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Thinking About Ageing
by James Glaser February 22, 2012 
I was thinking about growing older today. It wasn't all that unpleasant. We all get older, and there isn't anything we can do about it. So, it is good to enjoy life at whatever age you are. I was sanding wood in my studio today, and in just about an hour my back was hurting in the same spot it always hurts after sanding for a while. I was thinking back and wondering if it really always hurt or was this something that came on with age. Well, I have learned that when that pain starts, it is time to start doing something else. I used to tough it out, but what happens then is you are no good for sanding for a few days because you didn't take the hint your body was giving you. A few hours later I went back to sanding, and the pain didn't come back, and I finished. Maybe my body was just telling me I needed a break. Now I notice when I do things and my body does not ache or pain me. Those times are the exception. I'm not talking about horrible pains, but at this time in my life my joints don't bend and move like when I was young. It is good that deterioration comes slowly, because it gives you time to start new habits. New habits like thinking about climbing that ladder before you actually climb it. Do you have everything you need for the job so you don't have to climb back down and up again? How about thinking before you go to pick up that heavy timber. You should think about that even when you are young, but your body is a lot more forgiving then. Even though you have aches and pains, you get to the point that you put them out of your mind. You just do whatever you have to do and accept that you can no longer keep the pace you used to have or move like you once could. Yes, I suppose you can get bummed out about that, but that does you no good. When you are young you figure you are invincible, and even if you do get hurt, you mend quickly. However, when you get older those injuries of youth can come back and get you. That knee or ankle you hurt in high school will probably be an ache or pain later on in life. However, if you really keep working on those old injuries, you can limit how they will affect you later on. About a year ago I was having a lot of trouble with my left knee. Actually, not the knee itself, but the muscles and ligaments around it. I started going to physical therapy, and they taught me a series of exercises I could do to help, and sure enough it worked. That is one real plus about our bodies, at any age we can work on them, and many times repair what is damaged. When I was living in Northern Minnesota, I knew so many older men and women who worked very hard into their 80s, and this summer I plan to go to a neighbor's 100th birthday party. I guess age is what you make of it. I have known people who just sort of stop their life and sit down. It's as if they have decided to just wait for their end, and I have known people who never stop doing what they like to do, and they seem to just keep going. I plan to be in that latter group. There are so many times every day that I get so involved in what I am doing and am so lost in my work that I am twenty years old again, and what a blessing that is. Also, every day I take a minute and think about what I accomplished. Usually, it is not enough, as I always want to get more done, but it does feel good to know that I am still doing things. It is always nice too when you take a moment and think over what you have accomplished over a longer period of time, a week, a month or even a year. You probably will be surprised, and a bit proud of what you have done no matter what age you are. |
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