Don’t Let the Old Man In
Note: This blog is dedicated to my husband
for our upcoming anniversary.
And with that in mind,
I’m taking off a bit this summer,
but see you in July sometime.
What in the world does that cruel-sounding title mean? Don’t be charitable? Disrespect the elderly? Fear getting old? Well, no, no and maybe.
You don’t exactly fear getting older if you read a blog called Aging_with_Piazzazz. But it’s the “Pizzazz” theme we strive for – quality Aging. “Keep on, Keepin’ on” as was promoted in the 60s (or maybe it was the 70s).
We’re not trying to cheat death. Nevertheless, we want to give it a run for its Money (which makes me laugh considering you can’t take that money with you anyway, right?). However, the more we plan the “run,” the further we’ll get. It’s attitude, and mind, and body.
At the end of this post, you’ll see a related video. I love one of the questions in the song. “How old would you be if you didn’t know the day you were born?”
When I was little my mother used to say that she “felt 16-years-old inside.” I was appalled, of course, as she looked 216 to me. Now, I’m less appalled and truly understand the feeling. The wrinkles don’t tell our story – and don’t need to slow us down, at least not significantly.
Already in the Door?
The point of this post is don’t let the attitude of an old man (or woman) take over your life – don’t open the door to him. For any of you thinking, “it’s too late, he’s already in the door,” I say, well, don’t invite him for tea.
If he’s already sitting down for tea,
Gently say, “here’s your hat, there’s the door.”
It’s as much psychological as it is physiological. Perhaps it’s harder to evaluate ourselves, but I got thinking about 3 people I know. With these brief descriptions, I can feel them as role models, maybe you can too.
- A 90-year-old marathon runner has still not let the old man in and is still winning races in his age category.
- An 85 (almost 86-year-old) woman in the harsh northeast, still maintains her house AND garden.
- A 77-year-old woman cyclist shares the same defiance – she may greet the old woman at the doorstep, or when she looks in the mirror, but puts a stop to it there.
Take the Easiest Route
Give the old man no sway, no agency over you. We all still have things to achieve, and the old man can interfere or convince us that we aren’t able. Malarkey. I’m convinced that feeling like 16 inside, (even if you do look 216 or feel like you’ve ‘been through it all’), will help protect you in body, mind and spirit.
Losses are harder to regain once established as a loss. Maintaining a good condition, especially for movement, but really for any Lifestyle area, is easier than regaining it again. (As an example, think of how hard it is to bounce back from unrecognized – or treated – Depression, compared to beginning with an early effort to avoid full-fledge depression.)
The longer we strive to maintain what we have, the longer we’ll actually achieve it. If you question that, review a recent post on Self-Efficacy, Health & One Easy Path Forward.
The people I noted above have had surgeries and illnesses that slowed them down for periods of time in their lives and have made for small setbacks. But these natural roadblocks (which we all face), should be more like speed bumps – not dead ends.
Ways to Keep the Old Man at Bay
I don’t have all the answers on how to keep the old man at bay. If I did, I think I’d be wealthy. Nevertheless, I will share a few points that have been frequent in my blogs.
Avoid the Landmines. Something said often at Aging_with_Pizzazz; it can mean several things. However, the simplest definition is the most straight-forward, try to avoid accidents. This means being aware and careful when driving, walking, playing, toiling, Gardening, whatever.
Prevention is Key. Remember what an ounce of it is worth?
Never let your Guard Down. Keep aware of your body AND you attitude to keep from sliding backward, whether physically or emotionally.
Keep ROM. Keep on top of small changes, meaning decreases, in your range of motion (ROM); this includes (slight) injuries leading to larger and longer disabilities.
Switch up Activities. Use a variety of activities, or sports, in your life. If a favorite one starts bothering you (like golf is annoying your hips), switch to another using different muscles for a while.
Create more Smiles than Frowns. Even if you are just ‘acting as if,’ smiling can bring you pleasant feelings as much as to those at whom you smile.
Use Positive Self-Talk. Often written about, see the self-efficacy post mentioned above for more on this.
Recognize Living with Sadness. Sadness (even if not full-blown depression) can be debilitating and sap our strength. We shouldn’t avoid getting help when it does. Life events can hit us hard. When they do, we need to mourn and cry and grieve, but we need to carry on as well, even while we do continue this grieving. Additionally, when we age, mild depression can go from feeling like ‘ups and down’ to ‘barely neutrals and downs.’ Whatever your case, recognize YOUR situation and figure out what positive action you can take. Don’t let it fester. Enjoyment is part of aging well and another lock on the door against letting that old woman in.
Help Others. We have experienced the effect of helping others. It functions in reality, working well as it most often does to help us too. Doing something for others makes us feel good. Plus, it offers us “purpose” another vital element to quality aging.
Always have a project. I hope for each of us that we all die with a project or two, or three, unfinished. That means we were always looking forward, even until the end.
Don’t Stop Living. Don’t stop doing. Don’t stop growing or learning or giving or moving. Just don’t stop living.
Final Thought
There’s always truth in over-used phrases. Sometimes we forget to hear it. Here are a few cliches that avoid letting that old person in.
Every little bit helps.
Don’t Give Up.
Don’t “act your age.”
You’ve come this far – don’t stop now!!
The idea of staying young at heart as we age affects body, mind and spirit. So, kick those old women and men out the door before they get their foot firmly planted on your side of the threshold.
P.S. If Willie Nelson knocks on your door – DO let him in. 
Video–your choice Willie Nelson (with lyrics but no moving video) or Toby Keith
Or… Toby Keith
—
Title picture from video of same name
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