Reflections – Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Carol A. Hand

Ah, summer outdoor chores, you have to love them
Mowing the lawn that remains, “Sweating to the Oldies” comes to mind
This is really more like the oldy profusely sweating
But it’s something I can still do because life’s been kind
One has to find the humor in getting older
And be grateful for the challenging tasks we can still shoulder.

My old rechargeable battery-powered mower

I encourage you to watch the embedded video link above if you need to laugh today, or read the following poem. I discovered it many decades ago when I developed a workshop for men who were caring for an older relative.

This Will Shock You!
(Anonymous)

This will shock you!
I’m never lonely here – for I have four men in my life.
Don’t tell!
I get up in the morning with Charlie Horse.
I spend all day with Arthur Itis.
I dine with Will Power.
I go to bed every night with Ben Gay.

Everything is farther away now than it used to be.
It is twice as far to the corner, and they have added a hill I’ve noticed.
I have given up running for the bus; it leaves faster than it used to.
And it seems to me that they are making stairs steeper than in the old days.
Have you noticed the smaller print they are using in the newspapers now?
And there is no sense asking people to read aloud.
Everyone speaks in such a low voice I can hardly hear them.

It is almost impossible to reach my shoelaces.
Even people are changing.
They are much younger than they used to be when I was their age.
On the other hand, people my age are so much older than I am.
I ran into a classmate the other day, and she had aged so much I didn’t even recognize her.

I got to thinking about the poor thing while I was combing my hair this morning
And in so doing I glanced at my reflection in the mirror.
You know, they don’t even make mirrors like they used to.

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