Getting Old is not so bad!

cars · Post by **cars** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:43 pm

The my Granddaughter asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let her know.

Old age, I decided, is life's gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my aching body! I sometimes despair over my body.. the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging gutt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my my wonderful wife, amazing friends, & most of my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend, & I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for buying that silly chochkee that I didn't need, but looks so avante on my TV. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read until 4 a.m. and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 70s, and if I at the same time wish to weep over a lost love, I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set. They, too, will get old, "if" they are lucky!

I am sometimes forgetful, but then again, some of life is just as well forgotten and I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn Salt & pepper, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say no, and mean it. I can say yes, and mean it. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer my Granddaughter's question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. :-6

abbey · Post by **abbey** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:51 pm

Cars, what a wonderful post.

Thankyou x

:-6

BabyRider · Post by **BabyRider** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:59 pm

Wow.

Just....wow.

Cars, that is probably the single-most inspirational thing I have read in years. I loved it, thank you for posting it. And if you don't mind, I'm going to print it out to send to a couple people I know.

That was awesome. :yh_clap :yh_clap :yh_worshp

Clint · Post by **Clint** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:05 pm

Inspiring indeed. Now I feel better.

minks · Post by **minks** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:38 pm

and earned right of passage indeed Cars.

And I am with you there, I will remember the past but shan't agonize over it. I am blessed to have learned a great many things from the past that have enriched my life, complicated my life, confused my life, shined upon my life, but best of all, it is all patches on my old coat I wear that "make up my life".

learn, live, and love.

nvalleyvee · Post by **nvalleyvee** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 3:03 pm

Cars - I would like to send that to some friends - with your permission - and an acknowledgement to the author. I loved it and agree wholeheartedly.

along-for-the-ride · Post by **along-for-the-ride** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 5:43 pm

I just came back from visiting my family, including my

eight-year old granddaughter who asked me how old I was--just in conversation. I answered, "as old as the hills" and laughed. Come to find out, she already knew how old I am, and I laughed some more.

I was born in 1950, in the middle of last century and my birthday is next week. I do feel blessed and truly believe that every day is a gift.

I stopped coloring my hair and I haven't weighed myself in a long time because I really am not concerned about that anymore. I think I look pretty good for a woman my age.

I also have shed many a tear over the years, but I have also smiled and laughed in between those tears. I feel that everything that has happened to me over the years, good and bad, have made me who I am today.

And who am I today? Just a face in the crowd, but that face has a contented smile and, perhaps, a little wink, too. I like my life: I like my age.

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 8:51 pm

:driving: CARS,

BRAVO very thoughful and inspirational. I like the new me as well, age is a state of mind. We must stop the fight to be forever young it ain't going to happen. I'm with you I have learned to enjoy each day as much as possible we only get to do this once, I eat lots of chocolate it makes me happy!!

SOJOURNER · Post by **SOJOURNER** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 8:25 pm

Cars,

Was directed to your post and was delighted how well you put into words the truth of aging.

I've never minded growing older cause 1) I've always looked much younger than my age and 2) I've had wonderful older role models to pattern myself after.

Just this last year tho, I'm wanting to have more years to look forward to than what I'm probably going to end up with. There's so much going on in my life and with my family, I want more time here on Earth. I'm ready for Heaven, but I don't want to go yet. I think this attitude may fall under "I am a jealous God.......". I think this may be something I need to delve into. My priest is going to love this question.

What do you and othe FG members think?

gimli3 · Post by **gimli3** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 10:40 pm

:-5

You're lucky!

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 12:28 am

Yeah, 70s music, maybe a different genre, but that's my era too.

But you know, despite turning the golden corner, and adding a few lines of character to my fine () torso, I still feel the same as I did in the 70s. Get through this day before I worry about the next.

Nice words Cars.

cars · Post by **cars** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 5:01 am

[QUOTE=SOJOURNER]Cars,

Was directed to your post and was delighted how well you put into words the truth of aging.

I've never minded growing older cause 1) I've always looked much younger than my age and 2) I've had wonderful older role models to pattern myself after.

Just this last year tho, I'm wanting to have more years to look forward to than what I'm probably going to end up with. There's so much going on in my life and with my family, I want more time here on Earth. I'm ready for Heaven, but I don't want to go yet. I think this attitude may fall under "I am a jealous God.......". I think this may be something I need to delve into. My priest is going to love this question.

