IT WENT THAT-A-WAY

Whoosh! There’s another day. Where did it go? Then a week—then some more—and suddenly it’s time for another haircut. Yes, I measure my weeks by haircuts. Some days are great, some, not so much, but I am already 15 minutes older than when I began this article.

Some people say, “Age is just a number.” That’s true, but in my case it’s a big one. Then some people tell me, “You don’t look 85.”  I’d rather have them say, “You don’t act 85.” However, I’m not sure how I am supposed to look or act, but then, I never was good at doing the expected.

I recently read that researchers are finally going to study healthy seniors, taking into account that an occasional hip or knee replacement, or running around with a walker does not mean that a person isn’t generally healthy. Consequently, if those smart researchers asked me, I would suggest that they throw away the categories. There’s “young old,” “old,” “old, old” and even older than dirt. Common! It seems as if until now researchers have concentrated their studies on those categories, but they forget that being old is not a disease, and that all old people are not diseased.

Now, those smart folks are beginning to study the many elderly who are on a healthier track. From what I have read they are discovering that healthy aging involves more than the
old standard advice: “Eat better.” “Sleep better.” and “Exercise.” A case in point: My father never exercised, and his sleep was interrupted by nocturnal trips to the loo. Granted, he rarely drank more than an occasional glass of wine and did not smoke, but he did enjoy his meat and potatoes, and had a sweet tooth that matched his sweet and good humored disposition.

When he was 85 years old, he called me and said, “Something terrible happened to me.”  I said, “What happened?” He replied, “I forgot someone’s name.”  As a scholar he was invited to speak to many groups, but when his vision faded, he memorized his lectures and kept right on teaching. One day, after tutoring a student in the morning, he had a stroke in the afternoon and died a day later at 95. I considered him a “young old,” and he was not the only one.

No two people are the same, and old folks should not be pigeonholed. Granted, some people are either physically or mentally challenged, but every old person I know (and I  know lots of them) has a fascinating backstory. It’s a given that no one has led a charmed life, but it is still indeed a life worth living.

I have a great deal of respect for my fellow travelers on this old age journey. Old age is not contagious, but it is a path we all have to traverse. It is better to pack some fortitude, courage and lots of good humor, as well as gratitude, in that bag of tricks, and I predict that those researchers will discover that healthy oldsters have an attitude that warms the cockles of the heart.

Making the most of everyday is the secret, and if you are lucky there will be time for another haircut.

Esther Blumenfeld