JUST LIVE LONG ENOUGH - YOU WILL SEE!

I recently had a brief email exchange about some of the things “old” folks would say to the youth.  This lead me to make some phone calls to family and friends to see what sayings they remembered hearing while growing up.  Below are a few of what we remembered (please feel free to hit the comment button and share some of the ones you remember).    

                                                            

Golden Words of Wisdom

·         Oh, you don’t believe fat meat is greasy

·         All that glitters ain’t gold

·         Birds nest on the ground

·         Don’t count your chickens before your eggs hatch

·         Don’t take any wooden nickels

·         One in the hand is worth two in the bush

·         Hard head makes a soft behind

·         Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile

·         The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree

·         Don’t get too big for your britches

·         It’s better to be alive than to wake up dead looking up at the roots of daisies

The one I want to spend a little time on today is:

JUST LIVE LONG ENOUGH – YOU WILL SEE

I remember hearing this when a “young” person was teasing an older person about gray hair or arthritis.  Twenty years ago (okay, I recalculated and it was 25 years ago), I wore heels and make up nearly every day; I gave birth one day and the next was back in my non-maternity clothes; I could go & go & go off of 5 hours of sleep; worked a full-time job and went to school full-time; partied hardy (if all my school work was done); got married; gave birth again; and got divorced; went back to school; moved out of the city; moved back home; planted gardens; cut the grass; painted walls; lugged and moved furniture and boxes – I mean I was a regular government mule.   I didn’t worry if I was sore some days because by the next I always felt better. 

           

Then I turned 30 years old.  I remember the day clearly, I leaned against the back bumper of my car trying to get a good grip on a heavy box so I could take it in the house and then it happened:  my left knee cap shifted up causing me great pain and then quickly shifted back to its normal position, causing me more great pain.  My eyes watered from the burn.  I left the box and all in the car and hobbled on in the house.  But, I didn’t worry about it because I healed over night – right?  WRONG!  I called my mother to find out what the real matter could be and she said, “You’re 30 years old now.” 

I WAS COMPLETELY BROKEN

As my 30’s sped by (smile), I noted some changes in my system and later found out I have a thyroid condition.  IT WAS ONE HECK OF A RIDE trying to get my levels worked out and to understand what this meant to my life (weight gain, mood swings, hair changes, skin changes, dry eyes and a whole host of other “symptoms”).  It’s been eleven years and I’m still salty about this because the biggest change is no metabolism and being a kind of tired I didn’t know was possible to be and still be alive!  But I’ve learned lots over the years and better understand when adjustments need to be made and that is going okay (for now – okay today).  I also somehow twisted my left hip during this decade and suffered greatly for a while but eventually got that worked out and only have funny little flare ups when I “jar” my bones. 

Although in my late 30’s wasn’t the first time I had to buy liniment, I was even exchanging pros and cons of the better products on the market with some older lady friends.  I want you to know I didn’t even know those ladies had aches and pains until they said it.  Simply regal, beautiful women who not only carried themselves well but also carried their pain well!  I cornered my mother.  I felt I needed more information about how to age if I was going to be able to hold this old body together for the long haul.  

I wanted to know why she wasn’t hurting.  She looked at me like I had lost my mind.  I mean, my three parents are like real cool (although My Dust tells me he’s an old man)!  My mom strolls.  When we are out together people want to know if we’re sisters.  Then she explained to me that she did have aches and pains and what I was calling her cool stroll was actually her “taking real easy” walk.        

I made it into my 40 looking and feeling pretty good (this is my blog so I’m telling the story my way so if you don’t agree with statement – KEEP IT TO YOURSELF)!  I mean I was like really cooking with Crisco the first couple of years (okay maybe it was months – let me have my fantasies please)!

I will admit that the eye doctor told me that we would need to “discuss” bifocal glasses on my next visit.  He wanted me to have enough time to warm up to it.  I guess he figured out I’d spend a significant amount of time looking for a “logical” reason that nothing works right anymore!  Smile.  When I returned the following year, I’d had a bout of vanity and wanted contacts.  Bless that man; he broke it to me as gently as possible.  “You would still need prescription glasses with the contacts.”   I also had to add the foot man to my list of specialist.  He introduced me to shoe implements and I don’t leave home without them (he also had the BEST bedside manner – he brings the xray machine to you so you don’t have to walk on your hurting feet!)       

I became an Auntie x2 and a grandmother by the age of 41!  I was still doing pretty well, enjoying the little folks in my life, exercising, making peace with thyroid, lost a little weight even!  And then…. my nieces moved in with us and we became their primary care givers. 

I realized at the end of the first weekend I wasn’t holding up as well as I had thought.  By the end of the first month I had gone on to the doctor for medicine for EVERY joint in my body.   Seemed old “arthr” had come to visit and decided to put in for squatter rights.

I could tell you the story about the time I was teasing and taunting one of my married sister/friends about pole dancing for her man and how she retaliated by sending me an instructional dvd about a floor dance (look - I didn’t even know it was possible to teach that mess to someone).  So, being who I am (nosey), I watched it and lo and behold one of the moves was a move I’d seen in exercise videos and for some INSANE reason I figured I could do that exercise so I tried it (lean back on elbows and bend one leg to your chest while extending the other leg straight out and then switch alternating legs between bending and extending several times) and “wretched” my left shoulder - but that would bore you.  However, I will tell you that after a round of pain killers and a nerve induction test there isn’t any permanent damage.    

I did “learn” that if I don’t want to be stiff I really need to exercise.  I had been doing a good job of sticking with my little 20-30 minute walking in place dvd.  I hadn’t lost a pound and year 44 had been unnecessarily mean to me but I wasn’t stiff. 

Now, I have some magnificent friends of all ages.  One of my friends is in her early 30’s.  She and her other friends decided to really get into aggressive exercising to tone up.  She’s looking cute.  I knew I wouldn’t be doing anything aggressive but for some reason (VANITY again) I let her talk me into trying her Hip Hop ABS dvd.  I watched it first (no – I’m no dummy, I didn’t try one move – I just WATCHED). 

It really looked like something I could handle.  He had some jumps in his routine but I didn’t even act like I was going to try those (you know they always have someone on the dvd’s that will show you the low impact way).  I survived 11 minutes with the Hip Hop ABS man the first time I tried it and I could really feel it (okay - I was a little  concerned how I would explain to the ER the cramp in my hind parts  - should I need to go for assistance).  I worked with it again another couple of times but something happened the last time I used it. 

I admit my dancing steps are a little rusty (okay, I’ve never had the kind of rhythm and moves that these young folks have – if you want to call that stuff they do dancing).  I took one step; my foot and leg stopped but I guess not the rest of my body.  So, a few days before Thanksgiving my right knee was a little sore – I took it easy but by the Sunday after Thanksgiving I was at the weekend clinic for an x-ray. 

After a lot of moaning and whining during my waking and sleeping hours, Tylenol, exchanging a leg brace two times and then determining I needed a more heavy duty one to meet my needs; purchasing a cane; a day and a half off work; two x-rays; an MRI, a cortisone shot, pain medication & an awful reaction to it and - I’m still working on this knee and it is really giving me a run for my money.  Right now, the knee is in total control but the doctor and his nurse have kindly listened to my crybaby pleading and I trust we will develop a plan so I win against this knee. 

The conclusion I’ve reached is that those old folks are right and I’m not nearly as cool as my parents!  Now if you don’t know what jar-ing, liniment, taking real easy, arthr, and wretched mean –

JUST LIVE LONG ENOUGH – YOU WILL SEE!

Edited by Jill-O-Me