I Can See You Now...

Oh my, do we have a collection of parts which give up on us or what? You already know my hip gave up on me... and I'm not alone. Like our ancient warrior families, we travel in packs. However, things have changed. Our packs have regrouped and are less aggressive... or at least I hope they are.

We have the Hip Pack, Hearing Pack, Sight Pack and Aching Bones Pack. There are others but I am afraid to get too far into this. It's best to stick with basics. I believe it is important for us to concentrate on at least one of our daily irritants at a time. Two of them would be too many.

OK, if you paid attention to the title of this column you are a winner. You already know that I have new glasses. Was this easy? Nope. Could I afford it? Nope. I had to wait three years in between check-ups to accomplish this financial feat. Why? Insurance. We don't have it. In fact, if some elderly one of us bumps into you in a public place, you may ask this question: "Do you have optical insurance?" They'll probably smack you with their purse or cane. If you hear laughter... it's me.

Let's begin again. If you are like we are... Medicare is your source of health care. It does not include certain things like glasses and those rasty old teeth of yours but it does cover your basic health needs. All of us who use Medicare will now jump up and down to celebrate our coverage. Heh, heh.

Truth is that some of us can't jump up and down but we can bathe, walk, shop, visit with friends and keep up our own households. Aside from the ability to move, there are two other key elements we need: sight and sound. I can't imagine a dark world. My eyes bring everything to me. From the words on pages of books to the eagles who grace the sky in front of our house... they bring me pictures of life. I can't let that go.

This past week has taught me to be humble. I had my eye exam a few weeks ago and decided to pick the cheapest eyeglasses on the planet. The nice lady tried to show me other options but I resisted. I chose the first one, stayed put and emptied my pockets. No wonder so many folks can't see.

When the glasses arrived I went to look at the new me. Friends... this is not purty. I look like Mr. Magoo. No, wait... I look like Mr. Peabody... no, wait... I look like someone I've never looked like before. This scares Linda. Nick and Grover don't really know what to do with me either but as the days go by it gets easier. I told them that they have to love me.

Nothing else matters because I can see. A gift that keeps on giving. Oh, and I am grateful that I can't see me. On the rare occasion that I look in a mirror, I am confused. Since this mirrors my personality... I guess it's OK.

Bottom line here is we should be more careful about critical exams as we get older. Because most of our moms have gone away, we are pretty lax. How important is your sight and hearing? What would your mom say? If you value these things, you need to take care of them. Friends, this does not mean that you buy a mix of exotic herbs from a TV commercial. It means that you get out of your recliner and see a real doctor.

Next up will be hearing. Though I thrive on sounds of people, I'm not much on other sounds and often prefer silence. This is a symptom of the trouble ahead. My very own lovely mother is losing her hearing. Not completely... but so perilously close. Sound has become troubling to her because she's not used to it.

She is one of the lucky ones who can have hearing aids but they don't solve the problem. Her hearing ability has worn out and requires a great deal of effort on her part to try and get it back. She has been alone in her quiet world for enough years that the hearing aid is an interruption in her life. Sometimes it works... sometimes it doesn't. I'm hoping she brings her hearing back... or at least a part of it. If not, I'll get a chalk board. I still have more to learn from this lady.

See, hear... make appointments where necessary if you can't. xoxo