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14h
Get maybe six or seven hours sleep,
wake and struggle out of bed.
Stretch to get out the kinks,
living with pain from toes to head.
Visit the bathroom in a hurry,
urgent needs attended to.
Shower and save 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 minute 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 I am not homeless.
Go to bed happy, arise the same way. No real regrets.

Getting old is a two-edged sword, it cuts both ways
and leaves some scars in the process.
Quiet pragmatic acceptance is the key, along with
realistic expectations.
Written by
Stephen E Yocum  M/North Western Oregon
(M/North Western Oregon)   
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