I Haven't Been Here Before

When you hear those words " I haven't been here before" you usually think geographically.

When I think of them, I think age.

You haven't been here before, because you have not been this old before and you will never be this young again. At least chronologically. You may act young, but not be young. You are as young as you feel. Um, nobody wants to be that old. As you age your body cannot do what it did ten years ago. Oh, you may still be able to bend and walk and jump and run, but trust me, it is not nearly as pretty as it once was.

Your memory is different. Everyone forgets stuff and appointments, but when you are below 40 everyone says, " Aw, you just have a lot on your mind", at 60 they are ready to get the Alzheimer drugs for you. Really, it is the same kind of stuff at 60 as at 40, just too much on your mind. At 40 it may be the kids ballgames, your work agenda, your spouse, and your dog. At 60 it may be the grand kids ballgames, their work agenda and their spouse. They don't have time for a dog, so you get the dog and it's stuff. But it is still just stuff.

Your body is different. It now has gray hair, and probably less of it, aches and pains that were just a nuisance are now a challenge. You learn to ignore them and go on, or you see the doctor and get pills to help. Then you get to deal with the side affects.

Getting older is not necessarily fun, but you can have fun dealing with the newness of it. And creative. How many of you under the age of 40 know six ways of getting something out of your reach?  I do. Depending on whether it is high or low. If high, get a stool, with rails, use your pick up utensil, whether a rod, tongs or a long-handled spoon, reach high and stretch. On the low side, hands and knees, which takes longer than getting in the car and go buy a new one, reach with utensil, or call your spouse to get it for you.

All of this is to say, that we adjust to what God gives us to do and do it as well as we can.

Enjoy your age.  Until, next time.