Intimation of limits become apparent as we age. 77 is not an extremely old number, but it is beyond mature! 77 informs the person of limits to movement, accomplishment and interaction with others.
The pandemic taught me many things.
An ad for a new car, one that I have favored for many years, is no longer a practical yearning. The expense is silly for a person of my age, and the luxury or sportiness or other features yearned for, are simply not necessary. Other things are more important.
A documentary showing travel to alluring places retains my interest but not my planning. I need not plan such a trip. I cannot navigate the landscape of the idylls of yesteryear. Beaches and sand are not easily walked upon at my age; neither are wooded mountain paths and aeries. Lush jungles of a level place are OK, but the growth and humidity may tax the respiratory system. Great food at superb restaurants have limits now; their fare taxes the digestive system. The taste buds function well, but not fully as before.
Music and other live performances are attractive but large crowds are not. Nor are auditoriums easily walked, sat in, and exited in a crowded venue. These are more difficult to navigate these days, and then there is the health precautions of pandemics.
The home remodeling and house hunter programs pose yet another reality: we no longer can picture ourselves in such surroundings. We cannot do the yard work, and even the housework is difficult. Amount of space becomes relevant only to needs and ability to care for it. Downsizing is very real and necessary. The views from the home, and the décor that embraces both body and mind, become much more important. Are our surroundings supportive of our interests? Do they motivate our thinking process? Creative urges? Ah, yes, these may be of limits, but they are important.
I now understand why the sages of history were old men. They had the power of focus and logic. Age did that, not experience.
Re-reading old novels – some for the third or fourth time – I encounter so many truths the author provided long ago that I simply didn’t see then. The truths, however, were there and still are. They are relevant throughout all ages. Truth is truth. Logic is logic. Fact is fact.
The old know these things because they stand alone in their starkness. We can see them clearly now. We are not blinded by youth or wanting or pleasure. No, it is the mind that demands its pleasure of truth, logic and fact.
May that be accessible to all who pay attention, whatever their age. In these days of now, we need it.
June 18, 2020
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