Getting old is a fact of life.  We say, it beats the alternative.  We also say, “It ain’t for sissies.”  Some of us remember the first thing that happened to us that made us realize we were getting old.  I had a young woman on the Metro offer me her seat.  Wow, I thought, I must look a lot worse than I feel.

For those of you here who have children, let me ask you this.   When they come by to see you, is it because they miss their dear parent, or is it a health and wellness check?  I can tell you that if you catch them going through the fridge for expired dates, it’s the latter.  When I lost Carole, my girls came and threw away half of my food storage supplies.  While I appreciated them doing it, it let me know I was getting old.

Not too long ago I decided, as a change of pace, I would put some lemon in my hot tea.  I had seen the Real Lemon tucked back in the fridge.  It tasted OK, but not great.  After doing that twice, I looked at the label.  It expired in 2020.  So, the girls aren’t perfect either.  I pitched it.  I went to the commissary to get a bottle of Real Lemon.  As happens to me too often, I couldn’t find it.  I found a young lady shelving and asked for help.  As she was taking me over to the right aisle, she was explaining to me that Real Lemon wasn’t 100% lemon.  I smiled.  We found the box the Real Lemon had been stacked in, but it was empty.  I guess a lot of people didn’t care it wasn’t 100%.

You know you are getting old when one of you kids says, “Gee Dad, why don’t I drive your car?”  Then this Summer, I had to transfer through the Houston Airport.  I wasn’t sure how to get from one gate to another.  It appears you have to use a tram shuttle, so I had to ask about that.  Every time I turned around, I had a passenger wanting to help me. “Listen Sir, I’m getting off at the same terminal.  Just get off when I do.”  And again, “I’m also walking toward D-47, I’ll show you where to go.”  Then the young lad said, “I’ll be happy to carry your bag.”  Everybody was so kind, but the message was still there.

We almost always had a dog.  Our last beloved pet lived with us here at The Fairfax for our first five years.  So, a few months back, I mentioned to my son that it might be nice to have another dog.  He got excited and told me it was not a good idea.  That’s when you know you are getting old!