-year old self saying that to her and not being all that sensitive to what she was conveying in her frustration. Well, I get it now!!
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I remember what my parents said as they got older – now I get it!
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f ;feel exactly the same way! Whose face is that in the mirror….I could swear I was 21 just a few days ago! And you are right, it is a little disconcerting when the doctor looks a little young to be doing surgery.
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Yes, there are days that I forget how old I am.
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Andrew, you really nailed the age thing in this post! My big 60 milestone is approaching fast and will arrive next week. All the other big birthdays didn’t feel different but this one does. Surreal, in fact. Not to say that 60 is old, just that it feels different. It has a more profound ring to it. But as long as my husband and I can still hike and backpack, we’re young at heart. 🙂 I can see how having a younger doctor would be weird, too. Well, as long as we’re healthy to enjoy life, aging beats the alternative. Stay well and I appreciate the smiles.
~Lauren
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60 isn’t old, and life didn’t change much but I did start to feel that the world is viewing me a bit differently.
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This post made me think, Andrew. My doctors are still all older than me but they are younger than my mother. I always go with mum to the doctor to make she he understands her ailments properly. She gets a bit shy about telling him about her aches and pains. I also make sure he doesn’t mess about with weak medications. I am sure he hates me because I always remind him she’s had cancer and needs the good stuff. I go with her to the hairdresser too. Her hairdresser always comes and ask me if I’m happy with her hair. Quite funny really.
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It is strange being in the doc’s office when they are so much younger. I often find myself being careful about what I complain about because if I mention something, they’ll want to do something about. Sometimes I just like complaining and having someone hear me, but already know what to do or not do.
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It is interesting that you say this about not complaining to much. I have learned this with my sons. If I say to much, the doctor wants to increase medications and that is not always the best answer. Honestly, I am not a fan of psychiatrists.
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It’s a lesson that I’ve learned – don’t mention anything you don’t want to get treated for. Sometimes doctors need to understand that I just like complaining sometimes.
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You too, huh? Can’t tell you how many times a blog idea that once popped into my head popped back out again never to be found. On my morning walk, a friend and I were discussing this “old age thing” and saying…wait….what were we saying??? Oh yeah, how forgetful we are becoming. 😉
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I’ve also had a few times when I start to tell a story and can’t remember the ending or why I thought it was important to even start telling.
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Been there, done that too, probably need the T-shirt to remember that. 😉
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but I’ll need something to remind me to order the t-shirt …
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I loved this post. You express so much of what I also feel. There are “old-old people”, “young-old people” and there certainly are “old-young people.” I am a bit older than my mate. We have been together for 12 years. His mom is 10 years older than me, but you would swear she is at least 25 or 30 years older than I am. She has been talking and acting old since I met her. I now am older than she was when we met and I am nowhere near as “OLD” as I ever saw her. Some just want to age, it seems. Me – I want to stay as active and busy as I can for as long as I can. I will go down fighting. LOL 🙂
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PS – It isn’t because of health reasons that I am referring to. I understand that sometimes that can’t be helped. 🙂 I am not mean.
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yes, sometimes bad health accelerates things.
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I know a few people just like that. Personally I’m not planning on slowing down anytime soon.
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Big smile to you old fart, one of your best.
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🙂
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Oh Andrew, you have just about said it all. I often am surprised at just how permanent and escalating this whole business of aging gets. I recently had a most excellent professional medical interaction with a young man who had the look of a high school senior and bright green colored hair. All my best to you and Heather.. Stay safe.
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I know what you mean about the young staff. I had to take my brother to the ER a couple of years ago and for a moment thought I’d mistakenly walked into the high school.
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“one day I looked at my hands and they looked old” That is so true and beautifully put. And wWhatever I do, I can’t stop it. Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock.
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Time keeps moving forward and my hands keep looking older.
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Ha ha ha. Yep, I know all about the looking at the hand thing and asked myself when did that happen. I inherited my mom’s skin so I don’t have wrinkles. Just crow’s feet. The memory for sure, the weight gain. Groaning when getting out of a chair and the list goes on. Nice post.
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I have noticed that it takes a few steps after standing up get really get going. Those first steps are more of a stiff shuffle.
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