”Lost the will to get up. Tend to stay in bed most mornings. Often til 11
Don’t care what I look like. Uninterested in clothes shopping.
No wish to go on a cruise or go out to eat.
Don’t go to exercise classes or gym. Taken to wine in the evenings.
No relatives within 200 miles.
Don’t care if I die soon.”
All true of my life in my 85th year.
Oh dear! What a sad old creature ….depression? In need of Social prescription? Befriending?
Maybe rather lost in translation though? Maybe begin again?
It is 10.52 am. Still in bed. Have nearly finished this large pot of tea (Wonderful old Pequot Ware stays warm for hours)
Bed is the softest ever, behind me is a huge pile of pillows and on my lap, the ipad.
Live in my bed! Lovely working position! Been tweeting and writing here for hours. Since 7.0. Keep meaning to get up, but always find something else to say or reply to. Read two papers and the news and done the daily Spider puzzle. Save the Killer and Codeword for bed tonight. Better after the wine.
Though might go and collect breakfast – sliced apple and banana toast. (Note: frugal generation gap?)
Bring it back here? Why not? Still haven’t finished the Book Group read. And tryimg to catch up on all the Classics I never read. Can now see them with a much better perspective. So need to re read and rethink them again. Go back for an afternoon nap and fall asleep over them though….
There have been breaks. I do move. A daily exercise routine – still in bed! Stretch everything, test all joints, do sit ups and rotations, use stretch band. Get out of breath..
The balance bits happen in the bathroom and whilst waiting for the microwave. The squats, sit stands fitted in all day. Can’t stand gyms or classes.
However do have to get up two mornings a week to host a Bridge class I teach. Started it 4 years ago. Fun Bridge for beginners. 16 of us last Monday. All would be classed as elderly. Always laughing. And some good parties too.
Lets put it another way: When you are in your 85 th year you are free to live how you like.
FREE – Freedom from those musts, shoulds, oughts!
CHANGE – to might, perhaps, maybe, ‘if I feel like it” . My choice now.
Why not eat out? Not until restaurants solve their acoustic problem! Like conversations too much. Invite Friends in. And then easier and cheaper to enjoy a bottle or so. Too late now to die young from indulging in alcohol! Loving that. freedom…..
And freedom to travel. Cruises feel like prison ships. Forced company. Only let out when they say so. Much prefer exploring and adventure. Oddly, the older you are, the nearer to death, the less ‘danger’ is a worry! Logical?
Or a local wander taking the Knees and Curiosity for their daily mile or so. Meet people and chat and always a question to ask.
Found this guy yesterday in Glasgow’s Barras Market. But he didn’t say a lot.
So lucky today arent we? Being apart from families no longer means being cut off. If you can manage IT at all you can talk to almost anyone in the world face to face for free on Skype etc. My grandson is in Taipei. Love our regular chats.
Growing up with “Make do and Mend” as our war time motto has always meant a guilty frugality about spending on clothes. Recycling via Oxfam is my favourite scene.
This blazer is M and S still going strong from the early 1970s. Love finding striking hats and colour. Forget fashion.
And getting my toe nails done. More fun than a chiropodist!
My appearance is my choice, for me, for fun. And
now never a worry what anyone thinks. Free to be who I like…
So what is this blog about really?
The freedom that comes with being old!
The pleasure of knowing who you are, what you like and dont like and the confidence to be that ‘You”.
It is lovely being well into your 80’s!
And having got to 85 ish you have pretty well come to terms with the idea of dying. Forget it, just enjoy each dayand each funeral! Celebrate each other’s lives! We did it! Made it to real maturity. And still the possibility of more….
I do so love your posts and views on life. Never gave much thought to the fact that I turn 80 later this year. Perhaps I will throw caution to the wind and write wild and crazy posts that will keep me smiling and hopefully get a chuckle or two from those who take time to read my nonsense.
Thank you so much for brightening my day.
Irwin
Author
Thank you! Do write. It really is fun. At least you can laugh at yourself ands about life.
Enjoy your 80’s. Joyce
👍🌞
You are a treasure!
My ideas come too slowly and erratically to put down, but thanks to you they still come, even in my 86th year! I endorse nearly all of yours!. Must get my shoes on to to go to Bridge.
I too have been bedding in these January mornings – its the best place to be! Your little stream of consciousness with ‘mights” and “maybes” could almost be mine. Your enjoyment of being able to do this has made me think back to my teenage years when I would be angrily turfed out of bed by my mother. I can understand her frustration, but ever since, to the present day, I have had to fight the feeling of terrible guilt. Thank you for making me feel its ok to lie abed and tweet and read and have breakfast. Its definitely one of the perks and joys of ageing.
What a fantastic blog! You have such a wonderful attitude which is why you have aged so well. I’ll be 68 this year so a mere ‘baby ‘but I don’t feel at all guilty about my (winter) afternoon TV habit – have you seen Father Brown?- or still being in my dressing gown at 11.00am! I dance, sing, read, walk, exercise with my trainer, a lovely lady in her ‘fifties & generally enjoy myself. If not now then when…? Feel mostly positive about the future but not wanting or expecting to live to very old age. I drink rather more alcohol than the NHS recommends but I really enjoy it and not planning to cut down soon.I have no time to waste ( I have medical conditions) so am making the most of every day, even when that means doing very little. I do miss my old Dad who used to say that I would always be ‘just a girl to me’ !
I want to thank you for being real. I am learning about blogging and looking through sites to find people of interests. You are just what I needed. I agree, the media is not helpful to us as we get older. Live how we want should be the motto for us “Seniors” .
Such a lovely post!!!!!!
Delightful!!!
Yes, 85 has its perks.
It’s not allllll perks, but best to concentrate on the things, which are. 🙂
Wishing you a lovely Easter…
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