The pavement is part of the main sidewalk through our town's main section. At certain hours, it is rather busy with people going back and forth. When Lynn is the hostess for Gallery Q, she sometimes has to shovel the snow away. Today, she cleared it three times.Shoveling the sidewalk gives her a little exercise, right? It's be good for her, right?
We are both getting older and we are beginning to understand that fact. She was in Costa Rica recently, and the hills and her knees didn't always get along well. I had clear pictures in my mind of her being hospitalized in some back corner of the country with one aliment or another. Entering our ninth decade, at any time, either or both of us may lose one or more abilities that have been part of us for years. Of course, we don't want to slow down, or fall down, or be unable to do what we are used to doing. But various limitations befall our friends and every week or so, somebody dies.
It is not wise to limit ourselves unnecessarily or see problems that aren't there. But it makes sense to adjust our mindsets to accommodate the new us and our new bodies. The everyday things that are part of our lives will cease sometime, maybe in little steps, maybe abruptly. At some time, we will be past moving or speaking or shoveling and we are trying to recognize that approaching situation. One of the best books I have seen about adjusting to one's aging is "Aging for Beginners" by Ezra Bayda.
