Life Will [Continue] to be About the Chase ... Won't It?
I’ve always loved the elderly.Some of my happiest memories are summers spent with my grandparents ... Holding Grandaddy’s hand and chattering non-stop as we walked to Mr. Lee’s store, then sitting on his lap and listening to stories of Pancho Villa. When I tired of that, I’d scramble onto the sofa next to my great grandmother, Te-Te. Armed with a pair of tweezers, I was honored with the task of plucking her chin hairs.
Other times, the days were spent with my other grandmother – going shopping downtown, rolling around on the department store floor in the throes of a temper tantrum ... uh, anyway ...
Never did I think that I would be elderly.
And I still don’t think I will be – until little things surface to remind me. Like, when I go in for my annual eye exam, and my optometrist says, “You know, you’re going to need bifocals soon.” Or when, in the middle of a dreamless sleep, I suddenly wake up, sweating and unbearably hot, and think, “Oh no! Was that a hot flash?!” Or like, when I move close to the mirror to put on my mascara and exclaim, “My God, is that a chin hair?!”
The final straw – the thing that finally convinced me – was the sudden appearance of A.A.R.P. announcements in my mailbox.
But I don’t think I’ll mind being old – it’s the getting there that is sometimes shocking – since I’ve had such great role models. None of my grandparents let a little thing like age deter them. Sure, it slowed them down, but it didn't stop them. Just like is hasn’t stopped Elsie McLean, the golfer who landed her first hole-in-one at 102 (did you see the video? She gets around better than I do!) or the 95 year old woman who set a trap and caught a thief.
That’s how I want to be when I’m older. Still pursuing the things I want to do in life. Still living and believing that “life is about the chase...”
Do you think about getting older?
Labels: Aging, elderly, life, living
posted by Rachelle Chase @ 2:42 AM
4 Comments:
Rachelle, I try NOT to think about it, but it's happening as I type. I guess I'll have to type faster. *g*
I try not to dwell on it. I exercise and try to eat well. Luckily chocolate is practically a health food now. And so is wine! See, life is good.
Great attitude, Edie! Um ... I think I missed the memo about chocolate being a health food, though. :-)
Funny, I've been thinking about that a LOT lately. I look around at my home and my two kids and think, when did this all happen? Like you, I had great role models in my grandparents, and I think the secret to not getting older even while your body ages is to keep active and never think you're too old for anything.
Oh, I totally agree with that attitude, Michelle. And despite my growing obsession with chin hairs, etc., I think every year/age is a cause for celebration.
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