Shocked by aging process

@hopenr My daughter just read that book and said it was great.

Such wonderful words.. and much wisdom. I am still surprised to find myself at almost 72 years old. My mind feels so much younger and my body says otherwise.. I ‘hop’ up in chairs as if I were an 18 year old.. however I’ve discovered I must move far more gingerly to remain safe. By the end of the month I will have gone to 12 medical appointments.. gotten three referrals to new specialists, and was put back on oxygen at night, and was treated rather poorly by one of providers. I had a tough day and felt overwhelmed by it all. I talked it out, stamped my feet a bit, got a good night sleep (without oxygen, thank you) and woke with a good and cheerful attitude. I am in charge of how I react to things and my attitude is everything. I make a mental gratitude list every morning and evening.. and pray for others before myself. This period of my life has been quite a surprise. I walked through it with my grandparents and both parents.. as well as some very good friends.. yet I still wonder why I am so caught off guard. Denial.. hmm.. just not paying attention to myself? Whatever it is I am grateful for all the help I can get in facing the future. I have kids and grandchildren to focus on, world events, many interests (when I find the motivation) and many books! Blessing upon all of us, Cynthia

I don't really care about the bodily changes of aging--crepey skin, wrinkles, eye bags, etc. That's all natural, and ('scuze me if this is TMI) a small price to pay for the joy of not having periods and worrying about birth control anymore. What I dislike about aging is the assumption by younger people that I am easily confused, slow-witted, and unable to learn new things. Like all I do all day is dust my teapot collection and watch kitten videos. I tend to have friends mostly in my age cohort. But lately I've been thinking that it's really important that we keep interacting with younger people so that they can see us elders as capable and normal individuals.

@frouke Hi, I just came across your January post about your Mom being a holocaust survivor. How sad! It's amazing how positive she remained and obviously so good after going through something so terrible and losing family members too.

I'm sorry that you have lung cancer. My husband had lung cancer also. He lived 14 years with it until he died at age 83 in 2024. We prayed a lot and God helped us through that time. I'll say a prayer for you.
God Bless You!
PML

At 76 I'm doing pretty well, but must admit that there have been some changes this year.
My energy doesn't rebound as quickly as it used to, and I recently turned down a community carpentry job, realizing that my back would ache for a week.

I changed some light bulbs in my office yesterday.
The box said they would last 12 years.
I thought "I'll never need to change these lightbulbs again!"

@pml Thank you for your prayers, I believe deeply in prayer and the power of God, I speak to Him everyday and I can feel that He listens to me, even answers me at times of need, bless you always, Frouke.

@frouke I think that's wonderful that you believe in prayer and the power of God! So do I! I talk to him everyday like you and he listens and also answers my prayers. These days we need him more than ever!
God Bless You!
PML

@pmhpesp5
Thank you for your post. I needed to read that today. My faith has also helped me on my most difficult days. Bless you for your kind words of wisdom and encouragement.

For those interested in prayer, consider Stormie Omartian’s books and/or podcasts. I’m presently reading her book about praying for your adult children. Funny thing is that I’m only on page 26 because, per her suggestion, I’ve been learning to pray differently and in ways that are quite freeing. I also like her as an author. Some of her remarks remind me of Erma Bombeck (dating myself here).

@edsutton
Good choice.. hard to do when it’s something you enjoy. I have to chuckle at the lightbulbs.. my husband now buys things like that one thing at a time.. 😉 while I still buy in bulk. Who’s the optimist? He’s very healthy, workouts daily and I’m on the other side a bit. Thanks for the humor! Stay well!!