Getting Old isn’t for Sissies!
Ed Decker
I was at the market the other day and was peering into my I-phone trying to see what was next on my list when a young man chuckled as he walked by me said, “Getting old must really suck.” He was already down the aisle before I could get my cane out and whack him a good one.
The truth is I think getting old can be the best part of life. At least it is for me. At my advanced age, I don’t have to do things that are good for my career anymore. I have long ago forgotten the things that I should be worrying about. The memory thing is both good and bad. I can forget why I walked into a room, but I clearly remember something I did in high school. But, sometimes the whole memory system gets a bit foggy,
Just the other day I was reading an eBook and thought, “Why am I reading about a lady Sherriff in Arizona? What happened to the CIA agent tracking that serial killer in Florida?”
I mentioned this mystery to my wife, and she asked me what app I was using. I said I was in my Kindle app. She asked me to click over to my library app, where I store books from the public library.,,
I did, and there was my CIA agent. Somehow, I managed to get two-thirds through two books at the same time; just depending on which ‘app’ I clicked. The thing is, I never realized it, but I just settled in with either book without a blink.,
This eBook thing is very neat. I went from a whole library wall of books down to about 12 favorites. I found that by the time I finished the last book, I couldn’t remember the first one and would happily start all over again. Now I don’t remember where the ten books are.
This is coming from a fanatical bibliophile. The concept of borrowing a book from a library instead of buying it was a foreign concept to me for most of my life. Let me share a little story about my library before I forget.
A few years back, before we began the downsizing of our lives, I had an awesome Louis L’Amour collection. My wife suggested that I sell them before we moved out of the ‘big’ house. Reluctantly, I went on eBay where I had been buying and selling rare books for a few years.
I went through some of the back channels and while I was checking out prices, I found a leather-bound collection of about 120 of his leatherette books that a lady had put up for bid. There were only a few days left on her posting, and no one else had bid. I guess I forgot why I was on eBay. On a sudden urge that only another book fiend could understand, I bid $50.
Two weeks later, the UPS man dropped off 5 cases of Louie’s books. Fortunately, my wife was not at home. I hid them in the garage and slowly began the slow process of placing them on the shelves, one or two at a time, replacing the books I already owned. They went into the boxes in the garage. I would deal with them later, I thought.
That worked fine for the first dozen or so, but soon the wall had taken on a different look. Kind of a leather section. We were watching TV. She looked over at that section of the bookcases and slowly got up and walked over. She slid one of my new treasures out and turned it over in her hands. She looked at me and then at the book. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
We have moved to a smaller home now, and they still fill up an entire bookcase and more. Life is good in the slow lane. I still have the same wife, too.
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