In recent times, I have come to understand some interesting facts.
The major items of clothing I have will now never wear out.
Our car is here for good. An average of 7000 kilometres a year since new means it is hardly run in.
Grocery orders are so easy now. We just get what we always get, including chocolate.
No one minds if I go to bed early. In fact, some are quite happy.
People out and about mostly don’t notice me any more. Just another old grey shape moving slowly in the background.
I get served first at family functions now and am offered the “nice, warm, comfortable” seats. It was not that long ago that I was doing the serving to my parents, uncles and aunties. Sadly, time flies.
Nice people I hardly know talk to me like I’m the idiot. Tell me stuff that really makes me worry about how much they paid attention at school, what parallel universe they inhabit. Are they on something?
I don’t have to talk if I don’t want to. I’m old, what do I know anyway? Being a Baby Boomer, I have no idea of hardship, going without, interest rates or how to succeed at something through just hard work, education and learning the hard way.
Some kind people call me “dear” in shops. Some talk loudly, assuming that, as I’m older, I’m deaf. They are taken aback when I ask them not to shout.
If I’m a bit slow using the Eftpos, the shop assistant reaches over and pushes the buttons for me. How rude. I enjoy pushing buttons and “Yes, young man; I do know how to do it. I have all day to do it, you are getting my patronage so be nice.” I think that, I don’t say it as I was brought up to be polite.
People are amazed when I pull cash out of my wallet. Shop staff worry about change.
People talk about me in front of me. That’s really funny.
I get called “uncle” by younger people I don’t know. I actually like that.
To me, most young people are fascinating and nice to be around. So full of hope and life. I enjoy just listening to their conversations.
Old friends from childhood or years back are still the greatest friends. We all remember who we were and all those stories from our teenage years that you just can’t share with your children. We see each other and smile, still seeing the young person we once knew.
We say something, use a term, and younger people around us can’t understand what we said. Language changes quickly. We are still kind to each other and just feel so good around each other.
Our bodies continually remind us that we’ve had a full life. Our minds, however, are as good as, probably better than, when we were 18-year-olds.
If we drink, we don’t need to drink much.
We’ve mostly given up bad habits, though. All-night parties, dodgy dates, smoking, driving after drinking or driving too fast.
We just don’t spend as much money now. We have pretty much everything we need.
When I’m invited somewhere, I look for reasons to stay home. A quiet night in beats the hell out of going out. I like to dress down if I do go out, hoping I won’t be invited again.
If people bore me, I just walk away. They don’t seem to mind or mostly even notice. I walk away a lot nowadays.
I eat what I like. It’s plain food now, the food I ate as a child. Mince, sausages, roasts, stews, heavy puddings, fried eggs and plenty of tea with bread and butter do fine. I still eat Weetbix and even muesli for breakfast with stewed fruit.
My idea of hard exercise now is to walk out to the post box and get the mail and the Chron for the puzzles. Doing puzzles counts as physical exercise now. Like gym but at the kitchen table or in the La-Z-Boy.
Older people only have so many heartbeats left – no need to waste them unnecessarily.
I actually really like being older.
