The Humpty Dumpty Syndrome
A Positive Aging Blog for June
by Harriet Epstein
In midlife most of us are like Humpty Dumpty, sitting balanced on a wall, pretty much in control of our lives. As we age, we gradually lose some of our former mental, physical, and balance skills, but, of course, we deny our losses. To ourselves we seem as capable and savvy as ever we were. This often leads to scrambled eggs.
One of my elderly friends had a lot of back trouble after trying to move a piece of furniture in her home. Another, a world traveler in her late 80’s, fell while traveling with no companion on a group tour somewhere in Southern Africa. She broke a few ribs, punctured a lung, and later came down with Covid, greatly delaying her return home. Another dummy, namely me, was accidentally locked in a building, far from home recently, with limited chance of being found. Wake up and smell the roses, folks!
Arrange for others to fix things around the house, even if you have to pay someone to do the job. Find a companion to travel with you. Sometimes just be like the Beatles and “let it be.” Better an imperfect world, than a messed up you! Carry your cell phone with you all the time. You never know when it might save you. Take a smaller suitcase and protect your back. I’m sure you can add more suggestions to this list.
Be a wise old owl, and keep sitting on the wall.
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