Enjoying Old Age

The following is an essay for some of the older widow-men. I’m eighty-three years old and have been a widow-man since October 2010. In the past, I have written columns about some aspects of a man’s life after losing his wife to death. Now I’m writing about being an old man. This may not be interesting to some of the younger men who read essays here. I’ll enter some of what I have learned in short paragraphs.

Being old: Feeling old can set in relatively early in life. In some ways, I felt I was old when I turned fifty. That was twenty-three years ago. I wasn’t old then by most standards, but now, at eighty-three, I am old.

Feeling old: I don’t always feel old. I can still walk without a cane or a rolling cart. When I’m sitting down, I don’t usually feel old, but when I stand up, I am reminded of my age. I have to pay attention.

Weakness in old age: I’m reminded of my age and weakness when I try to twist the cap off a bottle of anything, and it’s mainly water that I have to open. I sometimes even need the help of a pair of pliers for that job.

Sleep can be difficult: Some nights, I sleep soundly for a good length of time, but other nights I wake up in the early morning hours and have to get out of bed for a while before going back to bed for more sleep. I’m trying to learn how to manage those times of poor sleep.

Memory in old age: I sometimes have clear memories of things that happened more than sixty years ago, when I was twenty-three years old. But I sometimes have trouble remembering things that happened earlier the same day. This seems to be common among older people.

Standing upright in old age: I have a small apartment in a senior living place now, and I can observe my fellow “inmates.” Many have to use canes or walkers to walk safely. I’m one of the inmates who can safely walk upright. I have never marveled at humans’ ability to stand and walk upright until recently. The inner workings of our brains and our bodies are too complex for me to understand. I just have to marvel that we can do it.

Death may be near: I would be denying one of the realities of older age if I didn’t admit that the day of my demise may be near. It may be near, but I may live another twenty years. The date and cause of my death are in the hands of God. I need to wait patiently for Him to call me.

Find help in old age: You may not find all these thoughts about old age helpful. It may be best to ignore your age and simply look forward to what the next day will bring. If that’s true of you, just be thankful and continue to enjoy all the days you are being given.