As a side note, I would like to point out that this is my 300th post! Hooray for me! Do I win some sort of 300th post prize? Timtams? Beer? A hot boyfriend? A day off from work?
No? Rats. Let's get down to business.
(To defeat the Huns.)
Personally, I don't think we in America give enough respect to elderly folks. Getting older is NOT for sissies. It terrifies me a little.
7 Reasons Why Getting Old Terrifies Me
Why only 7? Because I'm too lazy to come up with 10. In no particular order. . .
1.Your body falls apart. Old age is riddled with physical perils. Loss of hearing/eyesight, arthritis, cancer, what have you. None of the physical ailments associated with getting old sound remotely attractive to me. I'd really like to pass on this part.
2. Your teeth fall out. At least this is the impression I get. I mean, there's the whole thing about dentures being a thing, right? I'd like to keep my teeth.
3. Dementia. All joking aside, this scares the living daylights out of me. I do not want to forget who I am, who my loved ones are. My grandmother, who just recently passed away, suffered from dementia, and in her last years, she was routinely confused about a lot of things, including exactly who my mother is. Honestly speaking, I'm not only afraid of this happening to me, I'm afraid of my other loved ones suffering from this. I'm not sure I could bear it if my parents didn't know who I was.
4. Hearing loss. As a musician, the thought of eventually losing my hearing, at least in part, is the scariest thing ever. There are a lot of horrible things I would rather suffer than lose my hearing.
5. Making big, long-term decisions. Those which potentially affect your entire life. Buying a house, when to retire, investing/saving money, etc. Making decisions is hard. I mean, I can't even decide what sort of career to pursue. How am I ever going to make the really hard choices?
6. Watching your friends die. I'm not sure I need to expand on this one. I'm sure you guys get it.
7. Nursing homes. Nursing homes not only smell funny, they are just sad. And there are always stories about the elderly being mistreated by their caretakers. Personally, I'm afraid of being put in a really terrible one and left there.
I suppose now, to look on the bright side, I'll have to come up with a post about the benefits of getting older, mostly to convince myself that it won't be so bad.
So what about getting old, (or at least just old-er) scares you?