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May 21, 2007 The song, "Enjoy Yourself..It's Later Than You Think" keeps floating through my mind and lately it seems to have taken on a new meaning. When I was a child I couldn't wait to be ten. When I was a pre-teen I couldn't wait to be sixteen and when I was a teenager I couldn't wait to be eighteen. It didn't take long for me to get excited over the prospect of turning twenty-one once I reached eighteen and then I just forgot all about reaching any milestones. I got busy and went to school, raised a family, went to work and got caught up in the every day concerns that most adults have so there was no time to think about wanting to be any age other than where I was. Suddenly, I was forty and that wasn't so bad. I still looked fairly young due to good genes and even fifty didn't slow me down. At sixty I found that keeping my weight down to it's normal level (I'm short so I can't afford to weigh too much) which was about one hundred pounds. It gradually inched it's way up to one hundred and ten and my doctor told me that I should stay there at my age. I wondered what that really meant but wasn't about to argue. It's difficult to diet and I hate exercise so I was content to move up a couple of sizes and still look healthy and in good shape. I got the flu on occasion and once in awhile I noticed that Arthritis has developed in places that I had used a lot or previously injured through-out my lifetime; but that still didn't cause me much grief and I could deal with it. Last month I reached the age of sixty-five and everyone told me that sixty-five was the new 50 so I figured that the little laugh lines and gravity stricken parts of me were still normal and that I could live with them. That all came to a screeching halt a week after my birthday. I went for a routine physical and discovered that sixty-five was NOT the new fifty...at least not for me. I was healthy at fifty and had no physical problems whatsoever. Suddenly, my liver was not operating properly, my lipids (cholesterol & Triglycerides) were off the charts and I was now suffering from Diabetes Type 2. I had aches and pains in places that I hardly ever use (let alone see) and I felt old. There were some new challenges like getting in and out of bed without creaking and running out of breath after walking less than a city block. I was sent to a Nutritionist and given a deluxe meter to test my sugar and told what type of food I could and could not eat and that soon made me aware that almost everything that I enjoy eating was now off limits. Hmmm, I thought, this is not good. I don't like this at all. Life is short so why can't I eat the food that I really enjoy? I do not like lots of vegetables and I don't like too many kinds of fish (except for shellfish, which I am allergic too). I tried whole wheat pasta and it tasted awful. I tried to spice it up but it didn't help. I tried to eat whole wheat bread and I didn't like the taste. Sadly, I am a starch lover and coming from an ethnic background had not prepared me for the new rules. I can honestly tell you that if I never see another piece of chicken I won't be sad and if I see someone eating French fries I may be forced to grab them and run. So many things are gone now that I am officially old and so many things don't work anymore. I feel like someone's favorite teddy bear who, after many years, has lost some of it's stuffing, is missing it's eyes and looking kind of beat up. If I could go back in time and do some things over again I would never have started smoking, would have moisturized my skin on a regular basis, stayed out of the sun and learned to eat a much healthier diet not consisting of fast food or home-made Italian or Jewish meals. I would never have given up my long-time dance classes and I would have prepared for what was to come. I would have found ways to live with less stress . I would have shown my body and mind more respect and passed on the extra slice of Pizza. Now I am paying the price for ignoring the fact that everyone gets old (the alternative really, really sucks, by the way, so this isn't actually a complaint...just a kvetch rant). For those of you who read here who are still young...pay attention and try to picture yourself somewhere down the road of life when you can't eat everything that you desire and where lying around on the couch as a young person watching television may lead you to more than knowing the stats of all your favorite sports teams or the history of all the characters on your favorite soap operas. As the old song says..."Enjoy Yourself..." but remember that soon enough, "It's Later Than You Think"!! ------------ About the author: Meri has a Medical/Legal background and is a former forensic researcher specializing in psychological profiling. https://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=27335 Email: writers2@cox.net Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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