"Changes"
A Little Essay on Aging
I have come to the conclusion that age makes many changes, some not so
good, some even to the betterment of the whole. I remember things and compare
them to things of today. Some times, I am elated and some times, I am not. It is
true; the more things change the more they remain the same.
Just take
memory as an example. I remember my first kiss, my first car, my first flight,
but for the life of me, I cannot remember what I had for lunch. I even remember
my first shave. Now I do that a little as possible. I remember my first date and
all the time and preparations, a week of picking out the right clothes, three
days finding a restaurant, picking the movie took a month. Now taking the wife
out to eat is like this:
"You going to cook?"
"No, are you?"
"NO."
"Let's go out!"
It takes a
total of about 8 seconds. And they say you slow down with age!
Sleeping
through a thunderstorm was nothing a while back. I would wake up the next day
and say, "Oh, it rained." I even slept through a tornado once. Now if
the cat walks across the carpet I am up like a shot. Who said your hearing gets
worse as you get older?
Eating has
improved also. Time was when I seasoned everything with the shakers on the
table. Then last night, it only took one taste to know there was too much salt
in the soup!
Growing up in
a small town in the panhandle of
Driving is
better. At the age of eighteen, I had a 300-horsepower Ford. Today I have
300-horsepower Ford, but the tires last twice as long and the fuel takes me
twice as far. That's much better, though now days not as cheap!
Trips to the
barbershop came around ever two weeks back then and took an hour. Now, with more
hair on my face than on my head, the trips are every two months and take only
fifteen minutes. Saves me time and money, though not enough to offset the price
of tires and fuel!
It also seems
that the kids are growing up a lot faster. In the sixties, we watched in awe as
the girls, age fifteen to nineteen, slowly developed into young women. Now days
it is ages thirteen to fifteen, it happens over night, there are more of them,
and with a substantial increase in the quantity of development. Yes, sir! My
eyes still work!
I do take
issue, however, with this part of my life being called 'The Golden Years'. They
are, as the color of what hair I have left attest to, more like my 'Silver
Years'!
Then there
are the things that have changed and not for the better.
When I was
younger, I slept on the ground and on the floor and even got a good night sleep
in a motel. Now if I am not in my own bed the night is wasted. I have even
noticed that textures are different. Years ago, cotton sheets were good enough,
but now it has to be 340-thread count percale or I am awake all night!
Numbers have
changed too. A mile is still a mile but it takes longer to move from one end to
the other, therefore it must be longer. The inseam of my pants is the same but
my thirty-inch waist can no longer be encompassed by a thirty-six-inch
waistband. My size 7 ½ Stetson that use to perch majestically atop my furry
head now rest on my eyebrows and the tips of my ears.
The days have
gotten shorter and the nights longer. Stairs have gotten steeper and
fifty-degree Fahrenheit has gotten colder. A mile is now longer but an inch is
now shorter. A pound is heaver, I know because I cannot carry as many. Thank God
and Seagram's that my 7-Crown still comes in a fifth!
Yes, there
have been many changes. I have lived through, and adjusted to, all of them. Oh,
to be eighteen again and know what I know now! Wait! I am having a vision! No,
that's a bad idea! That vision conjured up prison time!
© December 30, 2003
Short Grass Enterprises, Inc.
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