April 29, 2006
Where is John Wayne when we need him?
We require his presence for lots of reasons in this world of ours. For now, let’s concentrate on why those of us who are aging could do with having him back in our lives.
What we need is a good-size dose of his spunk and tenacity.
He can always be in our hearts and minds, though, where we can remember his drive and resolve.
Let us make a pact, Baby Boomers, we will not succumb to the likes of “The Perils of Pauline.”
No “woe is me” mentality will be allowed as we tackle aging.
Instead, we are going to undertake this tricky business of aging just like John Wayne.
Remember when he testified before Congress several years ago at the time lawmakers were looking into aging in America?
John Wayne said to Congress, “Which of you is going to step up and put me out to pasture?”
As for me, I plan on having that remark in my hip pocket, and maybe a six gun, when my kids attempt to take my car keys away.
I will inform them that I am simply doing my John Wayne impression.
That ought to do it.
As we age, according to Charles Schulz, time moves along at breakneck speed. Schulz once quipped, “Just remember once you’re over the hill, you begin to pick up speed!”
So, here we go, flying down the hill of life and hoping when we get to the bottom, we can say, “What a ride!”
Ray Romano once joked, “Whenever I do get down about life going by too quickly, what helps me is a little mantra that I repeat to myself--at least I am not a fruit fly.”
Whether we like it or not, reminders of our aging are everywhere. We handle this in different ways, too.
Take women, and men, who fight aging with numerous plastic surgeries. A few procedures are Ok in my book, and who knows I might try them one day, but pity those who overdo it. You know who they are—Joan Rivers and Andy Williams, for starters.
Actress Brett Butler agrees, “I call them the lizard women. You know, the ones who have had so much cosmetic surgery they’re no longer biodegradable. They look like giant Komodo dragons with Chanel accessories.”
There are other reminders.
Some of us may feel like we are swimming in a gold fish bowl with no apparent way out and about all we can do is watch while others play.
For others, it is like having your own personal groundhog day. You are dug in deep, and it is dark in there.
Disability or illness may confine us, but that does not have to stop our minds. Thanks to computers, email, and shopping networks, folks can experience the world from any old gold fish bowl or hole in the ground.
Aging experts tell us that exercising the mind, any way we can, just may be the ticket out.
Alzheimer’s has been called “the devil of old age”, but if we keep exercising our brains, there is hope we can keep that devil at bay. Experts say the way to do this may be to learn something new—computer skills, crafts, a new language, gardening, or collecting something that “tickles our fancy”.
Perhaps, we could try comedian Steve Martin’s advice, “Sometimes it is fun to sit in your garden and try to remember your dog’s name.”
I have done that.
If all else fails, fly a kite with the grandkids, and your day will noticeably improve.
Let us put all kidding aside now.
There is another reminder of unremitting aging that we must face, and it is not a pretty one.
We begin to notice the unpleasant fact that we are losing people around us. Suddenly they are gone--a spouse, lifelong friends, neighbors, and even celebrities we have “known’ all our lives. Their passing hurts us deeply, and then, the tears happen.
As we endure, grieve, and eventually move on, we come to realize that the only person who is with us our entire lives is ourselves.
Well, and maybe John Wayne.
