“Aren’t you a little (too) old for that?”
I’m asked this often, usually as part of a message that I should be living more “conservatively,” prolonging my existence.
That life should be hoarded. That I will have more of it if I do less.
I’ve usually headed the other direction, which has resulted in some spectacularly bad decisions, some haunt me to this day.
In the shockingly difficult struggle to become a better man, I try to be less reactive (radioactive, according to some), more empathetic, generous in spirit.
But I still race cars, captain my boat, ride my one-wheel gyro. And am asked the question:
“Aren’t you a little old for that?”
There are trade-offs. Where’s the line between living fully and being adequately cautious?
After crashing my gyro in Victoria a few years ago and tearing up my shoulder, I wondered if my sailing was over.
The shoulder healed, but that was a contemplative event. Am I “a little (too) old for that?”
Apparently I decided that playing percentages is not the best course for me. Still, there are reminders that what “is” is not what was.
This spring a mild back injury would not let me sleep a full night, race a full weekend, or dance the Blues away. But I don’t know if the tweak was from pulling a heavy mooring ball to deck or sleeping on a too-soft mattress.
A dear friend can’t walk without assistance after a medical misadventure. Another is looking at her second shoulder replacement. Friends are dying of heart disease or cancer. Do I want to live less now for more of that future?
That heavy mooring ball provided a lesson. At one time, lifting it clear of the water with its heavy chain carrying 70 pounds of seaweed and mussels was not a concern.
It’s more difficult, now. Lifting and twisting is not something I want to do against strong current or high winds. Which forces the choice, do I wait for better conditions or risk injury? Or come up with a clever technical solution?
Driving ten hours now seems to take much longer than it did. That spark of “activation energy” to complete a task seems more often out of reach.
Things are different than they were. Am I “a little (too) old for that?”
Then there are relationships. Age is hard to fight in romance, and 70-year-old men are genetically beyond our shelf life. For the majority of men my age, the only hardening is of arteries.
Whatever the cause, Mother Nature has very little empathy for the non-essential. Her recipe for genetic success is turn-over, constantly getting new product to market. Old products are stamped with an expiration date.
Unfortunately, some of us still on the shelf don’t know that. Just as Mother Nature left out the “off switch” for maternal instincts, she neglected the procreation off-switch in many men, with predictable and humiliating consequences.
So add dating to the question: Is it time to be more risk-averse? Is it time to start shopping for a recliner and big-screen TV?
Am I “a little (too) old for that?”
For now, my answer is “no.” I am not too old, regardless of what comes next. For as long as I am able, I’ll squeeze this life until there’s not a drop of exhilaration left. Until loss of strength in hands or heart makes adventure impossible to find.
Great write Eric!
Mr D. understand and agree 100%. I'm living with nerve damage that was the result of a fall - 45 years ago. No issues until this last year. I'm not one to live in fear but I am certainly more cautious -lifting, turning, carrying, bending etc etc. And of course the covid restrictions for more than a year has led me to a much more sedentary lifestyle. See you at the track.