by Bonnie McCune

Never before have I worried about rolling out of my bed or a chair and falling down, kerplunk! For no reason. Now I have to. I feel like a spacer on the first outer space mission, alert with every breath, having always to think about where to place each foot. constantly aware. As I walk, my legs sometimes shake. Sharp pangs wander erratically across my legs, occasionally intersecting with a joint, others centered around a muscle.

I certainly empathize with people struggling with palsy or Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis, or even just a major hangover. This physical response seems to occur at erratic times on its own, and it is damned inconvenient. It makes me believe in all the old wives’ tales about aging. It’s uncontrollable, it’s troublesome. It’s definitely NOT your golden years.

So what’s an aging person supposed to do, other than just ignore the annoyances and hope they don’t increase? I prefer to use them as life lessons. I quote Robert Browning to myself: “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” Rather than bemoaning my increasing difficulty in moving, say an inability to skip down the sidewalk or the hardening of various parts of my body (called sclerosis), I simply adjust my goals. Congratulate myself on reaching my downsized objectives. Read more »