Lately...

Lately, well since my auto was totaled in July, I have been spending much of my time walking more than usual.  I never realized how much I had become dependent on using an automobile.  And since there isn't a grocery store in my neighborhood, I am carrying more things with me.  A lot more of my time is spent walking to a bus stop and waiting for a bus.  And it's just not walking to a bus stop, it is getting to the bus stop before the bus arrives.  This means I am walking more rapidly.  It's been great exercise, but it has been eating up my time and energy.  And I am finding that my muscles and joints are aching more.  It's old age.  There I said it.  Old age.  I am beginning to feel a kinship with gizmos that have inadvertently been left on for hours and with garments whose colors have faded from repeated washings.

Old age, is it so bad altogether?  To hear about an utterly good quality vehicle getting traded in for a new and flashier model feels somehow intimidating on a personal level.

That's what the 50s have felt like to me.  Faded, washed out, a little bid drained.  But they're also felt lighten and comfortable.  Starting to relax and loosen in the places that have long been tense.

Riiiiiight.

A friend emailed a list she'd found called "Basic Truths" that I saved and have been adding to.  Since part of this aging business has to do with acquiring and sharing wisdom, it seems appropriate to share a few morsels of knowledge.

This is the list.

• The cheapest and most-expensive models are both usually bad deals.
• Getting to the point quickly is always appreciated.
• Part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
• There is a great need for a sarcasm font.
• Bad decisions make good stories.
• You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of your day.
• If every cast member in a TV show is good-looking, it's not worth watching.
• Everyone you meet is better than you at something.
• One cruel remark can wound someone for life.
• Most of what children learn from adults isn't taught on purpose.
• Few things feel worse than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
• Obituaries would be more interesting if they told you how the person died.
• By using a bad picture of yourself on a column, you can generally guarantee you'll be complimented by those who meet you in person.
• Another way to generate compliments is if you're going to lie about you age, give an age that's quite a bit older than you actually are.
• Wishing things were different is a great way to torture yourself.  Especially if you wish for things you can only buy on installment plans.
• Aging happens fastest to those who lose their lust for improving, who give up on their dreams, an who cease being curious.
• Remember -- you're only young once.  But you can always be immature.