What do you and othe FG members think? [QUOTE]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SOJO, I hope I'm not reading anything into your post, when you say:

"I'm wanting to have more years to look forward to than what I'm probably going to end up with."

A jealous God VS a loving God, quite the life long question. I'm sure you may

stir up some robust discussion to your question of: "I am a jealous God"!

It will be interesting to find out what your priest says. Please keep us posted.

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 5:56 am

Hey, I'm with cars-growing old isn't so bad. If you feel good, you know you look good, and by the time you are older, you don't care what others think anyway!

Nomad · Post by **Nomad** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 6:20 am

That gave me chills cars. In all sincerity your my new hero. It reminds me of a moment. I was at a red light and a guy in his 70s ? was on rollerblades crossing the street in front of me. He was wearing a walkman and in the middle of the street he just started dancing and spinning and he was lost in his music and movement, oblivious to others around him, or perhaps for a moment he was sharing his soul with us. He was my hero too.

Thanks cars ! :-6

cars · Post by **cars** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 6:58 am

Nomad wrote: That gave me chills cars. In all sincerity your my new hero. It reminds me of a moment. I was at a red light and a guy in his 70s ? was on rollerblades crossing the street in front of me. He was wearing a walkman and in the middle of the street he just started dancing and spinning and he was lost in his music and movement, oblivious to others around him, or perhaps for a moment he was sharing his soul with us. He was my hero too.

Thanks cars ! :-6

Nomad, as the saying goes, you're only as old as you "think" you are, cause if you think you're old, then you will be. No matter what your age. I know some people that are in their forties, but they act like there're in the late seventies!

The only real problem with aging is the "nasty" effect on one's body. No matter how young you "think" you are, your nasty body will remind you of the reality.

Just retired last January. So now at 62-3/4, I keep active every day doing

chores, house projects that I could not get to while working, brisk walking, golfing, bowling, sightseeing, visiting friends, & of course the ever popular "Shopping"!

Unfortunetely the nasty body aches a little more these days, then it used to!!!

But actually, I'm going over to a friends house this afternoon to watch the New England "Patriots" Vs Atlanta Falcons game!!! Should be fun, eating too much junk food, laughing & cussing at the players, and drinking a few brewskies!!!

"Go Patriots"!!! :yh_clap

Nomad · Post by **Nomad** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 7:05 am

Go Patriots

You may be my new hero but I cant get behind you on this one. :wah:

Vikes have the day off and to be honest Im relieved, I dont know how much more I can take. :-5

Ive used my body to make a living since day 1 so I know about the creaks...

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 8:42 am

Your post is inspiring Cars...I had my 59th birthday last weekand I agree with you about the freedom gained by age. Only a few years ago I would worry about what people thought about the way I looked, what I said etc. etc. In recent months I have realised that only one thing matters in life....loving yourself and the person you are and loving others, particularly your family and friends.

Last night I went to my youngest sons to celebrate his daughters 14th birthday. My Daughter and her daughter were there and my sons young son. These are his kids from a previous realtionship....anyway...his fiancee is expecting a baby in 10 days time so there were really 8 people there from 9 to 59....we had a geat time...no generation barrier...just a room full of people that loved and respected each other, each of us having had some tough times but not dwelling on them.

I can't wait to retire next year and get out of the 'rat race'. There is so much more to life than working for a living. I don't care that we will be financially worse off....Thank you for reminding me that Old age is life's gift...

:yh_hugs

cars · Post by **cars** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 6:13 pm

Bez wrote: Your post is inspiring Cars...I had my 59th birthday last weekand I agree with you about the freedom gained by age. Only a few years ago I would worry about what people thought about the way I looked, what I said etc. etc. In recent months I have realised that only one thing matters in life....loving yourself and the person you are and loving others, particularly your family and friends.

Last night I went to my youngest sons to celebrate his daughters 14th birthday. My Daughter and her daughter were there and my sons young son. These are his kids from a previous realtionship....anyway...his fiancee is expecting a baby in 10 days time so there were really 8 people there from 9 to 59....we had a geat time...no generation barrier...just a room full of people that loved and respected each other, each of us having had some tough times but not dwelling on them.

I can't wait to retire next year and get out of the 'rat race'. There is so much more to life than working for a living. I don't care that we will be financially worse off....Thank you for reminding me that Old age is life's gift...

:yh_hugs

Yes Bez, happliy look forward to your "retirement"!!!! Unfortunetely I did not, as I worried myself sick thinking about if I was making the right decision to retire.

