Ode To Aging

What I am writing here – it’s not a new thought for me. In fact, it’s more than 20 years old, but in those 20 years I did not think of this daily. Now I do!!

So here goes – my ode to aging or my latest mantra.

Everything takes longer

I had moved many times as an adult and my move to the west coast made me realize that packing and stacking boxes was taking a lot longer than it used to – AND – that was nearly 19 years before my most recent move!!

I knew over 20 years ago that things were taking longer, but wow since my current move, which is now a year ago, I have really come to recognize that everything I do takes longer.

Over the years I had noticed that I was not as fast doing things like biking, hiking, walking, kayaking, etc –  but since I was still doing them pretty regularly, I didn’t really notice.

It wasn’t until I did them more sporadically prior to my move [and because of the move]  that I realized the doings took longer – especially when I started the packing thing.

It’s been hard for me to accept this, but I don’t have a choice, so I just keep telling myself this is going to take longer than I planned.

 

Everything takes longer than it used to.

Everything is more tiring

It seems most all I do not only takes longer, but I get tired more quickly. I love gardening and was happy to again have a garden in the ground – not just in containers. But the raking, weed pulling, soil digging, etc. took much longer than the last itme i had a garden. Maybe, I thought, it was due to my not having done this in almost 2 decades – but as I keep at it, I realized it really was more tiring because I was 20 years older.

I used to go to several stores in one shopping trip but over time I found I can not do that. One store per trip is now my max – unless someone else is driving – then I can do a few. But even then I often opt to sit in the car and wait.

It’s not walking per se – for fun trips, like going in to D.C. – I can still walk several miles a day – with a few breaks – but it’s the shopping walking that has begun to more quickly tire me. 

Many things are more tiring than they used to be.

Everything needs a longer recovery time

Things take longer and are more tiring – ok – but I also found that my reccovery period was longer as well. Not just for gardening, or yoga, or walking – but everything! In years past, my body and I had an agreement that I played hurt, and as I aged, we agreed it had 2 days to get over the hurt.

Then I took a slip and fall [I’m really ok] but I brusied my ribs and O.U.C.H.

 

I remembered when I used to rock climb and the rope caught my ribs when I fell. My friends and I kept climbing [after we made sure nothing was broken.] When I played softball and was pitching or catching I got dinged many times – same thing – “nothing broken – let’s play.”

But here I was many years later [actually many decades later,] and the ribs were very very sore. It was hard to drive because the seatbelt crossed the sore ribs. Sleeping was difficult because if I moved the sore ribs were more ouch.

It’s now four weeks later and they’re finally feeling better but that’s longer than I usually “allow” my body to catch up with what our agreement was – so I think my body is telling me we need to reach a different agreement.

I  need a longer time to recover.

I’m sure as I continue aging, I’ll be adding to this mantra… but for now these 3 are the ones I need to remember as I go about my life – gardening, shopping, working out, etc….