The Simple-Minded Joys of Old Age

Ever since my stroke at the age of 60, seven-plus years ago, I have learned not to take life for granted.

I derive pleasure from simple, helpful things...
Writing a clever joke.
Catching a photo of a backyard wildlife visitor.
Enjoying a nice dinner & wine with my wife.
Brightening someone's day via email, YouTube, or here on Connect.
Seeing buds develop and bloom on the orchid plant my wife gave up for dead.
Watching the horizon brighten on a new day (since I can't sleep anyway).
Re-learning a skill the stroke had taken away (I actually did a YouTube episode on being able to pluck a kleenex with my affected hand).
Getting through a night without pain medication.

I wouldn't necessarily say these are simple-*minded*, but they're unsophisticated moments of joy.

We seem to be similar people. 🙂

My husband and I try to share a moment of "awe" every day; most times it is a simple sight or pleasure. I will share the memory of this reply as my moment of awe, today....thank you!

I tell everyone that of all my obsessions throughout life, reading and what gardening I can do continue to give me joy. I am now rereading the Patricia Briggs, Mercedes Thompson books, so much fun!

Rutabaga, yum. This is the one dish that I make just for myself at Thanksgiving and during the winter. I boil mine with bacon grease in the water or some hog back or salt pork, then seasoned with salt and lots of pepper. I say you know that you are in the country when you can easily buy hog back at the grocery store.

Wonderful, the perfect side dish for roast, turkey etc. But no one but me loves it, sigh. I remember eating it at every Thanksgiving when I was growing up. Also, it is sweet and yummy raw. When I am dead there will no more rutabagas on the Thanksgiving menu, but I share the memory every year with my kids and grandkids so maybe the warm memory of rutabagas with family will remain.

Ha, I continue to eat turnip greens and talk about my father in law who grew and prepared them. I am the only one in my family and in my husband's family which eats them and tells the story.

Funny how so many memories are bound around food and eating with family.

Effective, basic, workable observations. Please continue posting.

Simple moments in a day.
How refreshing to read this trend of thinking as we GROW older. This thought started my day. It truly is "simple moments" that affect our feelings and thoughts.
Thank you for sending this message to all.

Growing old for me seems like a privilege and a blessing!!! I love your outlook 🙂

Yes! I've been pondering similar thoughts, how it used to take "more" to bring pleasure
(more time, energy, spending, traveling, building, doing, life-framework creating...napping).

Now it seems to take "less" ...

- less means prioritized: time, energy, spending, traveling

- less means First Principles, how to make it as simple as possible: building, doing, life-frameworks

- less means short bits are appreciated: napping 😀

@edsutton I really wish we could retitle this "The Simple Joys of Old Age", would you mind if I asked Colleen and the moderators to do so?
Why? Because the amount of thought you and the other members have given to this matter, and your collective eloquence in expressing it, is anything but simple-minded.
Kudos for launching this thoughtful discussion.
Sue

Yesterday was the epitome of "Simple Joy" to me.
I went to my exercise class in the morning, joined by over a dozen women and men from 60 to their mid-eighties. The range of abilities was amazing, and everyone adapted the exercises to their own level, but everyone was striving to maintain whatever capacity they still have.
Afterwards, after feeding the birds and a few chores, we sat down to a healthy lunch of veggies, cheese and seeds.
In the afternoon, a blessedly cool one for this time of year, my partner asked me to leave our tiny house so he could deep clean the living area. So I took my watercolors and a cool drink to the covered patio, where I finished one project and started another while watching the birds at the feeders and listening to the little fountain where they played. Neighbors dropped by to see what I was doing and enjoy the cool shade for a moment.

@sueinmn Last night at one of my book study groups (on Zoom) one of the women in my discussion group shared that she had the perfect answer to anyone who asked the (mildly annoying) question: "So what do you do with your time now that you're retired?" Her response, delivered with a huge smile: "Anything I want!"
You day yesterday sounds absolutely lovely, Sue!!

I've apparently been plagued by "happy" brain chemicals my entire life so, not a lot of difference in my old age (73M). Except that I no longer have work projects due and my joy of sleep has increased (I can hit the sheets and just enjoy the experience, whether I sleep soundly or think through solving many of the world's problems ). I do miss work a little (been unemployed for 10 years now), at least the world travel to beautiful places, the friendships, the joy of developing new successful ideas, etc., but that has been replaced with more time with grandkids. Overall, every stage in life just seems to get better.