The Sentinel, Life Changes 201027

      Much of this post is my experience, but many of you will recognize that you have had similar events at the same time in your life.

      Time of life has a way of changing all of us. The first big change is about the age of 13. I can remember that with all the transformation my body went through. From this point on I will be writing in a first person view. My mom and dad seemed to be so backward and not able to understand me as teenager and what I wanted to do. Around 21, mom and dad started to seem a little more intelligent than I thought they were when I was 13. About 30-35 I began to realize I didn’t have the stamina I had at 18. By 40, while I was blessed with 2020 vision earlier, I noticed my eyes were not quite what they had been and fine print was getting tough to read. By 50, WOW! The changes were as dramatic as hitting a brick wall, hormonal change, back aches, sleeping changes. The brick wall was tumbling on top of me. Long about 60 I began to realize my own time on earth was limited, grandparents were gone, my father was gone and mom was barely hanging on by a thread. I realized it was my turn next. Whatever I wanted to do in life had best already have been accomplished for achievements became few and far between. During the 1995-2007 period, a big concern was holding on to a paying job. It’s not easy to find a new occupation at 50-60. The old job was not available anymore. The old one was gone to China. Employers don’t want to train an old man in a new field when they can hire a young person at less money than an older person needs to cover his/her living expenses. Now at 70-75, I can’t think of anyone I know here where Joyce and I live that is that old. It's certainly a different life than ever before. I can’t do what I did at 60. We require more assistance and that is not something we ever needed in our early lives. We were always the ones who gave assistance to others. It’s not in our nature at all to need or want help. After 80, in my experience with others, it is not something I want to go through.