Old Age Is Super
The Empowering And Marvelous Things That Happen After You Turn That Corner
Old age has granted me superpowers.
OK, no bounding over buildings no matter how many bounds. But I can see through walls! Bend time, hear it all, see the future. Oh this benefit of seniordom is way more than getting a buck off at the theater or a cheap cup of coffee.
Superpower #1 — Super Vision
At 61, things are more clear. The path doesn’t wind around as tightly as a decade or so ago. I know what I like. And what I don’t. Long-running disputes in my mind have begun to thaw.
Being closer to the finish line has afforded me with crystal clarity that chocolate chip cookie dough and cheese balls are super foods. Be gone, harbingers of high cholesterol! I have a new definition of super.
It has let me see the declining importance that each slice of supreme pizza takes a day off your life. It doesn’t have time.
It’s helped me see that some friendships are timeless. Others really aren’t.
More clarity in knowing that rounding up at the cash register is mailing it in. If I am going to contribute to a cause, I need to learn more about it than I could gather in the drive-thru.
When I was a young man, I remember chuckling at an elderly man who was wearing sandals with socks. I totally get that now. Just give me warm socks and clothes that don’t bind.
Superpower #2 — Bending Time
When I was in college, I could get out of bed, be fully dressed, teeth brushed and out the door in 10 minutes. Now, losing the ability to operate at that speed brought the ability to control time. I now know how to press pause.
These days, when I’m blessed with a beautiful sunrise I get out of the car. I leave the phone in the car. I stop what I’m doing. I pause. And time slows to a crawl as I take in one of God’s paintings.
When I’m on a lake, on mornings graced with peace and quiet, I paddle my kayak as a man who understands he’s not entitled to this simple physical pleasure. I feel each pull of my paddle on the water as I glide. Getting anywhere fast is contrary. Each dip of the paddle rebinds my soul with nature.
When I fish, time loses relevance. I become part of that sacred hoop of life my native brothers knew so well that transcends centuries. I feel the tug of each bass I hook. In each fish, their deep greens and perfect lines, I see the hand of the Architect. The day passes without much notice as I focus on the hunt.
A new song, or a good old one, can now erase the hands of time for a bit. The same is true of a well-written book or verse.
My aged brain values certain things and that’s given me the ability to focus on the many gifts I used to glaze over.
Superpower #3 — Listening
When I was younger, when speaking with others I jockeyed for position. It was so important to get my point or my story out that I often didn’t really hear what others were saying.
And there was likely some good stuff in there.
I’m still not as good as I’d like to be at listening, but nowadays I’m aware. And a funny thing happens when you listen: You hear.
When my daughter or son have time to talk, I listen.I stop what I’m doing and sit down. I hear their eagerness in their adventures and their trepidation at learning life’s curves. What they love and how they love it. And I’ve learned those moments gets stored in such a way that they resonate in me and I’m somehow sure they will for the rest of my days.
I listen closely when I see a friend I haven’t seen for a while. I ask questions to prompt more things I should hear. In those conversations, I set time aside and focus on the person.
And the outdoors. Oh my! It really is a symphony. Bugs and birds and leaves rustling in the wind. The splash of water under my kayak paddle. If I stop and listen — really listen — it’s like tuning in a radio station.
Who knew that listening could stretch the very fabric of time?
Superpower #4 — All Seeing
So I don’t exactly see the future. It’s more like I’m in the vicinity of future things and from there I can figure out where it’s going.
When you’re older, you’re closer to that other shore. The veil is thinner. Some days you can see your mom, from Up Yonder, yelling at you to straighten your hair. The boatman hasn’t punched your ticket yet, but you’ve read the brochure. And, since you’re in the neighborhood, you can make out the end.
But being able to see the end is just a part of the larger benefit. The real superpower is knowing — really knowing — the finite nature of man. Knowing my days are numbered helps me focus and value what’s important and the gifts God provides. I taste things more. I see colors and hear nuances. Everything is richer and deeper.
“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.”
– Frank Lloyd Wright
The benefits of aging outweigh the downsides. And, frankly, getting old is kinda funny at times.
When we were young, my fraternity brothers and I bragged of bold adventures, talked of beautiful women and dreamed of fast cars. Now we talk about the high cost of healthcare, polyps and who had what removed lately.
And my superpowers will make the last loop of my ride a good one.
— 30 —
