The Emerald Rose

   So the new 60 is the old 40,…or so they say, but what about that?

   As a 62 going on 63, year old I’m really beginning to wise up,…a bit too late, and I suppose nobodies fault but mine, …but wising up nevertheless. The words of the old Beatles tune, “when I’m 65” run through my head, the cost of living today runs through my head, the costs of healthcare, the little aches and pains that weren’t there a few weeks ago,…they all run through my mind. And of course I’m not covered!

     But then again are any of us? If you love to play golf for example, that back swing that ends up in a sharp “click” and the shot of pain that radiates down your spine, and your legs, and the residual of that pain that you used to be able to shake off, but not any more.

     Or the almost unconscious reach for the Prilosec or Tums in your pocket as you walk through the door of the restaurant. It’s a sort of security blanket becasue you want to eat the fries, like you used to, shake on the salt the way you used to, and actually ENJOY a meal,….without knowing the indigestion, the heartburn, and the discomfort this is all going to cause in two hours.

       Sleeping was restful, back when you could sleep through the night, napping was something your grandfather did,….but now you do. And having a good time,….well now maybe that’s just sitting in the recliner without indigestion, heartburn, or that burning sesation in the knee, hip or ankle.

      If the new sixty is the old forty and there is not really a “retirement” to look forward too, ….well what difference does it make? Most of the “retired” people I know are aging three times as fast as those I know who still have to work. They have nothing but themselves to think about now, and about the aging process. You only age mentally if you let yourself age, and if you have more time to think about it,….well you will it to be so. Why? Simply becasue you don’t know what else to do with your time.

    Enough rant for today,…..a pint og Guinness awaits me at the local Pub, and a need for a self talk on kicking my ass into gear and going back to work!

-30-