Age Attitude: Dealing with changes brought by years

I’ve got to admit, my attitude hasn’t been the best. As parents and teachers,
how often have we remarked to our children, “Life will be easier if you
have a better attitude?” Who would have thought I would fall into that pit of grumbling and griping? Surely not me! But as I awaken each morning to
find another body part aching, it is difficult to refrain from grumbles.
Now, as I continue to read John Hillman’s book, A Force of Character, I’m discovering what a bad attitude I have. And it is towards aging. I have to accept it. I’m getting old. Hillman calls it an adventure. He states that just walking down a flight of steps with the knowledge that a bum knee could collapse is an adventure.
All those cliché’s you’ve heard, such as, “My mind wants to do it but my body doesn’t,” or “The golden years, phooey,” are true. Mostly, it is realizing that maintenance
is going to be an ongoing and regular pit stop.
I remember those salubrious youthful years, full of vim and vigor, how a visit to the doctor was rare. Like a brand new car, mileage was low on the body or chassis.
Now, this vintage high mileage vehicle takes constant replacements, repairs and maintenance. And that’s only the body!
The controls of the vehicle, the mind, are another issue altogether. I find myself repeating stories to friends. Scientists have found proof that exercise helps stave off mental decline. Exercise I’m getting aplenty — walking from one end of the house to the other trying to remember what I’m after.
Hillman’s book verifies that with age, intuitiveness is enhanced. Reading and understanding those small quirks in voice and body language that give away whether
a person is being truthful or not become easily read.
And sleep! Who needs it at this age? It’s amazing how many books one can read with this newly acquired wakefulness.
Sometimes it becomes a time of prayer or writing. Yes, sometimes I get sleepy during the day but not always. Instead of grumbling about sleeplessness, I am going to appreciate the change in circadian rhythms and what I’ve accomplished in the midnight hours.
Talking about gravity and what it is doing to me is not newspaper appropriate. Hillman does state that even people’s earlobes get longer. Now I am obsessed with observing everyone’s earlobes. If I don’t gaze directly at you when we are talking, you can bring me back to attention by covering your ears.
Research on aging is mostly about the physiology of it. There are sparse studies on the psychology of aging. Thus, I am on a quest in these “golden years”. It is a
quest to change my attitude towards senescence — science or no science.
Job 32:7 “Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.”
Contact Ann Rains at planetprayers@gmail.com