As working was all I ever knew for "45" long years, it was the only life I knew! And I to was concerned about finances, whether or not my wife & I would be able to live as comfortably when I retired as when I worked. Well as it has turned out, being retired is really great, and I made myself sick worring about it for nothing!

Every day is Saturday & Sunday, no schedules to keep, no pressures of a job, no worries!!! Financially things turned out even better than I had planned, so life is good!!! :-6

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 9:12 pm

what if you're 59 and looking at life in a dumpster? no retirement. no pension. through no fault of your own. (strictly a rhetorical question)

observer1 · Post by **observer1** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 7:12 am

Cars, all I can say is that was one of the most beautiful, inspirational pieces I've ever read. So well-put. It was as if I was reading about myself, although I just turned 41 yesterday. I have a grandson & another on the way in January. I've sat and thought about how I feel about this point in my life, & YOU put it into words BEAUTIFULLY!! Thank you. :-6

Would you mind if I'd print this out for some friends?

cars · Post by **cars** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:47 am

lady cop wrote: what if you're 59 and looking at life in a dumpster? no retirement. no pension. through no fault of your own. (strictly a rhetorical question)

Even though asked merely for effect with no answer expected, but in that case:

Life would not be too Good!!! :wah:

randall · Post by **randall** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:57 am

:-6

Dear cars, randall here,

You have indeed written an eloquent piece of prose about getting old.

Like you I never felt it coming on and was bitterly disappointed when I was forced to stop work as there is no age discrimination act over here in the British Isles.

The average age in the British Merchant Navy is now about 45 because so few youngsters are interested in it and ship owners - or managers - do not try to make it more attractive.

We Silver Surfers have just had a wonderful weekend.

One of my colleagues from the China Light & Power Company in Kowloon, Hong Kong, now visually impaired, arrived with the widow of another colleague.

He has come from Australia and is trying to meet all his old workmates as well as his family relatives.

The lady hails from Fife in Scotland, so had but a short distance to travel but has taken upon herself the task of guiding my colleague around the country by bus and train to see everyone he wants to see.

They arrived on Friday night in time for supper (around 5 pm) and we ate and then sat and talked about the days that are gone and the people whom we knew and are almost all gone too until nearly 3 am.

Saturday was spent sightseeing Buchan in not so good weather and Sunday was Church, lunch and then they were off to Fife.

At the church they were introduced to many people who did not really believe we had a background out in the Far East and one middle aged gentleman we spoke to surprised me be cause although I had known him, not well, for years I found out that he had TRIED to join the Merchant Navy.

I enquired what went wrong and he said that he was kicked out because he failed the first exam. I found this difficult to believe because I had to have five attempts to pass part "A" of my Second Engineers' Certificate - the rest were all "First Time" passes.

Then I realised how much times had changed it.

We all had to be time-served engineers BEFORE we could join the MN but Maggie Thatcher effectively stopped all apprenticeship schemes (They are now struggling to re-introduce them again and paying large wages to get young people into apprenticeships instead of going to university)

What had happened was that he had been taken on more as a CADET ENGINEER and although they only choose the creme-de-la-creme of students THEY are not always, indeed rarely are, the best men to spend a life at sea.

Thus they are loosing out on many talented - i.e. mechanically minded and handy with their hands, skillful with their tools, engineers. On top of that the Health And Safety Executive will not allow anyone to join if they suffer from several illnesses - asthma being at the top of the list - I have been an asthmatic all my life and it never once stopped me from doing my job. And there were no drugs for asthma until the 1950's. I feel that they are loosing many able bodied men and women with this too.

All being well, according to their plan they should be in Irvine or Ayr tonight on the west coast.

We have all kept in contact through the internet and have found that e-mail is a great blessing to us as well as a powerful tool when dealing with our politicians.

None of us appear to want to go back, especially to teenage years - those terribly awkward years when you don't know if you are the same as everyone else or one of the worlds great oddities.

Our childhoods were in a time of immense deprivation and lack of communication between members of the same family and we were glad to get way from it all.

So thanks again for your wonderful piece and I shall be transmitting it to my daughter in Tampa who is now half way to getting old.

God bless you.

randall.

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:59 am

cars wrote: Yes Bez, happliy look forward to your "retirement"!!!! Unfortunetely I did not, as I worried myself sick thinking about if I was making the right decision to retire.

