Aging Has It's Moments of Laughter
There's something to be said for aging and then there's aging with dignity, or maybe not. Wes and I have laughed over misunderstandings because our hearing isn't as sharp as it used to be and no matter how long you've been married there are still many moments of misunderstandings, again, it's probably because our hearing is going, but, oftentimes we think we know what the other person will say before they say it and too often we've assumed wrong. Most of the times the crazy things we do and then blame on aging just cause us to shake our heads at one another and laugh.
Last week we had one of 'those' days. I had been asked to babysit our grandchildren early in the morning while our daughter-in-law went for a doctor's appointment in the city. After the kids were up I made them breakfast, we did a few rounds of the chicken dance and then packed up to go to Wal-Mart. I decided that Grandma needed some new toys to add to her toy box. I had planned out how I would make this work. I parked as close as I could to the shopping carts outside, which happened to be the farthest ones from the doors, but, I thought, if I plan it right it would be the best option. Thankfully it was wonderfully warm outside for a winter morning so the carts wouldn't be ice cold for the kids and I would try to make the ride to the front doors fun. Dominic giggled all the way into the store because the cart wiggled and bumped over snowy spots and Blaique was happy because she could hold my purse going into the store. In the back of my mind I was thinking that I had forgotten something, but, kept forging ahead because who knows how long the kids would stay happy being carted around.
It was quite dark in the store and I wondered for a moment if they were having a problem with their lights and then I realized that I had forgotten to switch my prescription sunglasses for my regular glasses. And of course they weren't my sunglasses with the small lenses and a lighter tint, nope, I had on my Anne Klein's with oversized frames. Oh great! I would look as if I was trying to avoid paparazzi which in Winkler would mean what? A Times or Voice photographer?
I stood just inside the entrance aisle for a short moment wondering what my best option was. Drag the kids back to the other end of the parking lot or try to blindly find my way around the store. Well, how hard could this be? We were, after all, only going to the toy section so I opted for an out of focus shopping excursion. Not a smart idea. People were greeting me, but, until they were really close by I couldn't see who they were, so I faked it until I finally decided to put my sunglasses back on and we got back to serious shopping. Thankfully my grandchildren are too small to understand or even care why Grandma does the things she does and we had a great time together. I held every toy up for a close inspection and soon the cart was full and the kids were happy and off we went to Grandma's house.
Then came the evening and it was Wes' turn to show his forgetful side. During the afternoon he had gone into the garage with Blaique who wanted to spend some time with the Barbie Jeep we had bought her when we were in Minneapolis. It's one of those gifts that will stay at Grandma & Grandpa's house so she has space to drive it around in summer which is something that's tough to explain to a 2 1/2 year old. Wes spent a fair bit of time with her inspecting the motor, kicking the tires...the usual and when they came in we all decided that we would go for supper together. We had the grandkids in our truck and Tina was following behind, Mark was going to meet us in town. We had just turned toward the highway when Wes said, "Oh shoot!" I asked him what the problem was and he started laughing. Well, when he had gone with Blaique into the garage he had simply put on his house slippers and so when we decided to go for supper he just climbed into the truck and off we went and he was still in his slippers. What to do? We decided to forge ahead. I said, "It's dark, who's going to notice? And your slippers are a darker color so unless someone is paying real close attention in the restaurant it won't matter!" We chuckled all the way to town and made our way into the restaurant, had a great meal and wonderful conversation and no one around us seemed to noticed Wes' footwear at all.
You know in scripture it talks about the sorrows of aging.
Remember your Creator while you are young, before the time comes when the sun and the moon and the stars become dark to you —before problems come again and again like one storm after another.
At that time your arms will lose their strength. Your legs will become weak and bent. Your teeth will fall out, and you will not be able to chew your food. Your eyes will not see clearly. You will become hard of hearing. You will not hear the noise in the streets. Even the stone grinding your grain will seem quiet to you. You will not be able to hear the women singing. But even the sound of a bird singing will wake you early in the morning because you will not be able to sleep. You will be afraid of high places. You will be afraid of tripping over every small thing in your path. Your hair will become white like the flowers on an almond tree. You will drag yourself along like a grasshopper when you walk. You will lose your desire, and then you will go to your eternal home.
