WHAT DO SENIORS DO WITH ALL THEIR TIME?

Wed. July 9, 2008
Here I am again. It's 10:30am and I've done all my immediate chores including breakfast, feed the piggies, read the newspaper, check out emails exercise in the pool, and have my personal devotions. I started all of this at 6:30am.

You wonder what the senior generation does with all our time? Well, for one thing, we take a great deal longer to do what you do. Getting out of a cushy chair for instance. I've watched you pop out of my recliner with a baby in your arms and a diaper bag on your shoulder. (You know who you are).

Well, for me - getting out of my recliner has become a challenge. First of all, I have to put my shoes back on - now that sounds easy - but in the course of my changing positions I've inadvertently kicked one slightly out of reach. Soooo, I stretch out my right foot and slide just far enough to feel my chunky bottom slide off the seat as my foot connects with the wrong shoe. But don't worry - I have a 'quick backslide' that lets me hang on to the security of my seat..

I decide that it isn't worthwhile to put the shoe on anyway, and prop myself up on the arms of the chair to put into action my failsafe lift. Now, here's another problem I didn't consider. My once muscular arms are now kind of flabby and - well let's just say it - not dependable. Sometimes they respond just right - but other times - they just buckle under.

No fear - I have a plan 'b'. If I put my right arm on the seat beside me (it's anchored) and my left arm on the wonderful hefty marble topped table that Grampa made me - and push both at the same time.......Im up! Now, all I have to do is get my shoes on.

The left shoe is no problem because it's right where I am standing. But that right shoe has slid off to the wrong side and I have to hop to it. Well, perhaps 'hop' is the wrong word. I kind of wiggle to it. Then I have to turn it over with my left foot. Have I ever told you about my left foot? It's the one that I leaned on for so many months before and after my hip surgery. It's a great foot and I truly love it. But lately it seems to think that it has a right to be lazy at times. And why not? It's been holding me up for almost 77 years now . I understand. But today - it just doesn't want to report for duty. So, the heck with the shoe! I can pick up another one later.

Now, this little action has taken twenty minutes so far. And I'm not even three feet away from my chair! Well, dears that just the beginning of my day. If I'm lucky the rest of the day won't get any more complicated. After all, I have to have some time to relax after all this exertion.

But I guarantee you that I will make it to my 'group date' at Costco at 2pm. We meet there and have a hot dog or pizza or maybe even a chicken bake. Have I told you about our group? We can have anywhere from three to fourteen people show up. We usually have about seven. We range in age from 84 to 2. That's Dolores (our friend who became a lawyer at 76 and is still practicing!) down to Brooklyn(our great grandchild who comes with her Nana, Susie). We'll discuss politics, Christianity, the price of gas, our kids, grandkids and great grands - and then we'll leave promptly at 3:30 - or mayble 4:00 if one of us gets stuck to the bench.

Hope your day is a full and satisfying as mine is.
Gramma