I was 70 on the last winter
solstice, and more than one person has expressed well-meaning sympathy for my
growing old. Well, I am happy enough...most of the time.
Yes, I get aches and pains in
unexpected and often inconvenient places and, yes, my treatment for prostate
cancer doesn’t exactly agree with me. Even so, whenever I start feeling sorry
for myself, and lamenting my lost youth, I recall a lovely old lady in her 90s
whom I used to visit when I was on the staff of a local Home Library Service.
She was housebound, and suffered with severe arthritis, but had a smile for
everyone. I asked her once how she coped with not being able to get out and
about. "Oh, but I do," she said without hesitation. "I read,
watch videos and TV, listen to the radio...and let my imagination take me
places you cannot imagine. Yes, I miss walking, of course I do, and neither my
eyesight or hearing are are too good these days, but imagination...well, that lasts forever just so long as we give
it its head and don't let real life have its wicked way with us..."
Life is what we make it at any age. We all want different
things from life, and it is down to each and every one of us to get the most out of the time we have, on the
best terms available to us, instead of constantly brooding on the worst.
Did I say it was easy?
NEVER LET A WRINKLE HAVE THE LAST WORD
Growing
old can be scary,
but
there’s not much we can do
about
it…?
So shall
we take the dog
for
walkies, put the world to rights
with next
door’s cat, indulge
in some
chat TV, watch a DVD
and leave
it at that?
Ah, but
there’s more
to life
than our practising
the art
of killing time
even if
time is no friend
(or real
enemy either)
Oh, and I
haven’t heard
from
so-and-so for ages so time
to get in
touch and find out
when we
can meet up, catch up,
(maybe
even make up?)
The
grapevine has it
a new
class is starting up;
Now, was
it art, crafts
or yoga?
No matter, time enough
to find out more
I’ve
always wanted
to do
things folks said I couldn’t,
see
places they said
I really
shouldn’t ‘at my age’
(Yes,
even then...)
Although
time does us
no
favours (or is it vice-versa?)
we can put records straight,
marginalise
wishful thinking
and
regret
Time to
wake up, get up,
make up
for missed opportunities,
(at least
in part) though aches,
pains,
and all sorts may have lots
to say
about that
Time to
call on an old pal
(Will
Power) to haul him out
of his
comfy armchair
and make
damn sure he’ll start
pulling
his weight
If growing
old can be scary,
there’s no end to what we can do
about it…
Copyright
R. N. Taber 2013; 2016
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home