Young people will one day be senior citizens
Here’s the awful truth that on one wants to hear: Your own youth and tight body will one day become a sack of flab and bones. That’s because the only thing fast about old age is that it is gaining on us!
That’s right, all you New Year’s Day “Polar Bear Clubbers,” your day is coming. Warm and dry feels like heaven on earth to the old and dying. They are all fighting back tears so we don’t feel sorry for them, but they will tell you the truth, even if you do not want to hear it. Guess what they know? They know the dead might as well try to teach the living as the old to talk to the young. What the heck! The old can finally let it all hang out.
Don’t treat them cold. They were once young like you, with no printing too small and no plans to rob a bank too ambitious or impossible. But you know what? Even having scaled to the top of their work or profession or having built up and protected a peerless reputation, the years and old age will push us all down to the same “check out line – next.”
The first thing they read in the morning Herald-Standard are the names of those dearly departed who they think they know, who have suddenly become those they once knew.
God only knows how many remaining years we have left. But all our days on earth (thank God) are fast disappearing.
What I hate is too many of us old folks are passing one another without asking, “Hi! How the heck are ya?” or gifting one another with a smile of recognizing someone, but not really sure. That is always cool!
O sure, some of us are cranky drunks. We’ll grumble, complain, fuss over you or scold your. We’re just feeling frustrated, angry or just plain miserable living in a body that’s no fun anymore like yours.
Just reach over and touch our slumping shoulders or try to talk away a falling tear or reassure a favorite fear. Just think: she’s probably not feeling useful; probably feeling her useful days are back there in her family scrapbook. She feels bad because her feet always hurt and she does not want to be a bother to her kids, or she doesn’t have any extra money to pay for. . .well, you can guess, can’t you?
All they ask is you give the same love and care and consideration you will want someday while you are waiting in your wheelchair at the departure gate that opens into the vast unknown future.
We know we’re becoming less independent and useless – let’s stop right there. But it’s a fact. We depend upon your humanity. We’ll never get our strength and health back like we could when we were young. Can’t happen.
What really irritates us is we cannot understand why we keep on forgetting to do simple things. And your “hi-tech” world that you seem so familiar and comfortable with, for us, your world has become so confusing and that frustrates the heck out of us.
We never meant to allow life’s dangers, cares and troubles to bend us or break us down. But your time will come to let go of ego, too. But for God’s sake, do not fall. O Lord, please don’t let anyone fall down hard.
It just gets harder for the body to heal itself and still harder every day to fight back the tears of loneliness and loss. So please kids. . .think! Smile at us. Be more caring. Yes, we depend upon your help and love. Be more forgiving of our mistakes and preoccupations. Do not treat us so coldly. And try to resist the urge to hurry us along.
God wants us all to be good to one another in His violent and insane world. Be kind. You might even want to encourage us to “Hang in there, pops!” You know we’ll do the best we can because we always have tried our best. But we realize now as we approach the end of our lives, that even you youngsters are all traveling down that same one way highway. It’s just that we old people are no longer supposed to be traveling in the passing lane. “Opps! Sorry about that.”
S. Raymond Pohaski is a resident of Uniontown.