--You read an article about seven necessary exercises for men and you read this, "Functional exercises train the muscles that are used for everyday activities like mowing the lawn..." and you think, Damn it, mowing the lawn IS my exercise.
--Followed immediately by: Now it's an everyday activity I need to exercise for?
--You put two bricks into the ground to complete a planting barrier, and then surround a plant with six more bricks that you basically just stomped into the ground, and you think that's a good day's work in the sun.
--And it's just in the high 40s. And it took just half an hour.
--You wake up the next morning and your body is a tad sore from this "rigorous work."
--You appreciate sitting in the sun--in a room in your house that gets a lot of sun.
--And you appreciate this room, like you never knew it got so much good sun.
--Because you didn't know, though you've lived in the house for almost five years.
--You realize you're as old as your father was when you thought he was old.
--Your doctor says, "We need to think about your prostate."
--And, "When was the last time you had your cholesterol tested?"
--After hearing this, you feel your blood pressure spiking and you're grateful they've already done that test.
--You monitor how much coffee and water you're drinking, so you don't have to do #1 when you know you'll be in the middle of something important.
--Like, going to see a movie. Or "working" outside.
--You're seriously considering fiber bars and cranberry juice.
--You find yourself typing articles about what gettin' old feels like.
Or you find yourself reading a "signs you're getting old" list and nodding your head in agreement.
ReplyDeleteI still consider myself "young" even though I just turned 40 and I'm starting to notice those dreaded wrinkles in my neck area and around my eyes. But mentally I still feel young. It's only when I go to the doctor and hear about all the tests I should be having that it starts to sink in. In my head I'm still a youngin' who has years of life ahead of me...and I think if I focus on that I'll be okay.
For me one of the biggest signs I'm turning older is that I wake up early and actually enjoy the morning. I used to despise sunlight in the wee early hours of dawn. I'd roll out of bed by noon on most weekends. Now I roll into bed by 10pm. And worst of all I enjoy going to sleep and waking up early. Now that to me is frightening.
I still consider myself young, too, which is what all old people say when they can't imagine being as old as they are. I say it all the time.
DeleteAnd, yeah, I'm enjoying the sunlight and daylight like I never have before. Because how much of it do we have left? Sad, but true.