"At Your age."

         It happened during a routine visit to a cardiologist, to clear up some nagging issues. Like most doctor’s visits, the conversation drifted into life style, diet and other factors that might impact on my medical status.

        The Doctor was both knowledgeable and helpful, explaining why and how outside factors, diet and exercise  affect certain physical systems. He also started to explain how people reacted differently in stages of their life.   He began the sentence “At your age.” Huh, I thought. “At my age.” What did he mean by that? I had never heard the phrase addressed to me before.  “Wait,” I wanted to say. “What age are you talking about? I am still fairly young.”

        At 76 years of age, I know that I am “no spring chicken.” But, I still think of myself as much younger, maybe in my fifties or a little older. But “at you age?” Have I really reached that point where physical vagaries are heavily influenced by my age? “When did this happen?” I wondered.

        The doctor must have been used to people finally reaching “their age” and having it act as a principal causation of many failing systems. I made my case for how many times a week we hit the gym and how active we were. The Doc just nodded sagely and said “good, keep that up.”

         I left, with the usual parcel of prescriptions and suggestions of how to manage by health at “My age.” The conversation stayed with me for several days. I measured myself, my image in the mirror, my general physical condition and wondered how long ago I had reached “this age?”

      Some of our community’s residents are in pretty good shape well into their late eighties, playing golf, bocce and enjoying a much-earned golden retirement. Others start to falter at a much younger age. All of us watch for signs of forgetfulness and the dreaded approach of either senility or alzheimer’s disease.

       I look at things a little differently now when I am out and about. How much time have I left in my passage here on earth? I suppose none of us know really. We just do our best to get along day by day, hoping for “another tomorrow and another and another after that.”

       “Carpe Diem” is the Latin phrase for “Seize the day.” Robin Williams made it famous in one of his movies. We do indeed try to squeeze the marrow from every day that we are granted on earth. And at “This age,” I will just have to settle for what luck, fate, good medical care and a healthy life style will bring me.

         “At my age,” indeed !

                                                -30-

                                         (454 words)

                                Joseph Xavier Martin