As working was all I ever knew for "45" long years, it was the only life I knew! And I to was concerned about finances, whether or not my wife & I would be able to live as comfortably when I retired as when I worked. Well as it has turned out, being retired is really great, and I made myself sick worring about it for nothing!

Every day is Saturday & Sunday, no schedules to keep, no pressures of a job, no worries!!! Financially things turned out even better than I had planned, so life is good!!! :-6

I've only made the retirement decision since I've being practising Buddhism.....a few months... It has given me a totally different perspective on life. I had imagined that I would work for ever....and be miserable in the process. I think I actually do my job better now that I have made the decision.

Thought I'd just share this from my very perceptive 14 yr old grandaughter...she wrote it in my birthday card last week.

"I love you loads and loads and you look wonderful for your age and you seem a lot happyer (her spelling) in the last few months....love you so much ...Chelsea " xxx

randall · Post by **randall** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:00 pm

:-6

Dear cars, randall here,

You have indeed written an eloquent piece of prose about getting old.

Like you I never felt it and was bitterly disapointed when I was forced to stop work as there is no age discrimination act over here in the British Isles.

The average age in the British Merchant Navy is now about 45 because so few youngsters are interested in it and ship owners - or managers - do not try to make it more attractive.

We Silver Surfers have just had a wonderful weekend.

One of my colleagues from the China Light & Power Company in Kowloon, Hong Kong, now visually impaired, arrived with the widow of another colleague.

He has come from Australi and is trying to meet all his old workmates as well as his family relatives.

The lady hails from Fife in Scotland, so had but a short distance to travel bnut has taken upon herself the task of guiding my colleague around the country byt bus and train to see evryone he wants to see.

They arrived on Firday night in time for supper (around 5 pm) and we ate and then sat and talked about the days that are gone and the people whom we knew and are almost all gone too until nearly 3 am.

Saturday was spent sightseeing Buchan in not so good weather and Sunday was Church, lunch and then they were off to Fife.

According to plan they should be in Irvine or Ayr tonight on the west coast.

We have all kept in contact through the internet and have found that e-mail is a great blessing to us as well as a powerful tool when dealing with our politicians.

None of us appear to want to go back, especially to tenage - those terriblely akward years when you don't know if you are the same as everyone else or one of the worlds great oddities.

Our childhoods were in a time of immense deprivation and lack of communication between memebrs of the same family and we were glad to get way from it all.

So thatnks again for your wonderful piece and I shall be tranmitting it to my daughter in Tampa who is now half way to getting old

randall · Post by **randall** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:08 pm

:-6

Dear Bez, randall back again,

I am sorry but I have tried your method of printing one "post" by highlighting it and other methods but none seem to work with me.

It may be that I am just ham fisted but I'll keep trying other ways.

God bless,

randall

:-5

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:11 pm

lady cop wrote: what if you're 59 and looking at life in a dumpster? no retirement. no pension. through no fault of your own. (strictly a rhetorical question)

I was 59 last week LC. I have turned my back on the dumster that WAS my life (you helped me to do that), and I am unexpectedly looking forward to retirement even though in financial terms we will be struggling. OK...i may have to get a stressless part time job, but I can make cutbacks by shopping around because I'll have the time...may have to get rid of the car etc. but I'll have more time for my grandchildren...at the moment I am focussing on the positive....ask me again in 6 months things might look different but I hope not.

I've worked every day of my life since I left school....I feel I deserve some 'me' time

cars · Post by **cars** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 3:55 pm

observer1 wrote: Cars, all I can say is that was one of the most beautiful, inspirational pieces I've ever read. So well-put. It was as if I was reading about myself, although I just turned 41 yesterday. I have a grandson & another on the way in January. I've sat and thought about how I feel about this point in my life, & YOU put it into words BEAUTIFULLY!! Thank you. :-6

Would you mind if I'd print this out for some friends?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY a day late obs!!!!

(Don't mind at all)

cars · Post by **cars** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 4:18 pm

randall wrote: :-6

Dear cars, randall here,

You have indeed written an eloquent piece of prose about getting old.

Like you I never felt it coming on and was bitterly disappointed when I was forced to stop work as there is no age discrimination act over here in the British Isles.

The average age in the British Merchant Navy is now about 45 because so few youngsters are interested in it and ship owners - or managers - do not try to make it more attractive.

We Silver Surfers have just had a wonderful weekend.

One of my colleagues from the China Light & Power Company in Kowloon, Hong Kong, now visually impaired, arrived with the widow of another colleague.

