Growing Old...It's Not For Sissies!

One minute you're young and fun.
And the next, you're turning down the stereo in your car to see better!
Unknown Author

by Skip Cohen

​It's Sunday and my day to share whatever's on my mind, and it's NEVER about the business and marketing of photography. Today's post is a perfect example.

Last night we went to a Bradenton Marauders game. The Marauders are a High-A Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates that plays in the Florida State League. We had an early dinner with our son and daughter-in-law, and then we headed to the game. We got home late (well, late for us), going to sleep just after 11:00 pm, and today we both feel like we ran a marathon.

And there's my point, when did we become our parents? When did aging become a challenge that we need a slug day following an evening out?

So, to further make my point, you might be a true senior if you can relate to any of the following:

• We eat dinner early, often before 5:00 pm. Why? Because we sleep better. Late dinners keep us both awake, and it's a challenge going out with younger friends for dinner. I remember catching every early bird special in Florida when visiting my grandparents when I was a kid. I promised myself I'd never get into early dinners when I got older!
• Everything in our freezer is dated and marked. We kept finding mystery meat - any protein that's been frozen long enough to look like the remains of a frozen woolly mammoth from the ice age.
• I've stopped drinking anything after 5:30 pm...why? Because I wake up to pee at least twice a night. Okay, I admit it's TMI, but when I turned sixty, I recall asking my Dad why he hadn't warned me that I'd be waking up multiple times a night to use the bathroom. His answer, "At least you wake up!"
• For the first time in my life, I own more bathing suits than I ever did suits and ties. All spring and summer, my daily attire is a bathing suit and a t-shirt. But the best part is not caring how I look when I have to do an errand. Often I'll ask Sheila, "Can I go to the store like this?" Her response: "You'll fit right in at Walmart!"
• Nap time is a daily event. Look, I'm tired of 4-5-year-olds having all the fun. Every day, usually around 11:30, you'll find me, Sheila, and the pups in our bed for a quick power nap. Lucy and Belle even know the words "Nap time," and head to our bedroom the minute they hear the words.
• We now keep a list of all the movies and shows we've watched on Netflix, Paramount+, and Hulu. We're tired of watching something for an hour only to realize we've seen it already!
• "Alexa, how old is____?" Watching any awards special, we often hit pause and get a little help from Alexa on the challenge of celebrity aging. So often, we'll find out a Hollywood star is younger than we are but not aging very well. The comment is always the same: "Hey, we look pretty good for our age!"
• "There's no place like home!" Dorothy said it first in The Wizard of Oz, but we've become very comfortable just being home. By most of society's definition, we live boring lives. But there are lots of daily highlights - Amazon deliveries and being surprised like it was Christmas, because we forgot what we'd ordered.

I could go on with lots more, but the bottom line is we laugh a lot. We're growing old, and in all honesty, it's pretty terrific. It's anything but easy, and we both creak for ten minutes when we get up in the morning, but each day is like a sitcom. So what if now and then it's like "Fifty First Dates?"

Wishing all of you a day ahead that's filled with laughter and smiles with the people you cherish the most in your life. Take a minute or two to think back to the funniest thing you've ever done with your spouse or a best friend. Then, don't listen to people who tell you that you can never go back. The reality is, you can go anywhere you want, and the older you get, the easier it is to get away with it!
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Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world.

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I'm at an age where my back goes out more than I do!
Phyllis Diller