A secret to staying young

Someone gave me a sign that says, “The secret to staying young is to lie about your age.”

What a crock of shit! Everyone knows the secret to staying young is liposuction, botox, cosmetic surgery, youth serum injections and overdoses of vitamins and minerals.
My body’s like a car that’s so old and with so many miles the warranty is expired and everything’s either falling apart or needs replacement. No matter how many times you get new oil, tires, or brakes, something else is going to fall apart and the costs just keep getting higher.

In 2 months I’m turning 60 and can guarantee you that youth is highly overrated, except for the physical part. Unfortunately, there’s no trading your body in.

I’m grand now – seriously. I am a grand officer in my cult this year. It’s a great honor and I’m having a wonderful time, but it means meetings 2 to 4 nights per week and many Saturdays – all over the state. This explains my serious lack of blog time lately and my perpetual physical tiredness. Note I said “physical”.

In my 20’s and 30’s I had more energy physically, but emotional demons and mental strain from work and life prevented full enjoyment of each day. Years of experience, personal introspection and therapy exorcised most of those demons, so mentally and emotionally I’m having a fabulous time. But I’m tired.
Walking the dog as often as possible, using the stairs instead of the elevator, eating healthy food, taking my vitamins, following the doctors orders and not listening to advice from unhealthy people hasn’t solved this problem. Friends in high places in the cult say I’ll adjust to the schedule in a couple of months and stop pining for my old, familiar routine. Meanwhile, I limp along trying to suppress my yawns and look alert and interested in cult meetings, then stay awake at work during the week.

Yesterday I went on a work outing. About 12 staff members took about 80 senior citizens to Tillicum Village on Blake Island. All the pictures are from this great adventure.
It was a fabulous day with excellent weather, delicious food and fun. It was also a wonderful lesson in aging. We had 3 people in wheel chairs, about 15 with walkers, and several with canes. The average age of the seniors was about 83, so this level of infirmity wasn’t unusual. Those who needed no assistance and had no trouble negotiating – who actually ran up and down the stairs on the boat taking pictures and walked around exploring the island – were a fantastic example of what life can be like if we take care of ourselves when we’re younger.
With the knowledge gained over time, if I could go back and change anything - I wouldn’t, with one exception; I would take much better care of myself physically. It’s not too late, and I’m working hard to counteract the effect of aging. Now, if they could find a way to take my brain with all my wisdom and memories and put it into a really healthy 25 year old body……..

Attitude

This may shock you, but it’s raining and in the 40’s here in the Seattle area today. They’re expecting another 8 inches or so of snow in the mountains. So guess where I’m going? To the tulip fields with about 100 senior citizens!

The company I work for owns 46 retirement communities – many of them in the Puget Sound area. One of my many “other duties as assigned” is to help arrange outings for our residents. Planning for this event began several months ago and the money was paid, so we’re going.

I’m not alone with all these wonderful seniors. There’ll be about 20 staff members with me. Since I work in the corporate office, they don’t trust me alone with their residents and I don’t blame them. I would try my best to corrupt them.

When I woke up and looked out at the gray, rainy day, I was depressed. All the planning and organizing down the drain. Then I said, “To hell with this attitude! We’re going and we’ll have a great time.”

I have 3 cakes in the back of my car, the people at the salmon barbeque are expecting us for lunch, one of the tulip fields has a large covered area and we’ll slog through this with a smile.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to spend the day out of the office with our residents. They deserve my best and that’s what they’ll get today. I may have pneumonia tomorrow, but today my attitude will be great!

No matter what you do, YOUR attitude determines how it affects you.