Aging

Sunday before last, Dave and I went to a Moody Blues concert. Since the last time we saw them, one member of the group has retired. They have replaced him. The concert was wonderful, but there was something missing. Amazing what a difference one person can make.
Our children have all grown and two of them have children of their own. I'm enjoying watching my kids deal with the same situations we did. Endless nights of no sleep, temper tantrums, throw-ups (always on the carpet!), chocolatey kisses, and warm snuggles. Because of  "birthday rules", Bryce and Abbey will be in the same grade once they start school. That will be interesting.
Pop just celebrated his 88th birthday. I can't imagine living 88 years. The Great Depression, WWII, Korea (a "conflict", not a war), Viet Nam, television, telephones (cell phones, not phones on a party line!), reel-to-reel audio tapes to 8-tracks to cassettes to CDs, Flappers to Hip Hop, Model Ts to SUVs (some even park themselves!). Pop doesn't laugh as much as he used to. I guess age and a stroke will do that to you. He hates being dependent on others for his care. He drives Bud crazy with his demands, but he just might be going crazy, himself, because he can't do things independently. He doesn't hear as well as he used to. Because of that, he doesn't talk as much as he used to. He used to have a lot to say. I guess aging takes that away from some people, too.
Ma, on the other hand, has plenty to say. As she has aged, her filter has dissolved! She's always been on the outspoken side, but she used more tact years ago. Maybe when you feel like you're running out of time, the urgency of what you need to say outweighs the need for tact. Ma just calls them like she sees them! She has suffered multiple broken bones as she has aged, the result of osteoporosis. In spite of this, she keeps on moving. She thinks nothing about climbing on a chair to get something out of a closet. The rest of us wait for the crash! Like Pop, she values the independence she has left. She has decided that she does not want to live to be 100!
Elliott has promised me that, when I am "old and crazy" (his words), he will put me in a really nice nursing home. I'm hoping, like everyone does, that I won't reach that point. Like many my age, I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to retire and do what I want. I want to travel (gas prices and the economy in general may kill that idea!), I want to sew and perfect my skills, I want to sit and knit all day once in a while. I want to chat with Dave, play with my grandkids, and do absolutely nothing if I want to!
I want a rocking chair on my front porch!