My young brain and old brain are coming to an understanding. I had to become old to realize my young brain was telling my old body to do some things it did years ago. After a few attempts, the old body told what was left of the young brain to go to hell. Old bodies don't bounce, climb, run, carry, and have the stamina the young brain remembers.
Case in point:
One day in my mid 60's, my aging body was on a hike around the lake. In a cove, a group of young Tarzans and Tarzanettes were having a great time on a rope swing hanging way up over the lake in a huge Sycamore tree. I stood, watching the younguns flying, flipping laughing and launching themselves from earth into the sky back to water and to land. I stood smiling as I remembered many such experiences. My young brain said, " Hey, go for it, you used to be a pro at showing off. The old body agreed and got in line.
The results were less than magnificent, and nearly catastrophic. I nearly pulled my once big strong arms out of the socket at the bottom of the arc as my excessive bulk overcame my arms ability to pull it off. I hit the water a 45 degree angle bouncing off the bottom very close to shore. Not good. One of the Tarzans took pity sakes on me and helped me up the bank, smiled and said, "nice try," adding insult to injury.
The experience was new and totally unexpected. I hobbled the half mile back to the cabin, a bad foot sprained knee and severely damaged psyche. My "10 foot tall and bullet proof" body of my youth had failed me! You can smile, but don't laugh. You've have all been there if you're over 60. If you ain't, hopefully you will be.
The old body and brain have become more familiar with one another. They have worked together to work out most of the every day things I do. We have a Council of War to create a battle plan for new attempted, once no brainers, to negotiate the activity in question. So far, so good. I do fall occasionally, and thanks to football and tumbling skills I have so far escaped the Emergency Room; knock on wood!
My "devices" to help in my survival include a cell phone, a cane, a walker, and two rollators. One rollator I keep the house and the other at the tractor shed for rolling heavy, awkward stuff around.
Falls, sprains, replacement parts are a part of becoming older]I At least they make replacement parts. I have two reverse shoulder replacement and a right hip replacement in my 84 years. Without them my my physical self would not be able to function as well as it does. I am still fairly active for my age, I think.
I do have one more issue with my present brain. I'm guessing most "elders" have the same complaint. There is stuff in my brain that I do not need, and have not used in many, many years. There are things that are more current to my lifestyle now I would like to store. The brain does not have a delete option. Storage is becoming an issue. Long term memory is dominate to short term memory. This became apparent when I try to learn new song lyrics. I can remember words to older songs of 60 yrs ago but new lyrics are here today and gone tomorrow.
My wife commented on a tune I was playing on a 100 year old Gibson mandolin that had been lost at a repair shop when they moved to a new location. It was found a year later, repaired, and returned. Reunited, I was playing some tunes and my wife,remarked she had had never heard me play that tune. I suppose the association with the instrument I learned it on brought it back to my pudgy little fingers. I had learned it in another life in the hills of West Virginia.
The brain is indeed a wonderful thing. Learning to use it is another! The older body and the brain are now syinced. It is a work in progress.
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