Ecclesiastes 12:2-5
So, what's the lesson here?
LIFE IS A GIFT: SO PUT ON YOUR SUNGLASSES AND SLIPPERS AND ENJOY IT!!
Last week we had one of 'those' days. I had been asked to babysit our grandchildren early in the morning while our daughter-in-law went for a doctor's appointment in the city. After the kids were up I made them breakfast, we did a few rounds of the chicken dance and then packed up to go to Wal-Mart. I decided that Grandma needed some new toys to add to her toy box. I had planned out how I would make this work. I parked as close as I could to the shopping carts outside, which happened to be the farthest ones from the doors, but, I thought, if I plan it right it would be the best option. Thankfully it was wonderfully warm outside for a winter morning so the carts wouldn't be ice cold for the kids and I would try to make the ride to the front doors fun. Dominic giggled all the way into the store because the cart wiggled and bumped over snowy spots and Blaique was happy because she could hold my purse going into the store. In the back of my mind I was thinking that I had forgotten something, but, kept forging ahead because who knows how long the kids would stay happy being carted around.
It was quite dark in the store and I wondered for a moment if they were having a problem with their lights and then I realized that I had forgotten to switch my prescription sunglasses for my regular glasses. And of course they weren't my sunglasses with the small lenses and a lighter tint, nope, I had on my Anne Klein's with oversized frames. Oh great! I would look as if I was trying to avoid paparazzi which in Winkler would mean what? A Times or Voice photographer?
I stood just inside the entrance aisle for a short moment wondering what my best option was. Drag the kids back to the other end of the parking lot or try to blindly find my way around the store. Well, how hard could this be? We were, after all, only going to the toy section so I opted for an out of focus shopping excursion. Not a smart idea. People were greeting me, but, until they were really close by I couldn't see who they were, so I faked it until I finally decided to put my sunglasses back on and we got back to serious shopping. Thankfully my grandchildren are too small to understand or even care why Grandma does the things she does and we had a great time together. I held every toy up for a close inspection and soon the cart was full and the kids were happy and off we went to Grandma's house.
Then came the evening and it was Wes' turn to show his forgetful side. During the afternoon he had gone into the garage with Blaique who wanted to spend some time with the Barbie Jeep we had bought her when we were in Minneapolis. It's one of those gifts that will stay at Grandma & Grandpa's house so she has space to drive it around in summer which is something that's tough to explain to a 2 1/2 year old. Wes spent a fair bit of time with her inspecting the motor, kicking the tires...the usual and when they came in we all decided that we would go for supper together. We had the grandkids in our truck and Tina was following behind, Mark was going to meet us in town. We had just turned toward the highway when Wes said, "Oh shoot!" I asked him what the problem was and he started laughing. Well, when he had gone with Blaique into the garage he had simply put on his house slippers and so when we decided to go for supper he just climbed into the truck and off we went and he was still in his slippers. What to do? We decided to forge ahead. I said, "It's dark, who's going to notice? And your slippers are a darker color so unless someone is paying real close attention in the restaurant it won't matter!" We chuckled all the way to town and made our way into the restaurant, had a great meal and wonderful conversation and no one around us seemed to noticed Wes' footwear at all.
You know in scripture it talks about the sorrows of aging.
Remember your Creator while you are young, before the time comes when the sun and the moon and the stars become dark to you —before problems come again and again like one storm after another.
At that time your arms will lose their strength. Your legs will become weak and bent. Your teeth will fall out, and you will not be able to chew your food. Your eyes will not see clearly. You will become hard of hearing. You will not hear the noise in the streets. Even the stone grinding your grain will seem quiet to you. You will not be able to hear the women singing. But even the sound of a bird singing will wake you early in the morning because you will not be able to sleep. You will be afraid of high places. You will be afraid of tripping over every small thing in your path. Your hair will become white like the flowers on an almond tree. You will drag yourself along like a grasshopper when you walk. You will lose your desire, and then you will go to your eternal home.
Ecclesiastes 12:2-5
So, what's the lesson here?
LIFE IS A GIFT: SO PUT ON YOUR SUNGLASSES AND SLIPPERS AND ENJOY IT!!
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