AGING GRACEFULLY? WHAT ARE THE OTHER OPTIONS

Freud’s Couch

Aging gracefully can be a goal. If nothing else, it’s a check-in moment you do for yourself.

Some check-in from the couch, some from the bench in a weight room, some not at all. At least that’s what they say.

Ask someone their age. If they make a big show out of remembering how old they are, it’s not a good sign of aging gracefully.

What’s a better way?

Let’s face it, boomers are older than they ever expected to be. Even young boomers, those born closer to 1964 than 1946, are feeling it. It’s time to ignore The Who singing, “I hope I die before I get old.”

Like they always say in the medical field, everyone is different. Based on current events, I think some people are more indifferent than different.

Aging Gracefully From The Couch Point Of View

For the sake of being a transparent blogger, I’m writing from a couch. Not an ordinary couch, but the one I used to share with my mother in law in the evenings where I took a nap and she watched her shows.

We called it quality time with a cup of tea and a biscuit. She was born and raised in pre-WWII England, then joined the Royal Navy the second she was old enough.

We had lots in common. Both raised on the south coast, her in Strete, England, me in North Bend, Oregon. We both enjoyed new things, like the time we added each other to the family, then the two kids her daughter delivered.

She was a happy woman, adventurous even, and was ready to go at a moments notice. I’m not talking about a nice drive in the country adventurous. Oh no, that’s too easy.

My wife and mother in law cooked up a plan to adventure travel through Spain for a month. International travel planning included organizing places to stay in different cities, from Barcelona to Valencia to Granada to Seville.

I drove, which seemed dicey since I got a speeding ticket in England a few years earlier.

So, in spite of my present location, aging from the couch never came up. And this is one great couch.

Sedentary Life? There’s No Time For That

While I lounge around on leather worthy of Chevrolet’s legendary Monte Carlo’s Corinthian interior at five in the morning, the day beckons. Is it calling you too?

I read a short story about a man who said he never laid down, ever, unless it was for sleep, or sex. Quite a guy, right? What about testing a couch to see if it felt as good as it looked?

The top image is Sigmund Freud’s couch. If an hour at a time was good for Siggy, it’s good enough for you. The couch test is even faster, maybe ten minutes. Get on it, get off, then ship it home with the right diagnosis.

Laying around too much is detrimental to good health. Have you heard the saying, ‘Motion Is The Lotion?’ Body movement lubricates the joints, increases circulation, which prevents stagnation.

You know about stagnation? Stagnant water stinks. What does that say about a stagnant body? Consider that the next time you’re around fragrant folks. They probably don’t move around much.

If you smell something funky, and no one else is around, it’s probably you. Stink it not a lifestyle choice. Neither is being around stink bombs. It’s small and petty to call out foul smellers unless you’ve lost your sense of smell. Good manners says hold your tongue, and your breath.

To stay fresh and lively, lock into an exercise routine. Let people remember you as a flowery spring breeze, not a fetid landfill on a hot, humid, day.

Karen Disagrees, So Does Kevin

Indifference is growing more apparent as the Covid pandemic mutates around the world.

Political hacks say one thing, seasoned health pros say another. Somewhere in the middle lies the ignorance that denies the death and suffering experienced.

When a man rises to a position of Role Model In Chief, but refuses to acknowledge his role, this happens: the dim bulbs in the room don’t light up, and the bright lights grow dim.

When a man rises to the title of Incompetent In Chief, then blames everyone else for their lack of competence, the results are predictable. Can a teacher blame their students for bad grades? All of them?

How many times do we get to see meltdowns over masks? Do they really work? Is that a real question? This is the crowd breathing at the Ice Bowl.

Well, I talked to the manager, and they said if this crowd was gathered in the Corona-era, there would be problems, ICU problems.

Science is science. Hot is hot, cold is cold, and the virus doesn’t care if you believe otherwise. It just wants a place to land and grow. A mask helps prevent you from becoming a host.

No mask is like owning an Airbnb where you pay the guests to stay there, then pay to have them evicted.

For too many unfortunate hosts, the price is their life. And aging gracefully is more difficult when you’re dead.