He has come from Australia and is trying to meet all his old workmates as well as his family relatives.

The lady hails from Fife in Scotland, so had but a short distance to travel but has taken upon herself the task of guiding my colleague around the country by bus and train to see everyone he wants to see.

They arrived on Friday night in time for supper (around 5 pm) and we ate and then sat and talked about the days that are gone and the people whom we knew and are almost all gone too until nearly 3 am.

Saturday was spent sightseeing Buchan in not so good weather and Sunday was Church, lunch and then they were off to Fife.

At the church they were introduced to many people who did not really believe we had a background out in the Far East and one middle aged gentleman we spoke to surprised me be cause although I had known him, not well, for years I found out that he had TRIED to join the Merchant Navy.

I enquired what went wrong and he said that he was kicked out because he failed the first exam. I found this difficult to believe because I had to have five attempts to pass part "A" of my Second Engineers' Certificate - the rest were all "First Time" passes.

Then I realised how much times had changed it.

We all had to be time-served engineers BEFORE we could join the MN but Maggie Thatcher effectively stopped all apprenticeship schemes (They are now struggling to re-introduce them again and paying large wages to get young people into apprenticeships instead of going to university)

What had happened was that he had been taken on more as a CADET ENGINEER and although they only choose the creme-de-la-creme of students THEY are not always, indeed rarely are, the best men to spend a life at sea.

Thus they are loosing out on many talented - i.e. mechanically minded and handy with their hands, skillful with their tools, engineers. On top of that the Health And Safety Executive will not allow anyone to join if they suffer from several illnesses - asthma being at the top of the list - I have been an asthmatic all my life and it never once stopped me from doing my job. And there were no drugs for asthma until the 1950's. I feel that they are loosing many able bodied men and women with this too.

All being well, according to their plan they should be in Irvine or Ayr tonight on the west coast.

We have all kept in contact through the internet and have found that e-mail is a great blessing to us as well as a powerful tool when dealing with our politicians.

None of us appear to want to go back, especially to teenage years - those terribly awkward years when you don't know if you are the same as everyone else or one of the worlds great oddities.

Our childhoods were in a time of immense deprivation and lack of communication between members of the same family and we were glad to get way from it all.

So thanks again for your wonderful piece and I shall be transmitting it to my daughter in Tampa who is now half way to getting old.

God bless you.

randall.

Hi randall, Cars here, you to have written an eloquent story of a lifelong friendship of friends. It's heart warming to read how you all were able to get together, & share stories of the olden days. You're right today's youngsters don't really know how well off they have it. They want for nothing within reason, and yet they still think they have it tough! As you mentioned, the internet is indeed a blessing for us all, old & young. It's a lifsaver for many of us, giving us info, & opinions of others, as well as letting us vent & complain to our fellow Gardner Friends when needed. Also, allowing us communication with wonderful people all over the world, thus making new worldwide friends!!!!

Take care, Cars

Uncle Fester · Post by **Uncle Fester** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 11:53 am

I am 70 in March 06,I can tell you getting old is not too bad its just all the crap you got to bring with you,if you could leave all the aches and pains,creaking joints,false teeth,week bladders,forgetfullness and downright cussedness behind it would be much better:-6

randall · Post by **randall** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 12:54 pm

:-6

Amen Uncle Fester, AMEN.

randall

:)

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 3:12 pm

Randall....I do believe that there is an 'Age discrimination' Act coming into force in 2006 in the UK. I recently went to a short presentation about this. I'll look for the literature that I was given and see if there's anything interesting to post.

The presenter did tell us something interesting...apparently B&Q opened a new store...possibly in Hull...and they made a point of recruiting people over 60. A survey they did showed that this age group is the most reliable, happiest in their jobs and committed.

randall · Post by **randall** » Wed Oct 12, 2005 6:16 am

:-6

Thankyou Bez for your information but at 74 I think the act, like so many, is going to come into force far to late for me.

I, through my visits to the USA, knew about the US act, and was first attracted to it by a newspaper story of an insurance company who (twenty years ago at least) would NOT employ any one under retirement age.

Their argument was that most of the their salesmen had already gone through all the heartaches and pains of life, marriage and parenthood and so, when visiting a young married couple (say) DID NOT try to sell them the largest possible insurance policy.(AND thus get the highest possible commission!)

