OPINION: The wisdom of the ageing

Welcome to some wisdom of the ageing. We are the boomer dudes and babes. All now in our good old days. That is, now we are old so we have to be good, due to our age. If we get choices, we’re tempted by the one that is “being home and in bed by 9 pm”. Our lifestyle decision. This is our wise preference.

At our age, we have lost quite a few people along the way. I’m not sure if that makes us good tour guides for senior living. Yesterday, I wrote a new will. It only took five minutes. Here it is: “Listen up, kids. Being of sound mind and body, I spent the lot.” Tough. Maybe I bought stuff that I would’ve enjoyed when I was young. Maybe it was due to that little shop of horrors, the rising cost of living. Wisdom of the ageing would say we are all in our stage of ills, pills, and wills.

We boomers all think we’re good at something. Experience is a great teacher. But when I look on YouTube, there’s a seven-year-old doing something so much better than any old over-sixty I know. How humiliating! But then I note on Facebook, a centenarian lighting her cigarette on the candles for her 100^th birthday cake. Role model. These days, young ones are supposed to be doing vaping. So I googled, “how to be a successful vaper.” But I haven’t attempted vaping. Not yet. Maybe I won’t, I must exercise wisdom.

Wisdom of the ageing for us boomers means we can read websites about online dating sites. Maybe it works. Realistically, at our age, chicks or dudes, no one is really waiting for me or you. But yes! Washing is waiting! Always, washing is waiting. No one else is going to wash that load of jocks and socks.

Soon, suds will be aflow, I can turn on the washing machine. Too fun, in this morning’s soft warm glow. This is true wisdom, as I hum, “I love to turn you on…”. Plus, there is a pile of dishes with my name on them too. They’re waiting. Great suitors, this lot. Yeah, my weeds are also definitely waiting, loyal to the end. Bless their hearts.

Still, I guess I could marry an online archaeologist. He might get interested as I grow so much older, or wiser? Or has my teenager’s angst endured for more than fifty years? How is yours?

Never mind. I pick up my latest craft project, hoping it doesn’t end up as a UFO (unfinished object). A true senior lady never discusses the size of her craft stash. It’s a secret. If I were driving and knitting at the same time, the policeman would say “pull over, old driver” and I would reply “no, it’s a scarf”.

This is the wisdom of the ageing in society. We mustn’t take things too personally or seriously. If today we have enough, I could travel or buy lots of stuff, but I am a homebody with a simple life. I like lots of free library books and creating with bells on. I have supportive friends as coffee mates. We occasionally look at the exes we married and divorced and wonder why we ever bothered. Then we get on with staying positive. Our happy laughter is still here.

Cellulite’s gotta do what cellulite’s gotta do! We, seniors, are the musical generation, we thought we did it all. We even gave to the world’s daily thoughts, go-go dancers. Too fun. The wisdom of the ageing says we should all enjoy this day. Bless our hearts.

In my past years of being a caregiver for a geriatric, I can say that I have no complaints about the ambos, the medico, the cardiac units, or the nursing home. Bless all their hearts.  I have weathered the storm. Today, I can wake up and say “no complaints, no biggies, no issues”. All’s well that ends well.

Welcome, today! In a hundred years’ time, we shall all be part of history. This is the wisdom of the ageing. Bless all our boomer hearts.