Inspired by: Chit Roces-Santos
It’s the first day of the year 2019, and have just recently stepped into my 85th year, growing steadily old by the day. For the last 75 years of my life, I have successfully evaded major chronic health problems, but as I stepped into my 80s, I have had a couple of scary bouts of TIA and pneumonia that have left me with poor posture and weak legs forcing me to walk with a cane.
But, how things have, indeed, changed for me and my buddies—happily, about 70% of them are still around, but many can no longer stand at attention to salute to the flag—I find sweet consolation in that we’re all somehow in the same boat. My core group has been decimated - just a few weeks ago, two of them have marched off beyond in quick succession, Manny Tanjangco and Ed Roceles.
Changes may have come to us in different forms, the least and most common of these, I can assure younger 60 - 70 seniors, is fatness or obesity. But contemporaries who have gone ahead got fat first, before eventually succumbing to terminal complications.
As I myself live on, despite having gained over 10 pounds as I approach my 90s, words of writer Red Smith’s eulogy for a fellow often come to mind: “Dying is no big deal; the least of us will manage it. Living is the trick!”
The immediate trick, as I see it now, is coping with the challenges of ripening to old age.
As it is, like many peers, I’m already physically challenged, by my walking difficulty which I suspect to be caused by osteoporosis that does not allow me to walk too long without tiring and hurting.
I’m convinced I’m doing something at least about some challenges for as long as I keep doing my nightly grounding routine and my daily intake of four tablespoonfuls of virgin coconut oil — and other “anting-antings” I’ve been at fairly religiously for the past two years.
Financial challenges
I do seriously worry as well about financial challenges, afraid that if either of us gets seriously sick, our little fast-dwindling nest egg, reserved optimistically for comfort and little joys in old age, could be wiped out.
Fortunately, through the guidance Mama Mary and with the help of my techy grandson, I’m just a bit technologically challenged stimulating our brains, enabling my partner and me to maximize the use of our digital- electronic gadgets.
A big challenge would be the loss of one’s spouse—if he or she happened to be the sort who could not imagine living without the other. How does one prepare for that? It’s one of those realities that, for all the pain it brings, unfortunately doesn’t kill you. So, you go on with half of you gone forever.
Two recent “departee” widowers, Totit and Manny expressed eagerness to see their beloved mates. And they should be obviously happy!
If we should be so blessed, we could best accept the realities of old age together, sometimes bickering, sometimes hugging, laughing at ourselves and at each other. Before we get there I’d like to be able to accept our new realities.
That’s exactly what is happening to us, for which we have no way of preparing. We grow old only once, we better do it right.
