Conversations At Wormhole Electric: By Any Other Name

Don, sorry to hear about your unexpected trip. This concept of getting old is literally "getting old". I keep remembering my parents looking forward to the day when my dad could retire and how they planned to do this and go there... but my mom got physically ill. It was heart breaking to watch my mother decline physically – mentally she was clear and strong. She knew what she wanted to do, but her body refused to cooperate with her mind. Her last days were filled with anger, frustration and fear. I wish you well with your father-in-law.

This aging thing has come up several times in the last month. Everyone keeps telling me what famous people do when they age and the volunteer time they put in when they aren't painting, or writing or swimming the channel... they all have the financial where-with-al to retire and do great things. What about the average person? What does a regular 75 year old man or woman do during the day? What kinds of foods do they eat? Do they volunteer? Do they still work?

Society just doesn't seem to be ready for me to grow older! I'm not ready yet to call it quits! After seeing the doctor for that 3 month-after-surgery checkup, I was cleared to start climbing again in about 6 weeks. On my way home from the doctor's, I stopped in at one of the new climbing gyms that have sprung up. I was the oldest person in there by 30 years. And I wish I'd had a picture of the desk guy's face when I told I was interested in doing some climbing again. You could have run a train through the pregnant pause. He picked himself up and managed to redeem himself in the end. But it was something to see!

I just read an article that this anti-aging concept is even showing up in the names that grandparents are choosing to be called by their grandchildren. One of the reasons makes sense: blended families, too many sets of grandparents and how to keep them separate; but really?! the name "Grandma" sounds old?; that people at 60 don't mind having grandchildren, they just don't want to be thought of as old – which the name "Grandpa" could mean? Isn't that denying yourself and the grandchildren the full spectrum of life?

As a grandparent, I'm not sure I'm ready to take on a name like "Zippy, Vava, or Yubba" (unique popular titles). However, I'd like to be thought of as zippy! I think I want my grandchildren to remember me as "THAT grandma, you know, the one who is climbing, or traveling or whatever" – that is the legacy I want to leave – that age happens, but it doesn't mean I have to stop enjoying life! And it is beautiful! And it is graceful. And it's okay. Even if I lose my memory.

Don, you still motorcycle! Fantastic! What do others do? I know you belong to a sailing crowd... Larry and I are the oldest in our "crowd" – and frankly, the people we know who are close to our age are far busier than we are! To see them we have to make an appointment! It is definitely not the relaxed affair that my parents were looking forward to which is okay with me.

Twain's thoughts missed Colorado. Yesterday it was a beautiful balmy 70 degrees, sky was a glorious robin egg blue... today there is an inch of snow covering our beautiful green carpet grass; 3 more inches are expected by tomorrow night. Our trees have not yet leafed out which is good. We'll shake the bushes to make sure they don't break. I planted potatoes last week, but they are deep enough that I think they'll be okay. The tomato starts are on the enclosed front porch so I know they won't freeze. Lilacs just starting to bloom so it must be Snowtime in Colorado – Spring by any other name.

We opened up another free give-away of Tammy's works this week - check out Ghosts of a Beneficial Place

Have a great week!
Carolyn