Get maybe six or seven hours sleep,
wake and struggle out of bed.
Stretch to get out the kinks,
living with pain from head to toes,
Visit the bathroom in a hurry,
urgent needs attended to.
Shower and shave for no real reason.
Put out the dog, let in the cat.
Feed both and give each a pat.
A bowl of cold cereal with fruit
Lactate milk, brew hot tea, one sugar,
a little cream, English muffin with
honey, tidy up the kitchen.
Turn on the morning local news,
avoiding the "Breaking News"
channels that mess with my head.
Maybe watch a game show or two, just
to lighten the mood. Return to the kitchen
and for a second or two forget why I am there.
I seem to do that a lot lately.
Mount the treadmill for 20 minutes or so.
Take my meds, drink three glasses of water,
hydration being very important it's said.
And so, it goes each day a duplicate of the
one before and the one tomorrow. A captive
caught in a repetitious bubble of advancing
age, kept company by a lifetime of memories
of all that I once was and shall never be again.
Not complaining, I have all I need, a good roof
overhead, food, a home of my own, family close
by, reasonably good health and not homeless
or on welfare. Go to bed happy, arise the same
way. Living well with No real regrets.
Getting old is a double-edged sword, it cuts both
ways and can leave some scars in the process.
Old age descends on upon everyone in time.
Quiet pragmatic acceptance is the key, along
with realistic expectations.
I am not giving up on living, acceptance of reality is
not capitulation. Adjusting to change is merely a
rational intelligent decision. We cannot fight aging,
it's like being caught in a swift flowing river in a
canoe without a paddle, all we can do is hang on
and go with the flow, and if not enjoy, strive to
survive the ride. I still savor every day, even
though my world is not as big as it used to be.
I am OK with that.