At 63 years of age, I will be the first to admit that I am not in great shape. Overweight, achy and inclined to comfort over activity, my boomer body has seen better years. However, some parts of my anatomy are still important to me.

My Hands

These are my hands. Most of my life, people have complimented me on my hands. I have always loved rings and used to wear more on my other fingers and thumbs. Now I look at them and see the ravages of arthritis andContinue Reading

So, this is me—flat on my back on the snow-covered driveway not long ago. Slipped on the snow, boom—down for the count. As I lay there laughing (the snow padded the fall well), