Fast Forward
I've been thinking a lot about aging recently. Not so much because of the lines in my face that are becoming more pronounced at an hourly rate and the grey hairs that seem to sprout out of my head overnight, but because of aging relatives all around me.
My middle name being Procrastination (that would be the my other middle name, after Cellulite), I tend to push unpleasant subjects to a very far corner of my mind, determined to tackle the problem when it becomes urgent². "Saving" is one of those concepts, or "Doing - Something-for-My-Back", never mind "Doing - Something-I'm-Really-Passionate-About".
Planning what my life will be like when I'm old and decrepit is definitely not high on the agenda as, surely, something, will turn up. Or will it?
My Mum's patience is currently being tried by with my granny who is no longer capable of living on her own, yet refuses to acklowledge the fact and is determined that she will manage somehow, first demanding to go to hospital, then refusing to finish her treatments, adamant that "at home" everything will work out fine.
It's tough when you watch your elders being stubborn and unreasonable and you have to remind yourself that one of the casualties of getting older seems to be the ability to judge what you're still capable of and what is beyond your powers. It seems a good idea to organise a nursing home or make your home handicap-proof while you're still of sound mind, but the problem is that when you're young and active it's hard to imagine yourself as dependant on others and the transition of managing fine on your own to being weak and confused can be an abrupt one at times.
The fact that I am an only child and live more than 300 kms away from my parents could become an issue, sooner or later, not that siblings are a safety-net, really.
Since chances are slim I'll ever have offspring to annoy the hell out of when I'm old and cranky the best solution would probably be to start looking for a swanky OAP residence at the age of 60 or so, registering myself with like-minded friends, signing a pact we'll have a wild time there, dentures, nappies and all. The issue of "Savings" (see above) could pose an obstacle to this plan, but I'm getting there...
My middle name being Procrastination (that would be the my other middle name, after Cellulite), I tend to push unpleasant subjects to a very far corner of my mind, determined to tackle the problem when it becomes urgent². "Saving" is one of those concepts, or "Doing - Something-for-My-Back", never mind "Doing - Something-I'm-Really-Passionate-About".
Planning what my life will be like when I'm old and decrepit is definitely not high on the agenda as, surely, something, will turn up. Or will it?
My Mum's patience is currently being tried by with my granny who is no longer capable of living on her own, yet refuses to acklowledge the fact and is determined that she will manage somehow, first demanding to go to hospital, then refusing to finish her treatments, adamant that "at home" everything will work out fine.
It's tough when you watch your elders being stubborn and unreasonable and you have to remind yourself that one of the casualties of getting older seems to be the ability to judge what you're still capable of and what is beyond your powers. It seems a good idea to organise a nursing home or make your home handicap-proof while you're still of sound mind, but the problem is that when you're young and active it's hard to imagine yourself as dependant on others and the transition of managing fine on your own to being weak and confused can be an abrupt one at times.
The fact that I am an only child and live more than 300 kms away from my parents could become an issue, sooner or later, not that siblings are a safety-net, really.
Since chances are slim I'll ever have offspring to annoy the hell out of when I'm old and cranky the best solution would probably be to start looking for a swanky OAP residence at the age of 60 or so, registering myself with like-minded friends, signing a pact we'll have a wild time there, dentures, nappies and all. The issue of "Savings" (see above) could pose an obstacle to this plan, but I'm getting there...
posted at 4:44 PM
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