It is a true blessing to be young and healthy, to live without any devastating disease such as cancer or juvenile diabetes and many other things that haunt all ages. We should protect that good health with everything we have available to us from lifestyle attitude to exercise. One way might be to visit a Care Center for the elderly on a regular basis. A mental picture is worth more than any amount of words.
We all take health for granted until something goes wrong with the body. We automatically say fine, when someone asks. “How are you doing, how are you feeling today? The answer is usually fine, or good when many times we are not. As we get older that happens more often, we have many more days that are not fine. The hurting times become stronger and last longer. We start to entertain thoughts like ‘enough already,’ going to a land where joy will never end, pain is no more.
Getting old should be a slow process, like walking into a cold lake, a little at a time, no shock involved. As we do get older, there is some shock as the body wears out, we start to think more about this in the frequent tired and weaker last days. There is comfort in these words, “Just a few more weary days and then,” “I Will Fly Away.”
Laughter is one healing prescription that we can all afford. Tears of pain can be hard to overcome if the body is diseased as we grow older, but laughter sure helps. When most people start to grow old, they usually wish they would’ve taken better care of their bodies when they were young. We seem to be stuck with the physical consequences of the wild oat sowing, and the cane that got raised years. Thankfully some good memories can be conjured up from those early days of our lives. Much about growing old is only in our minds; that is why we must keep our minds and bodies active as we get older. We can either dwell on that troubled old body or grin and bear it, don’t look in the mirror too long.
As we get older, sharing information about our bodies and health, even the most private things, do not bother us. I had a cousin who started talking louder as her hearing got progressively worse. One day while having lunch in the local small-town cafe. She confided to a friend across the table about how dry her vagina was starting to get. Everyone in that restaurant got that bit of information about her discomfort, even the cook and dishwasher way back.
When you said hello to her, you were always careful not to ask, “How are you today,” unless you planned to spend a lot of time listening to her reply. One morning she announced I lost my hearing aid she had her friend searched, but they could not find that precious hearing aid anywhere in her small apartment. She said, “I HAD IT WHEN I WENT TO BED .” Later at coffee, “Oh my,” I thought my cat coughed up a hairball last night on my pillow, and I flushed it down the toilet, “that must have been my hearing aid.”
My life plan never included getting old. The idea was to stay my young, happy, carefree self until I died. I would always eat what I wanted; bacon, eggs, Sugar Pops, and Fruit Loops I could never imagine bran cereal or prunes in my diet. Most digestive systems develop life-altering plans, no more regular like a clock, in any time zone.
Then the old ticker develops problems. Hey Doc, what do you mean, no salt? My grandfather lived to be ninety-six without heart trouble, and he covered everything was salt. Doc says, ‘he sure was lucky’ you have high blood pressure. Now about your new diet, no salt, carbohydrates, saturated fat, sugar, caffeine, etc. I decided to get a haircut last week when I got in the Barber’s chair. He said, “Looks like maybe your only going to need one more clean shirt.” You cut the old doctor’s hair, didn’t you? “They aren’t supposed to talk about their patients.”
My wife asked again this morning, “Did you take your pills?” I say no and start for that pill container with all the different compartments for each day. I get sidetracked on the way to my pillbox, and it is about 20 feet away from my La-Z-Boy recliner. A busy older person can have many distractions on a long walk like that. Some days that pill trip is repeated several times, and I still miss my pills. I wonder if it natures way of telling me I don’t need all those pills.
I never thought I would be leaving notes to remember appointments, calls to make, chores to do, etc. Now I have post-it notes all over the place, sort of like tiny pieces of mismatched wallpaper.
My hearing is still excellent. I can’t understand why my wife keeps talking lower and lower all the time. I can only hear her real good when she says,” DID YOU TAKE YOUR PILLS?”
We are living in these GREAT new days of computer technology unlimited. The magic of the e-book seems to be taking Center Stage. I have been contemplating writing a novel for a couple years now and finally got the project finished. I had it published buy Kindle Create. The book can be read for free by Kindle book club members. It can be purchased through Amazon or Kindle for a very low cost at this time. I have included my internet connection to Amazon Author Central. My blog readers worldwide can take a peek at what the book looks like and preview it by clicking on the link that I’ve left at the bottom of this post. I thank everyone in advance for their consideration and possibly a positive review of my book. Thank you all and have a great New Year. Leland
I’m proud to say, I’ve known this great musician since we were young kids caddying and playing golf at the Country Club golf course near Watertown South Dakota, USA. As a youngster, he went to work at the local radio station KWAT, playing his guitar. That boyhood beginning evolved into a lifetime of ‘real’ music. He still plays almost daily at some location in the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. In the winter time, his group travels down South. They entertain and play music for all of Texas to enjoy. I don’t know how he does it but plays at numerous county and state fairs too.
I have enclosed various websites where you can learn about this man and his music, also his schedules for the following year. I have been writing my blog now for close to three years and it just dawned on me. Maybe it walked right up and kicked me in the rear, you should write a post about Sherwin Linton, the South Dakota USA legend. The tireless trubadour, FOR SURE!
I would like to let all of my blog readers know that my book. The Bay Area Bad Guys will be on Kindle eBooks in 24 to 48 hours. I would appreciate comments from anyone who takes the time to read it. I thank you very much. Leland Olson
My Mixed Blog 
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