HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
May 28, 2005 Now that I’m getting old, 68, I’ve been alert for signs that I might become decrepit and inane, like so many people in my age group and older, and maybe it will happen yet, but so far I feel just great, good as gold and happy as a lark! I feel as if perhaps I should have already started limping and dragging, or having various problems with my health to complain about all the time, but, no, not really, I don’t have any serious problems of that kind. I don’t know how long this can go on, but my guess is that I’ve still got 10 or 15 years to live, years that I will love to live, if I live them. And if I die, so what? I’m going to die anyway. There’s no hope of going on forever. I can take it as it comes. My only hope is that death is fast and painless, preferably that I die in my sleep. Thank goodness I have no child who is depending on me to see him or her through college, and no wife to provide for in her old age. If that were the case, then I’d probably be much more concerned about the meaning of the possibility of death. But as it stands, I am free to live and die as I choose. I don’t know why I should be as healthy as I am. I’ve never taken any pains to maintain my health, except for exercising in the last year. I did live outdoors for fully 10 years, with lots of cycling, and that may have been very beneficial, but that was not a deliberate program designed with an eye to health. That was a matter of economics and economy travelling. My diet is far beneath what most people would consider good meals. Half the time, eating means something like walking down the sidewalk with a sausage sandwich, or grabbing a can of tuna and a couple of rolls to take to my room. In fact, I feel better at 68 then I did at 18. I was overweight. I didn’t have any conception of anything like limiting the amount that I ate. I lacked confidence, feeling that everyone around me knew more and could do more. Now I feel the reverse. At 18, I depended sorely upon approval of my peers, which mostly I did not get. Now I don’t seek approval so much. I have much more confidence in myself. In fact, in my younger days, as I look back, I was pretty erratic. I used to run around all night. I neglected my apartment, my clothes, everything. I lived from paycheck to paycheck, always spending all the money I earned, without a thought of saving. I was totally undisciplined. Sometimes I even got drunk or high, and didn’t know where I was or what I was doing, making a fool of myself or getting arrested. Now, fortunately, I no longer drink, take drugs, smoke, overeat or stay up late chasing around. I live a frugal, almost spartan existence, but I feel as good as gold, as happy as a lark. If how I feel is any yardstick of how good my way of life is, then my way of life must be pretty good, because I feel great, great, great! ------------ About the author Thomas Keyes: I have written two books: A SOJOURN IN ASIA (non-fiction) and A TALE OF UNG (fiction), neither published so far. I have studied languages for years and traveled extensively on five continents. Email: udikeyes@yahoo.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
