Discussion»Questions»Life and Society» You do it on your own all alone. You receive help from others. You let others do it for you. Which are you most likely to do? Why?
((hugs)) Me and thee agree! Or thee and me or I and you? Anyway me too! Thank you for your reply Spunky! I'm afraid to tackle plumbing or electrical. As for renovation I'm almost 80. Are you kidding me? I'm gonna take down supporting beams? In your dreams! :)
I hear you, Rosie. The days of doing all those things myself are over. I don't know where I got the nerve to change all the light switches in my apartment, hang wallpaper in my bedroom, grout the tiles in my bathtub etc., but I was young and foolish back then. :)
Oh my Spunky! You are/were way more brave and talented than I. I remember going to a hardware store and buying a long piece of insulation..the kind you affix to the edges of a door to keep out dust and cold. I diligently nailed it around the edges, closed the door and voila! I was really proud of myself for that. Of course I did grouting but NEVER changed light switches or attempted to hang wallpaper. My only experience with wallpaper was when I was ten and my dad was removing the existing wallpaper in one of the bedrooms so he could paint the wall instead. What a mess it was and it took so long to do! I remembered when mom and dad had put up that wallpaper. It took so long to do. You had to get the lines straight or it wouldn't match and would look ridiculous. Boy that takes me back! Thank you for your reply Spunky!
This post was edited by RosieG at September 7, 2017 10:40 AM MDT
I put up the wallpaper a very long time ago and about five years later, I took it down. I wouldn't do it again even if it was in fashion. :) Happy Friday. :)
It just seemed like such arduous work and took so long. Of course I was 10 at the time. At least you learned how to do it on your own. Thank you for your reply Spunky. Are you getting braver and more adventurous as you get older or less? I'm braver intellectually but in every other way not so much. You?
It was arduous, but back when I was in my 20s, I had the energy to do these projects. I also couldn't afford to pay someone to do it for me, so I learned how. I'm not basically a risk-taker or involved in sports, but I have gone up in a hot air balloon, did a tandem sky-dive and went white water rafting - all in my 50s. Haven't done anything like that since. Intellectually, I'm not an overly curious person, but I haven't shut my mind and I'm certainly willing to listen to the other side of an issue. Happy Saturday. :)
Thank you Spunky. Oh my gosh! I have a fear of heights and here you are having gone up in a hot air balloon, did a tandem sky-dive and went white water rafting! Oh my gosh. I guess that makes you a role model for someone whom I would like to be sadly but I'm not. I don't like roller coasters for obvious reasons. I say good for you! I think by now you know I am CURIOUS about everything and anything all at once in a big jumble and sometimes my questions come out reflecting that. I have always been curious but it seems to have ramped up significantly as I got older. Of course no one could have anticipated a Trump as prez. SIGH. Thank you for your reply. I am always happy to listen to another side IF AND ONLY IF the person giving it does not attack me or insult me personally. Some folks can't help themselves. You disagree with them and the first thing they do is attack/insult you for it. Go figger!
Believe me, if anyone had told me I was going to do those things when I was young, I would have laughed at them, but once I hit 50, I figured I'd already lived half my life! I'm not afraid of heights, so it wasn't bad for me.
