Today
is my birthday. I’m 65 years old, and officially a senior citizen.
What’s
it like?
The
first thing I noticed about growing older was that Death stopped being
an abstract concept and became a concrete reality (I've heard other seniors say this as well).
The
second was loss of stamina. I can no longer go 18 hours, sleep for
6 and then get up and do it all over again. Expecting to have the
same energy at 65 that one has at 30 is ridiculous.
Third:
loss of certainty about future health. I recently found out I have
arthritis. That’s not a big deal, I know, but still. It wasn’t there last
year. Will there be something else next year? What about three years
from now? Five?
One
thing I definitely don’t like is hearing how '60 is the new 30'. It’s not.
60 is the new 60. While people are definitely living longer, no one
is living any younger.
Our
bodies are still aging at the same rate the they always have. Expecting to be able to have the same energy at 60 one had at 30 is not realistic at this time.
Overall,
I feel OK about being a senior citizen – at least today.
Copyright
© by Chris Enquist 2/9/16
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