Sunday Snippet: The No Thanks to Aging Edition

Been thinking about aging, particularly after the neighborhood yard sale we had this weekend. So many of the folks participating were our age or older and as anxious as us to purge some of the stuff they’d had in their homes forever and a day. Ironically, a lot of the people wandering the ‘hood buying the stuff the rest of us were getting rid of were… wait for it… people our age. Go figure, right?

A few years ago, when Husband and I moved from our home of 37 years to our new place here in the ‘hood, we did a major purge. Like truly big. A wonderful group of firefighters called The Fire Dawgs came to our two-story house and helped us sort, recycle, and get rid of a huge truckload of stuff we no longer needed or used. The feeling of freedom was remarkable despite the fact the we still moved over 50 boxes into our new home.

We’re trying really hard not to collect any more stuff and the annual neighborhood yard sales have been a good way to purge stuff we moved with us and probably shouldn’t have. And I’ll keep purging regularly. I truly don’t want to leave Son and DIL a houseful of crap to get rid of when we depart this earth.

Stuff isn’t really what I wanted to talk about, though. Here’s the thing. So many of my friends who are just into or well into their senior years make comments like, “Well, this is the last house I’ll ever own,” or “This is the last new car I’ll ever buy” or “It’s too late now to think about that trip to Paris or London or Alaska that I always wanted to take.” Or writer friends who say, “Too old, not sure I have any more books in me.”

I have to tell you, even given the HFrEF diagnosis last December and all that has come after it, I’ve never once thought, “This is the last… anything.” Mostly because, who knows? What kind of tragical thinking is that? And maybe others might say, not tragical, practical…real. But if that is real, count me out. I’ll stay in my fantasy world, thank you.

And yes, I confess that when I got the HFrEF news, I did think about leaving this earth–wondering if it might be sooner than I ever imagined. Who wouldn’t? But almost as quickly as those thoughts rose, I shoved them back. Because inside this body, with its very tired heart, is the soul of a much younger woman. A woman who has books to write, places to see, trips to take, a marriage to nurture, a grandboy to love and watch grow into a man, a Son and DIL to love and enjoy, and a sister and friends with whom to share joyful moments.

I am NOT done! This is not my last car, maybe not my last home, not my last book series, definitely not my last trip to faraway places… so much adventure lies ahead and I intend to bask in every moment!

How about you? Where are you on the aging thing?

Gratitude for This Week: Seeing Son play guitar with his band–oh, joy! Grandboy’s broken foot required no surgery. We made it through the annual neighborhood yard sale. I wrote a lot of words this week. Got to have lunch with my lovelies.

Stay well, stay safe, be kind, and most of all, mes amies, stay grateful for we are a people truly blessed!