Perspectives On Aging
An Ordinary Day in My Life as a Retiree
My life is not too different from others in my age group, as we share many things in common that allow us to empathize with each other. I lead two lives, and through the recollection of my memories, I spend time living in the past almost on a daily basis. This gives me much pleasure, as I have discovered the ability to bring up only the pleasant memories and leave the others behind. It is possible that many of them are embellished by fantasy, making them even more pleasurable. Because I keep them to myself, they cannot be tarnished by the sometimes-ugly reality.
When I was a boy, I also used to lead two lives, one of which was not the result of memory recollection (as there was not very much past to remember), but of things to come, a product of my imagination, creating a beautiful future containing many elements, some of which came true. It was like a magic garden in which a few seeds eventually bloomed.
Now, like then, I also have the life of the present. In my younger years, I used the present to build the foundations of my life. Now I use it in a much different way. I sit on the back porch of my house and enjoy the sight and smell of colorful and fragrant flowers. I watch the squirrels in their playful games. They like to come out of hiding in the early morning hours and in late afternoon, just like me. They are very smart, in the manner of rodents, as they often outmaneuver my wife by eating the seeds from the birdfeeder before the seed gets to the birds.
I read a lot, both in Spanish and in English, and also listen to music that has melody, like the music of the past. Modern music is mostly rhythm. It reflects modern society, where rawhide and roughness prevail and beauty is usually absent.
I go to the grocery store, not only to buy food, but also to chat briefly with friends I encounter by chance. These brief encounters often bring pleasant surprises. They are the small adventures in my otherwise predictable life.
I play tennis in the early morning hours with a group of gentlemen close to my age, an activity I enjoy mostly because of the social interaction with the quality people that join me in the sport. But I am the least likable among this distinguished group, as I am a poor loser by nature. They take my temper tantrums lightly, as they know that irascible old men are just the result of a failing frontal lobe.
Dr. Carlos Muniz is a retired psychiatrist from Gainesville.
He may be contacted through the editor at editor@towerpublications.com
