In the past when traveling I lived out of the camper shell on my pickup truck. Any inconvenience was offset by its affordability. On the road, I spent many if not most nights at truck-stop travel centers where every need could be satisfied. As much and often as I was on the road I had friends along the way who, like the Glen Campbell song, (let me leave my sleeping bag rolled up and stashed behind the couch.) But the combination of age and miles (on both me and the truck) begged for something more user friendly. Climbing in and out over the tailgate had always been (easy-peasy) but the knee bumping and slippery footing on the bumper reminded me that I break easier and mend slower than when I was in my 70’s. I knew someday I would feel the (age) element but feeling the age was already old news.
I decided to change vehicles as the truck was still running great but approaching 200,000 miles I didn’t want to get caught holding the bag with expensive repairs. The 7 passenger van I now have is newer with fewer miles and it runs like it was designed to run; built for soccer-moms to haul kids and transport groceries but not so much for 500-700 miles a day, living out of the back. With seats removed the side doors and a hatchback are convenient. The controls are arranged nicely, everything works and I can heat & cool the back. But it drives awful and gas mileage is disappointing.
The owners manual says I can tow a small utility trailer but I don’t trust it, so I haven’t installed a hitch and most likely will not. So it’s borrow or rent a truck to haul stuff, something I took for granted but it is too late now to reconcile. I can still stop at truck stops but I’m traveling less which sort of defeats the purpose.
I read a Betty Davis quote on a plaque at a Cracker Barrel gift shop; ‘Old age isn’t for sissies.’ But people don’t need a movie star to tell them. It’s the elephant in the room; if it isn’t leaning on you it’s easy not to notice. When they took my keys and gave them to a new hire I noticed the elephant. I didn’t have to be told; reinvent yourself. It’s never too late to begin again. So now, 23 years later I’m about to begin again. If I don’t change to fit my new normal I’ll dry up and blow away. My house used to be a friendly refuge. Now it feels more a burden than an asset. For all the years in this house I’ve accumulated way-too-much stuff and I would throw most of it away if I had a way to haul it off and a place to dump it. Crazy; now it seems it will cost more to get rid of it than it cost to begin with.
This kind of age related anxiety is understandable. You don’t want to leave a mess behind for somebody else to clean up. It can make one feel, if not helpless then certainly inadequate. I understand that you don’t get over growing old, the only way is to get through it. Living long enough to deal with growing old is way-better than the alternative. I have a big birthday party coming up in a few weeks. Everybody will be there to help me celebrate 30,260 wake-ups. So I must be good for something.
I’ll have to change my travel habits and spend more on comfort and convenience but it is what it is. If I want to keep going I have to do what works. Ive scrolled through hundreds of Growing Old quotes and the only one that really resonates with me comes from a woman I never heard of, a 1977 Nobel Laureate scientist named Rosalyn Yalow. Taking some creative license I have substituted a couple of my own words and made the statement my own. That would be; “The Joy of Discovery separates youth from old age. As long as you’re learning you’re not old.” In that context I would prefer to die young after several thousand more wake-ups.
I decided to change vehicles as the truck was still running great but approaching 200,000 miles I didn’t want to get caught holding the bag with expensive repairs. The 7 passenger van I now have is newer with fewer miles and it runs like it was designed to run; built for soccer-moms to haul kids and transport groceries but not so much for 500-700 miles a day, living out of the back. With seats removed the side doors and a hatchback are convenient. The controls are arranged nicely, everything works and I can heat & cool the back. But it drives awful and gas mileage is disappointing.
The owners manual says I can tow a small utility trailer but I don’t trust it, so I haven’t installed a hitch and most likely will not. So it’s borrow or rent a truck to haul stuff, something I took for granted but it is too late now to reconcile. I can still stop at truck stops but I’m traveling less which sort of defeats the purpose.
I read a Betty Davis quote on a plaque at a Cracker Barrel gift shop; ‘Old age isn’t for sissies.’ But people don’t need a movie star to tell them. It’s the elephant in the room; if it isn’t leaning on you it’s easy not to notice. When they took my keys and gave them to a new hire I noticed the elephant. I didn’t have to be told; reinvent yourself. It’s never too late to begin again. So now, 23 years later I’m about to begin again. If I don’t change to fit my new normal I’ll dry up and blow away. My house used to be a friendly refuge. Now it feels more a burden than an asset. For all the years in this house I’ve accumulated way-too-much stuff and I would throw most of it away if I had a way to haul it off and a place to dump it. Crazy; now it seems it will cost more to get rid of it than it cost to begin with.
This kind of age related anxiety is understandable. You don’t want to leave a mess behind for somebody else to clean up. It can make one feel, if not helpless then certainly inadequate. I understand that you don’t get over growing old, the only way is to get through it. Living long enough to deal with growing old is way-better than the alternative. I have a big birthday party coming up in a few weeks. Everybody will be there to help me celebrate 30,260 wake-ups. So I must be good for something.
I’ll have to change my travel habits and spend more on comfort and convenience but it is what it is. If I want to keep going I have to do what works. Ive scrolled through hundreds of Growing Old quotes and the only one that really resonates with me comes from a woman I never heard of, a 1977 Nobel Laureate scientist named Rosalyn Yalow. Taking some creative license I have substituted a couple of my own words and made the statement my own. That would be; “The Joy of Discovery separates youth from old age. As long as you’re learning you’re not old.” In that context I would prefer to die young after several thousand more wake-ups.
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