Wordless Wednesday

For me. Fortunately for you, Sadie has plenty to say.

Aging gracefully

Looks like the issue which has sucked up so much of our time here in the Middle of Nowhere may be resolving itself, albeit slowly. One of the things which has come up for me, watching this situation, is how very much I don't want to put my children through a similar one.

I'm not saying my progeny wouldn't be willing to step in and manage my affairs if I were suddenly incapacitated. My husband would, of course, be first in line, if he were able. But what if he and I were suddenly incapacitated at the same time? Any one of us can be impacted by a random and life-changing accident, at any time. Some things are out of our control.

But most things are well within our abilities to attend to, to be responsible for, to take care of … so someone else won't have to.

My friend whose birthday cake I made yesterday (isn't it pretty?) will be 60 this week. I will be 61 at the end of the month (May 25, mark your calendars now!). We were talking about how our 40s and 50s had been pretty okay, all in all. My 30s were chaotic – I got sober when I was 39 – but hers were good. But this new decade is, um, challenging.

She's just discovered a chronic health issue which needs to be treated for the rest of her life. Nothing that can't be managed, but she's having trouble adjusting her dosage and managing the side effects.

I'm hooked on Aleve because of joint and muscle pain in my hip and shoulder. My left foot swells dramatically if I forget the daily Lasix. Sometimes it's difficult to get in and out of my car.

My friend suggested I take up yoga. Again. I've been an irregular yoga student for decades, but have never managed to make it a habit. She has. She simply gets up, does her practice and moves – moves – into her very busy and active day. Every day.

I start my day right here, sitting on my ass in front of a screen, drinking coffee and listening to the birds. Which is fun and all, and even peaceful. I'm a lark and my husband is an owl, so I feel completely justified in taking these early morning hours for me, me, me.

But she's right about the yoga. My excuse for not doing it is that even some of the simplest poses are difficult for me. My bigness gets in the way. But if practicing yoga, even a little bit, will help me move into old age with more independence and without needing my children's assistance, then I need to pay attention to that.

Sadie says it so much better. I've just written a long, rambling post (so what's new?) when I should have just pointed you to my inspiration for today. (Be sure to read her "About" page, too.) Sadie is my friend's daughter and is the in-house yogi for the Clif Bar company. I'm so glad I learned in AA to keep an open mind and to remain teachable. I'd hate to be one of those old lady dogs who can't learn new tricks, especially from a smart young pup like Sadie.

The sun is up. Time to salute it.