I’ve recently began connecting more with a longtime friend and classmate, and it’s a HUGE reminder of how health and age changes everything.
Coffee at 10:00 AM on Tuesdays.
My friend is only able to get in and out of certain car models, and my Mini Cooper convertible doesn’t make that list. She uses a walker a good bit of the time. Because of the limitations, we’ve established this ritual of having coffee together at 10:00 AM on Tuesdays… by phone. At this point, we have almost nothing in common. The only thing I can offer that she might be able to do is feeding birds.
Yesterday, she told me about her lift chair and I acted interested. When she explained she can’t get her coffee cup out of the microwave, I had no response. I steered the conversation more toward politics. Politics is one subject that we’ve never agreed on, and I knew that would get her fired up. 🙂
Once I had her going, we talked about books and TV shows. I mentioned a series I thought she’d like that’s currently on Prime. I explained that I finished it during my treadmill time — and I encouraged her to start season one and ride her exercise bike for just 5 minutes a couple times a day while watching. She indicated she’d try that… but her COPD makes it difficult.
Now I’m worried that I’ve encouraged her to have a stroke or a heart attack. ARG!
It’s true that aging sucks and your health is the most important thing you have.
I’m grateful to feel good be active — and I know that can change on a dime. But what doesn’t change is how you feel about old friends. I cherish the memories made with my friend from earlier days.
While it’s amazing to live a long and full life, it can be sad sometimes too. It’s just another reason why you need to be grateful for what you have when you have it, and remember to be kind to others who aren’t as fortunate as you.
Now you know: Scientists renamed 27 human genes in 2020 because Microsoft Excel kept auto-converting their names into dates, causing widespread errors in published genetic research.