OLD MAN! Oh, poop!

Now that I am in my 61st year, I just had the 60th anniversary of my birth, this “Old Man” stuff has become very real. There are daily reminders of the onset of old age, starting with the morning glance into the mirror. Where did my hair go? And why is the little I have left so gray?

The normal aches and pains are more so. Recovery time is certainly taking longer, whether it is a pulled muscle or the common cold.

It is easier to get down on the floor than it is to get up. This happens everyday with the little ones I work with when we play ‘Ring Around the Rosie’. “Ashes, Ashes, We all fall down!” I make sure that I just kneel down. The kids are falling all around me in various dramatic poses. I have no desire to outperform them. I just try to get back up gracefully.

I have a reminder from my son as well. He is 22 and all wise in the ways of the world. After giving me directions on the freeway for taking the 9th street exit, he proceeded to get frustrated with me when I missed Exit 9. On that particular freeway there are several exits with street numbers as the identifier. He said ‘street’ and I have learned to take him at his word, after all, he knows best. Later, at home, while we were discussing my error in driving and following his directions I was told, “This is the problem, Dad. Your generation would only think 9th street when I told you 9th street. Jaime and me, we’re younger and we know 9th street means Exit 9 on the freeway.”

And the memory fades. While talking with my brother-in-law at Christmas Eve dinner about our trip to Europe, we were discussing Heidelberg, Germany. He had been to Heidelberg times years ago and was talking about different places in town to visit, most specifically, the castle on the hill. I could not remember anything about the castle or Heidelberg at all. I knew we had been there but it wasn’t in my memory. My wife and daughter assured me that we had seen the castle while in Heidelberg. I told my brother-in-law we had been to the castle. But I still didn’t remember it. A few days later my wife graciously and patiently refreshed my memory. My daughter absolved my forgetfulness by telling me that it was our first day in Germany and we were in a daze from the nine hour flight from Seattle and trying to adapt to Germany time. Yeah, right.

There is a good thing about being 60. I got the senior discount at Burgerville! Okay, it was only $3.60 off of the bill, but I’ll take it. The cashier asked me if I wanted the senior discount. I said, “Sure.” He said that he is reluctant to ask people as some folks have their pride hurt. I have some pride but not enough to turn down the discount. Burgerville, even though it is “inconvenient for most of America”, will be visited again by this old man.