Still and all CONGRATS!I thought I was VERY BRAVE when I tried escargots! I was 40! I had imbibed a glass of wine and was on my second glass when a dinner companion offered me a taste. Well. It was the texture of mushrooms and in a heavenly garlic sauce, served with killer sourdough bread. One taste and I was hooked. I've done other brave things I guess but they had a purpose. Not to say that sky diving or ballooning doesn't have a purpose for the experience itself but I had a goal to reach and it required something brave of me so I did it. It's like exercise. I don't like it. BUT get me in a huge supermarket and I go up and down the aisles lickity split for hours. Or a really large Farmer's Market . Notice a pattern here? Right. That's what appeals to Foodies. I swear I can be feeling kinda puny but once I get to the market I perk right up. Jim says it's noticeable! I never know what treasure I'm going to find so I get my favorite exercise in supermarkets! I think that should embarrass me Spunky but you know what? I think I'm now past the age of getting embarrassed about being me. Thank you for your reply! :)
Thanks. For me it was just the sheer delight in having the experience. I was around 20 when I first had escargot. I turned my nose up at them at first, but I was hooked after the first one. I love anything with garlic! I recall you saying you're a foodie and I think it's great that you get such enjoyment out of it. No reason at all for you to embarrassed at who or what you are. I made that discovery when I was around 44-ish and never looked back. :) Happy Sunday. :)
Once again you beat me to it sweetie! You are a precocious young'un m'dear! I was 50 when I said "the he** with it " and stopped being embarrassed. Now are there times when I wish I had said something else or reacted differently? Sure. But did it embarrass me? Naw! :)
I'm a week away from 72 - not such a young 'un. :) It takes us a while to realize that if we are happy with ourselves, it doesn't matter that much what others thing. I'm sure there are words I would prefer not to have uttered or things I may have done that would better have been left alone, but all those things make us who we are. Happy Monday, Rosie. :)
Really Spunky? I think I told you I shall be 80 soon! I can't believe I'm that old frankly. Most of the time I feel the same as I did in my 40's. I'm one of the lucky ones. I am not in pain 24/7 from anything. I do get arthritis in my right hand from time to time but it always goes away. Jim has a bad back 24/7 so I do ALL the heavy lifting which is very good for me because my upper body strength is amazing for an old lady. We get our water at a water store and we have 3-gallon jugs. Each gallon weighs 8 lbs so I am lifting 24-lb bottles of water and have been doing that for years. It saves Jim from pain and is good for me! Lucky gal that I am. I'm not sure why. Having cancer was the only serious health issue I've ever had and I'm pretty sure I beat it because I'm 9 plus years cancer-free. I'd say it was good genes. My mom and her mom lived to their mid-90's but they both had so many health issues their quality of life wasn't that good. I thank my lucky stars every day because having good health is priceless. Other than Jim's back he is very healthy too. He is almost 82 and plays tennis and golf regularly! Hope you and yours are equally blessed m'dear health-wise and every other wise. Getting older isn't for wimps..someone once said. But it sure beats the alternative! :) Thank you for your reply m'dear! :)
Really - I also wonder how I got this old so fast. :) I think that as long as I have my mental health, I can face any physical problems. I have arthritis in my knees and a herniated disc in my lower back, but that's about it. My dad lived to 93 and my mom will be 93 in November, but both of them were diagnosed with dementia. This is my real fear, but I can't let it rule my life. No, getting is old is not for the faint of heart. :) Keep it up Rosie, you're doing great!
Is your mom a Scorpio then? Both Jim and I are! Dementia is what we fear as well. My mom became senile and she was 95 when she passed. I don't think it got to the Alzheimer's level but still it is very scary to see how a person just disappears within. That's why I play Bespelled, a Scrabble-like game on the computer offline and why I show up here every day keeping my mind busy busy busy. Jim plays tennis and golf and that takes as much mental ability/agility as what I do. I mean you can't be good at a sport without engaging your brain at the same time! So my friend I say to you what you said to me. Keep it up Spunky! You're doing great too my friend! :)I just thought of another question. And so it goes! You'll recognize it! :)
Yes, she's a Scorpio. It is very distressing to witness the complete mental loss of the person who raised four children and took care of a husband and household reduced to not being able to do the simplest task. I'm sure that if either of my parents knew that was the way they would end their days, they would have taken their lives. So far, I still have most of my marbles, so I'll just trudge on and hope for the best. It's one of the reasons I haven't retired completely - just work three days a week.
I can't even imagine how sad it is for you to have to witness the decline. You have the memories of whom she was at her best and seeing her now must be heartbreaking. I don't know what the right thing to do would be Spunky but this chat triggered another question. No surprse to you. You'll recognize it! Thank you for your reply! :).
It's very sad, but she doesn't know that her life has little quality, so at least I have that to console me. She eats, has a warm place to sleep and people to take care of her and she's relatively happy.
That's very good Spunky. I think if she can get pleasure out of the food she eats, her environmen, and sleeps well at night then she does have quality in her life. How her brain works is very different now than before but her body works the same. Hopefully her senses are not impaired. She can hear and see and feel and inhale fragrances. She can feel the soft touch of the wind on her cheek and the warmth of the sun. Sh can enjoy the diamonds on the water when the sun shines down on it and hear the birds chirping. Thank you for your reply Spunky. Does she have friends or is it basically family members who engage with her?
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