Tag Archives: aging

facing it ……

17 Nov

Sadly there is no pretending that we are still young ….. but most of us have an image of ourselves at a ‘certain age’aging and cling to that as our default….I recall a conversation with Mum @ age 75, she said that she still actually felt 30, until she looked in the mirror.  It’s just a slow and gradual process…. and let’s face it everyone around us is aging at the same rate so it kind of sneaks up on you.

That is, until…you bump into a friend you haven’t seen for years and suddenly wonder what on earth is wrong with them because they look so …umm…well….OLD!! 

Or… like me today, you pass a woman walking her child to school, and when you look a little closer, you realise that she was the little girl you used to see in kindergarten reading groups and serve lunch in the school canteen…ouch !!

It’s a sneaky and sinister process, and time to reflect today as yet another of my friends clicks over into their 7th decade … While I’m still desperately clinging to my mid 50’s, one by one, my friends are hitting that next  BIG Birthday….and I sit here still wondering …how DID that happen ?? (but I guess it’s better that the alternative)

Happy Birthday to all my sexagenarian friends ….mmm, maybe there’s a hint in there that life is spicy in your 60’s.

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how to age 50 years over-night …

29 Jun

What a huge weekend !!!

I know I made a commitment on Jan 1 to write ‘something’ EVERY day this year … but that was before I knew we would be throwing a ‘Fur & Flanno Farewell’ …. and throw we did !!!  It was one massive night and I managed to make it to bed sometime after 4.30am… so any blog thoughts would not have been terribly coherent.

It’s time to make up for some long overdue sleep ….and hopefully I can be inspired by something nonsensical again tomorrow… zzzzzz

Strange how I felt ’30Something’ last night and woke up ’80Something’….

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from the cradle to the grave…

18 Jun

It’s been said many times that small babies and our very elderly have a lot in common…and before I go on I must point out that I mean no disrespect to our much loved old folk…I am merely making an observation (about myself).keepcup

That observation is… that I suck when it comes to drinking from a feeding cup …and despair that in the future I may need to use one.

Here’s the thing… These days is is commonplace to grab a coffee on the run. In order to at least feel a little environmentally responsible, I carry my re-usable coffee cup rather than use the take away cup on offer… however I struggle to drink from it without wearing at least some of my ‘extra hot, double-shot, decaf, skim milk cappuccino’.

Let me explain… The lids of the ‘throwaway’ variety have a decent spout which helps to control the flow… but my reusable  ‘KeepCup’ has no such thing and I dribble …frequently. The lid has a small hole through which to sip, but the lip of the cup is missing too, doing nothing to enhance the drinking experience. Apart from the potential to scald oneself, there is also the frequent chin wiping (and associated make-up removal)  and risk of coffee stains on my clothes.

So, while I will persevere and put in plenty of practice before my time comes to check into a nursing home …I would just give a shout out to any ‘sustainable coffee cup designers’ who may be reading this and strongly recommend the reintroduction of the humble spout, for those of us who are  challenged when it comes to drinking our coffee on the run.

 

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regional living …

21 Mar

We headed up the coast today to visit the ‘92yro Birthday Girl’, and despite having visited the area many many times over the years (as holiday-makers) a couple of things struck me today as we approached town in the off season.

First of all the quality of regional radio, quirky and ‘oh-so-local’ it was hilarious to hear who was having a birthday celebration and what was going on at the local school…interspersed with music that took me back to my youth (guess in some ways, that’s gotta be a good thing).

Next I spied the  local paper. We (and anyone who has visited the area) fondly refer to it as “gods waiting room”… full of retirees and their parents,  the place is certainly a haven for the ‘quiet time of life’ if that’s what you are after…. BUT it’s gotta be disturbing to pick up the local paper and see it full of articles and adverts for disability services, aged care services, pharmaceutical services and FUNERAL services (seems like there is a natural progression going on there).

Let’s face it, while they may all be relevant…. do people really want to read about them in their local paper? Just when I was thinking it couldn’t get any more depressing,  I flicked over and saw the cheery two page colour spread called “The BIG C”… wow can’t get more positive than that.

However, I did manage a huge smile when we walked into the ‘facility’ that is home to Birthday Girl, and we were greeted to the sound of her voice (high soprano) above others, belting out a few tunes in ‘Happy Hour’.  There they were… about 10 of them, with  average age in the vicinity of high 80’s all sitting with scotch or wine in hand, having their Friday afternoon sing-a-long accompanied by a Hawaiian shirt wearing guitarist. P1130052

Who said that growing old needs to be boring ? … and  close to my own heart in the lead up to World Voice Day ….it proved that “Voice Matters”.

