Senior Citizen: Insiders View

When dining with friends, did you ever notice that the conversation now seems to revolve around your latest doctor’s appointment, the regularity of your bowels, or the latest medicines you are taking for your various aches and pains? We used to have lively conversations about politics. Now everyone is so set in their ways and stubborn that it is more like a battle of who has the most breath left in him to last the longest with their argument. No juicy talks about our neighbors, except who died recently, and definitely no innuendos about your sex life, who has one anyway? If everyone remembered their glasses, we can always play cards.

I think every senior citizen agrees that the light of their lives is their grandchildren. Ours is always the cutest, smartest, and most well behaved of the bunch. If they seem to be a little wild or disobedient we grandparents know that they are just tired or need a snack. Who cares if its five minutes before their dinner…give that child a chocolate bar. We don’t always agree on how our children are raising them. I see little children in the market bossing their parents about and demanding toys or junk food and the parents just give in. Or they try to explain to a two year old why he shouldn’t act that way. Of course all the child heard was “blah, blah, blah.” There is the famous “time out” that is supposed to transform the screaming child into an angel in 10 minutes or less. Actually, I think the poor parent needs the time out for a little rest. It’s a miracle they turned out as good as they did. But, then, it’s all in the genes.

My husband and I thought we would travel when we retired. We turned the business over to our son and thought we would dance merrily into the sunset. It seemed like two healthy people walked out that door and transformed overnight into, hate to say it, senior citizens. We were suddenly plagued with one illness after the other. Darn, I kept telling my body that I was young at heart and was not ready for it to break down yet. Fat chance it ever listened to me. At our fiftieth anniversary party I thought about the vows we took so long ago. We were just a couple of kids really. We promised to love each other through sickness and health. Sounded great until we both got cancer and found out what sickness is all about. Then there is the richer or poorer vow…believe me richer is better. No one mentioned that when you retire the money slows up but the cost of living goes crazy. “Love, honor and obey” was pretty easy at first. My husband is five years older than I am and I thought he could do no wrong. He was so mature, his word was law. One day I had a good look at him and realized he was groping his way through life the same way I was. So, out went the obey and I kept the “honor” and “love” part. So, the dancing into the sunset has been delayed while we make our next round of doctor’s visits. At least we’ll have something to talk about at our next dinner party.