This happened to me when I came back home and started to buy my first and only house;(In 1974 there were no building societies in the local area as people had never bought houses. Now we are inundated with them.)

We were sold a totally unsuitable policy for the mortgage considering that, with an erratic income, at the ame time, trying to prevent my only child from having to go through the problems we faced with a totally inadequate education and were pushed out into that wide, wild world. were putting her through boarding school - at least it paid off in our case.

BUT the house, as our parents forecast, has remained an anchor around our necks.

It would appear that in calculating old age pension no attempt is factored in as regards how much it costs just to keep a house's fabric in good condition - let alone improve it. AND they keep complaining about the shortage of houses and totally ignore the maintainance of the ones already existing.

The American insurance company said that their salesmen and women would point out to a young couple that, with God's bl;blessing, children would come along and it was an expensive business bringing them up, clothing them and educating them. Then they would no longer be able to sustain expensive policies -and, of course, unemployment could always be just around the corner, just before Christmas.

The experiment was so successful that often the "salesmen and women" became honourary Uncles and Aunts to the family and the children and kept in touch with them for the rest of their lives.

We have been bay sitters and honourary Aunt and Uncle to every child in our little cul-de-sac.

We have been thirty one years and a couple of months in this house which was bought on a dirt track in the middle of five similar 1930's houses - in the middle of a field - as I like to say, "With cows back and front." And I liked it that way.

Now the track is a neat, expensive, desirable cul-de-sac with a small roundabout at the end with eight new, individually built, very expensive bungalows and our rates are now the same as theirs. We now have sewage and public lighting.

However, we live and learn and I am glad to say that my daughter has one of the best business heads on her shoulders that I have ever seen or met. She even got a 1/1 Honours Degree in business studies from Napiers'University (IBM headhunted her BEFORE she even graduated) - BUT it was her teachers who pushed her into it as she, and us, did not believe that she was of Honours Degree material.

She is in the middle of buying her second house in Florida already having one in Scotland - all newly built.

Unfortunately, our folk seem to have a genetic disposition for very poor inter- family communication - in fact, social communications in general - and it passes on down through the generations.

More friends and acquaintances than I can care to recall were totally unable to be on the same fishing boat as their father or uncles. (A German captain, ex-fisherman from Bremen, told me the same story.)

Our ancestors are supposed to have been an invasion from Friesland about 4,000 years ago (The BEAKER PEOPLE) and, according to one American lady anthropologist who studied the area from Aberdeen University "Marschall and/or Kings' College) for more than half a decade "The blood line has remained relatively pure ever since."

Paying off from the SS "BAUNTON" in Vlissingen (?) the taxi darive took my wife and I to a very nice family run hotel and when we walked in the lady of the house greeted us in a torrent of Dutch. I said that we were not Dutch and could she speak English.

"But of course you speak Dutch," she retorted in English, "It is obvious that you both come from Friesland."

That American lady was right!

The result, my daughter has good ideas for us in our old age but my wife will not be dictated to by her child.

Such is life my friend!

She came into our lives and made a house a home after my wife had many, many miscarriages and my daughter followed suit having three in one year in Saudi - all through Endimetriosis - her mother in law also suffers from the same condition - but at least she has two - and we have two grandchildren - a girl and a boy about eight years apart - the same as my sister and I - she is now in her eighties.

God Bless Everyone, said Tiny Tim.

randall.

SOJOURNER · Post by **SOJOURNER** » Wed Oct 12, 2005 7:59 am

[QUOTE=cars][QUOTE=SOJOURNER]Cars,

Was directed to your post and was delighted how well you put into words the truth of aging.

I've never minded growing older cause 1) I've always looked much younger than my age and 2) I've had wonderful older role models to pattern myself after.

Just this last year tho, I'm wanting to have more years to look forward to than what I'm probably going to end up with. There's so much going on in my life and with my family, I want more time here on Earth. I'm ready for Heaven, but I don't want to go yet. I think this attitude may fall under "I am a jealous God.......". I think this may be something I need to delve into. My priest is going to love this question.

What do you and othe FG members think?

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SOJO, I hope I'm not reading anything into your post, when you say:

"I'm wanting to have more years to look forward to than what I'm probably going to end up with."

A jealous God VS a loving God, quite the life long question. I'm sure you may

stir up some robust discussion to your question of: "I am a jealous God"!

It will be interesting to find out what your priest says. Please keep us posted.

Will do. He's out of town right now, but it is ever on my mind -- so I will bring it up to him.