Is this the first step to slowing down?
I’m 75, and my body refuses to lie. As I type, the age spots flash. Two weeks ago, I fell and lost consciousness for a short time. The culprit was likely an inner ear malfunction or possibly my heart, which my doctor reminded me was as old as I was.
Two days ago, Rebecca and I walked upwards to enjoy this view of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where we spent January.
We walked 14,386 steps total, from a starting point about a mile high, on a day with poor air quality. On the way up, we stopped three times to catch our breath. On the way down, we rewarded ourselves with ice cream sundaes.
Next January, will we hike skyward to see the El Charco Ingenio Botanical Garden or take a taxi?
In May, we’ve signed up for a safari in Namibia. It will be a small group led by a friend who assures us we can do it, even though we are decades older than our trek mates.
When Brian asked us about Africa a few months ago, we said, “It’s now or never.” Would we be able to go on safari at 80?
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My funny-looking age spots started appearing 25 years ago, and I had my first inner ear collapse in 2018. We met a couple at least ten years younger at the botanical garden who took a taxi because of the poor air quality. The Namibia itinerary looks doable for anyone who can walk a few thousand steps daily. Why would we think we couldn’t do that in five years?
That’s the admonition of two of my favorite Medium writers, Gary Buzzard and Trisha Faye, who suggest that we should not automatically blame advancing years for whatever afflicts us.
Our Stress and Senior Moments Aren’t Caused By Age
Maybe it’s time to consider our ills as health problems, not age problems
Quitting is Not an Option
One way to keep a positive outlook as the years creep up on us
Gently, Gary and Trisha, urge us seniors to think less about age. They caution against putting a ceiling on our activties or ambitions too soon.
Last night we bedded in St. Louis on our return from San Miguel to our home in Iowa. Two airline take-offs and landings. As we descended into Lambert International Airport, I thought about the 67 souls lost in the Washington, D.C. jet helicopter crash, many very young, none expecting or could have foreseen what would happen.
Today, we’ll load up and drive six hours to northeast Iowa. These trips tire us more than they used to. Age matters. But the future is too unpredictable. And it will come soon enough.
Gary and Trisha are right.
Why hurry it!
