Growing into grumpy old men, and women.

We all watched movies about old people, how they lost their balance, their sense of taste, their hearing, their ability to control their lives.  We absorbed these observations and generalized about our own demise at that old age.
We were not going to drop off the tree of life if we could help it!
We exercised. We took hormone replacements. We read books and prepared ourselves to fight and win the battle.

I grew up/older watching The Golden Girls. I saw a bit of myself in each character, and came to believe that except for divorce, or widowhood, our lives could still be quite exciting.  Each character had specific needs that irritated the others. But, they all shared a beautiful home by pooling resources, and were very accommodating. Some, like the mother, was too manipulative. All in all, the women were radiant and healthy and sexually active for their age, I thought.

Now, I see that old age hits us in different ways. Some of us continue to be vibrant and radiant way into our eighties and nineties. Some of my best friends, in their eighties, can out-walk me, out-shop me, out volunteer me, out hobby me, and seem to be tireless in all the things they do.

Some, in their sixties, are confined to power chairs, weekly visits to clinics and therapists, keep few people in their circles and find no joy in their lives.

Doctors who treat us are beginning to prescribe more life changes instead of pills. More and more they ask about our daily routines, the amount and quality of different foods we eat. Our cardiologist talked about small plates as a way to curb our appetite! The fact that he took time to ask and comment and joke about our habits was a good sign that he wants us to succeed in having a good life without resorting to outside sources.

Perhaps we need more television shows and movies about real old people; about life style improvements; about maintaining relationships and hopeful futures. Perhaps we ought to consider all aspects of life at this stage.

Baby boomers have begun to retire in droves. The audience is there and  advertisers have already  latched on and are selling us cars that assist us in parking, in backing up, in remaining alert.  Perhaps we could see products and services that help us maintain and even improve our present abilities, our flexibility, strength,  vigor and joy of life.

After all, who wants to live with grumpy old men or women?