A recent article by psychologist Mary Pipher (“The Joy of Being a Woman in Her Seventies,” The New York Times 1-12-19) extolled the happier aspects of being a septuagenarian. I agreed with her in general. Certainly the seventies are a time when women have weathered many storms successfully and reached some goals. For me, my seventies were rewarding years of travel, writing, and (for a time) living off the electrical grid in a forested area of northern California. It was a life I never could have imagined when I was younger.
As that
decade wore on, though, my health declined and I became unable to continue some
activities. Now that I am 81, I sometimes feel sad about some necessary changes
in my lifestyle. (Does anyone use that word any more?) I can walk for only
short distances, and use a cane. I need my electric blanket and microwave oven.
I can’t drive after dark. I don’t try to write about biology, because too much
has changed in that field in recent years.
It’s tempting
to feel some self-pity about these differences in my life, but there’s no point
in doing so. Also, there are many positive aspects of being an octogenarian:
· I stopped dieting several years ago,
and eat for health rather than weight control.
· My wardrobe consists mainly of tees,
sweaters, and pants from Lands’ End® and other reasonably priced stores, worn with sensible
shoes.
· There’s no pressure to keep up with
the times unless I want to.
· Remembering stupid or thoughtless
deeds of my own, I’m quite tolerant of other people’s.
· Realizing that I may not live too
many more years, and that some old friends and enemies are dying or very ill, I
find it easy to drop old grudges.
· Sleeping nine hours is a necessity
for me, and I don’t feel guilty about sleeping in.
· It’s a joy to connect with old
friends in person or on the Internet.
· I’m finally reading or rereading
books that have sat on the shelf for years. As my memory declines, I can even
reread mysteries without remembering “whodunit.”
· Not wanting to waste much of my
remaining time on housework or yardwork, I have hired help with it, just as I did
when working and caregiving.
· Luckily, I can still do some traveling
in the RV. Unlike most forms of travel, it provides the comforts an
octogenarian needs.
