Monday’s Best Buddy

An elderly aunt said of being newly retired, “I don’t know how we ever found the time to work.” Once retired you do find yourself cramming so much nothingness into one day that you’re wondering the same thing. I’m sure others live much busier lives than I, but even I think it. If I were to come up with that on my own I’d probably exchange “time” with “energy.”

Something else she said that often comes to mind is “I’ve lived too long.” If you haven’t lived a full life yet you probably don’t get it. But, oh, how many times I’ve been so waylaid by today’s times that I have thought that, too.

This can come over you by simply keeping up with technology, shaking your head at the outer limits of society & politics you no longer recognize, or young adults who talk so rapidly you can’t make words from their sentences let alone keep up with what they think they’re conveying; or those so rude trying to prove quick-wittedness over someone three-times their age (really now, ahem, just what does that say). It is okay, youngin’s, to fully pronounce words and be courteous of your elders. It’s almost like young folks talk in the abbreviations they use to text because they think it takes too much time to speak in complete thoughts. Please don’t tell me this is just me … .

My grandpa used to say “Don’t get old, you won’t like it.”  Now how true is that, for those of us who know? Like it’s something you could avoid. No matter how much you may put into not doing that, it happens. It’s going to happen if you’re fortunate. The alternative isn’t any alternative. And it is not fun, in small part thanks to those youngins who enjoy playing with your slower-thinking self. So stop kidding yourselves.

Of the Mondays when you refill pill boxes – if you’re someone on many medications – you know my aunt’s saying all too well, “Monday is stress day.” Oh my goodness, the energy and thought required to keep all of those pills straight in dropping them into their various little “a.m., p.m.” and/or “noon” containers is mind boggling and that assumes your old stiff fingers can hold them long enough to get them in the right slot.

God forbid the supplier changes pill manufacturer so its color & shape is suddenly different. That throws your whole system out of whack. Keeping track of which medications you’ve ordered or still need to order or whether it came in after you ordered it – and which source is the most cost effective to order from  – is truly enough to wear a business mogul’s mind thin. I mean, it’s almost enough to make you think you can go back and work circles around those young folks.

Indeed, getting old is no fun, you think you might’ve lived too long and it’s hard to find enough time or energy to do anything else in one day’s time.

Netflix is my best Monday buddy. When all is said & done and I’ve spent the energy & time to make those business calls and I’ve finally worked through youngins’ technology & gibberish to actually get something done and I’ve filled those pill boxes and ordered again for yet another week … Netflix is the reprieve that lets me ‘not think’ about any of it anymore. Well, not until next Monday – or maybe as soon as tomorrow if something got screwed up, which it usually does with today’s youngins and technology.

I don’t know how I ever found the time to work.

 

In response to WordPress Daily Prompt, “Buddy.”