This is the story of life: up and down.
When we start life, we’re completely helpless. We can’t walk. We can’t communicate. We can’t feed ourselves. But as we grow we start to learn new things. We:
crawl
mumble
walk
speak
get teeth
grow
learn
potty-trained.
Then we get to Junior High, where we’re all awkward…just figuring out how to deal with these big bodies and wierd hormones. We gain
responsiblity
knowledge
respect.
Then we start to drive and soon we leave home. We can vote, smoke, go to class (college) when we want to, and even, at 21, legally drink. We graduate and get a job.
We get married and have kids. And we raise them. And of course, they go through the same process we did.
They graduate, get married and start having kids. And at some point, we reach the pinnacle of our lives, and start to fade back to into what we were.
We quit our jobs in the name of retirement. And we start sleeping in every day (of course, at this stage of life “sleeping in” means going to bed at 9:00p). Our bodies start to fall apart, and the doctors tell you not to drink anymore. Pretty soon, you’ve sideswiped a pedestrian, and your children take your car away.
Your knowledge decreases…and you lose respect. You no longer cook your meals. And you’re back to using all your limbs to walk. Of course, you have an extension in the form of a walker or a cane.
Your teeth fall out, but you don’t have any others ready to come in. Your body doesn’t really work–at least there’s disconnect between your mind and your body. Your forget people’s names, and maybe their faces.
You stop moving around, living in your recliner. And they give you devices with big buttons so that you can use them. And you’re back to diapers (see the body not working thing).
And that’s it. From what you were, so shall you be again.
I intended this post to be whimsical, but it didn’t turn out that way. I guess this is why most baby-boomers don’t really believe they’ll ever get old.