Manage Delivery
They just don’t get it.
Nearly everybody in my age bracket will tell you. Able-bodied people simply can’t relate to a couple of facts of life that the ripened generation knows all too well:
Everything 1) gets harder and 2) takes longer.
Oh, they try. But unless they’ve had to overcome some debilitating ailment or mishap, they’re still surprised when you choose a straight chair – with arms – over their poofy sofa. Or, to avoid getting stuck on their powder room’s porcelain, you’ll just cross your legs.
You can understand why a youngster might be a bit impatient. No joints protest audibly when the high school jock squats to tie his enormous shoes. And what teenage female has a problem contorting her arms to hook her bra? Yes, kid ignorance is forgivable.
Sometimes, we get impatient with ourselves. For 60 years now, I’ve been coping and compensating for my own physical limitations, yet sometimes I’m still mildly surprised it’s so hard to hoist my derriere up from where I’ve been sitting a while.
Even some dedicated professionals fail to grasp the depth of our impossibilities. I’ve had many fine, well-trained therapists who remain unconvinced. Oh, they try, but they simply can’t accept that it just won’t work. “C’mon,” they urge. “You can do it.” Sigh. Only peers in years fully understand.
What we cannot change, we just accept. The strong become impatient. The unstrong groan and bear it.
It gets harder. It takes longer. We keep on keeping on, grateful we still can.