Oh ….and P.S… there is little or no internet either so posting this was a nightmare !

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circa 1922

19 Mar

On this day 92 years ago, Russian speed-skater Lidia Selikhova was born and so too was John Kelly, a Lancashire Cricketer. Both died in the 70’s …aged 50’Something.

Why is this significant I hear you ask?ninny birthday

Well on this day 92 years ago, my MIL was also born. She is feisty, opinionated, quite deaf  and very.. very…very  short, but also very much alive and kicking.

She lives in an aged care facility and she still can’t accept that she’s not a good candidate for knee, shoulder AND spinal surgeries….

She can’t quite work out why they took her drivers license off her 5 or 6 years ago…and she gets super ‘cross’ if she misses her weekly visit to the hairdresser (OR if they forget to give her salt for her meals). She has a memory like an elephant (for most things) and never leaves her room without baubles and beads that would put a Christmas tree to shame.

What a legend …Happy Birthday Ninny… for what it’s worth I reckon you’ll easily do the ‘century’!!

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boy racers

10 Mar

I was back at work today and while driving between offices I found myself daydreaming about life on the other side of the globe. On this day a  week ago … I was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge in minus 12 deg temp.

As I turned into a suburban backstreet I was jolted back to reality with                                                                                     a laugh as I scooters spotted 2 elderly gents drag racing their mobility scooters down the street.  …you’ve gotta love boys that never grow up.

New York one day ….Mt Druitt the next.

I’m 50 something and I wouldn’t be dead for quids.

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battle of the senses

14 Jan

YP1090208ou’ve gotta laugh …otherwise it might make you cry.  We’ve all seen the hallmark greeting cards and email gags about the more ‘senior’ folk who are hard of hearing…Well picture this. Yesterday we took my 92yo MIL out for a spot of shopping and a trip to the bank. Being extremely frail we organised a courtesy wheelchair for the adventure; but only 15 mins or so into our window shopping, she announced (rather loudly) that a toilet stop was needed. Fortunately the disabled loo was nearby, clean and vacant …so we managed without TOO much drama and relatively unscathed by the experience. However, when we made it to the bank and sat (while ’50 something’ son did the banking for her), she announced to me …in the voice of a deaf woman minus her hearing aids… that she was feeling a bit ‘unusual’ in the toilet department and thought she might have piles. This whole scene was a tad awkward (especially given the silence of the bank)… but was made worse as I tried to reply with something sensible… in MY broken and voiceless whisper … All I got back in response was a very loud  “EH LOVE ?… WHAT DID YOU SAY”? Now I am very familiar with not being heard, but normally I can make myself understood second time around with a few hand gestures….but this was a little difficult and the more I tried, the louder she got. The whole scene ended with her saying loud and clear … “EH? I CAN’T HEAR YOU….I SAID I THINK I HAVE HAEMORRHOIDS”! At which point we took the money and left the bank (good thing we won’t be back at that branch anytime soon).

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the meaning of eyebrows

3 Jan

So…who really knows what they are all about …eyebrows I mean. Apart from decorating the space between our eyeballs and hairline, do they really have a purpose? I’m guessing it is another of those ‘age related’ considerations, but mine seem to be vanishing, and while I have never been well-endowed in this area, these days they really need daily enhancement.

This might seem an odd thing to ponder, BUT their gradual disappearance has me concerned that I will end up being one of those ‘more senior’ women with perfectly placed pencil lines, arched like a clown in permanent surprise mode (or with too much botox on board) …..and that scares me.

To my great relief I was introduced to a new product (that is somewhere between paint & pencil), which you apply with a specially shaped brush. The “eyebrow artist” that did the demo was so meticulous in her application and took so long, that I was left wondering how the hell would I be able to walk out of the shop  ……but I am pleased to report that I suddenly had fuller and more natural brows than I can ever recall.

I have never been hirsute on this part of my body; in fact the first time I met my MIL she stared me in the eye and told me that I plucked my eyebrow WAY too thin and I should let them grow …. geeze Louise …I wish !!!

On a completely different and final note…a few years back I was on a planning committee for the construction of a new Health facility, the committee was full of big wigs…architects, designers and bureaucrats. We spent several long winded meetings discussing the best design for the ‘Eyebrow Signature’ of that place (yep think about the cost to your Health $$’s )… It was all I could do to contain myself when I realised that they were discussing the awnings above the windows!

So clearly they are important… but for what I have no idea.

(note the eyebrow on today’s window…. kind of like mine really, thin and almost invisible)

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