Ripe Old Age ....Just a Number!

That's It Folks!

I remember when I turned forty! I thought my journey was coming to an end! Why bother learning anything new, develop new skills or even learn to play the guitar. There was nothing physically wrong of course, I was just FORTY! Could the end be far off?  That was almost forty-five years ago! But life, instead of getting worse,  just got a whole lot better. Screw forty.

Well, here I go again! But this time forty has doubled and brings along a few allies. Suddenly, there are a lot of doctor appointments. I just learned the reason the crawl is so blurry at the bottom of the TV set is because I am developing a  cataract in my left eye.  I seem to have a little problem understanding someone on the phone - especially if it from a campaign office! My belt is slipping below my navel, something I once thought was callow! But wait, there's more...receding hairline, little brown spots, waning interest in sex, and of course, the inevitable  - arthritis! So it's not just age, it's all the unfriendly associates age decided to bring along with it this time.

So once again I confront the threats of a 'ripe old age' and all that implies. This time I am ready to take it on. 'Ripe old age' makes it sound like I am a piece of fruit ready to ferment and fall from the tree. Who coined that term anyway? Screw eighty-five!

I was reading recently that the life expectancy prior to the 18th century was age 27. During the 18th and 19th centuries it went to age 47, and then by the end of the 18th century to age 77. This huge change in life expectancy was a bi-product and not the aim of the technical advances. Looking back on my grandmothers and grandfathers I saw overweight, grey hair, bent over bodies, and what I perceived to be a dull and uninteresting life style. Looking at grandmothers and grandfathers today I see busy, healthy, good looking and energetic people. What a change indeed.

Fun, fun, fun.

So what will a 'ripe old age' look like to our post-millennium cohort? (Those born around 2010)  Some believe many will have a chance to live to 150. With a higher standard of living and care, better diet, improved medical procedures they might just add about 70 more years to their life expectancy. Of course, there might be a few more challenges as well - like disastrous climate change and bigger debts!

So what I learned from the FORTY scare I can apply to the EIGHTY-FIVE crisis. Cling on to the positive there is still much more to be learned (I really should take a guitar lesson!). Nobody really dies of 'old age' -  it's not a disease! Don't view old age as a problem. I have heard it said that fear of getting old is the single most powerful way of getting what you don't want! Hang out with younger people and cherish their friendship, enjoy my emotions, be authentic at all times. And finally, thank Otto von Bismarck for inventing the modern pension plan.

And that's Dick's View of the World this Week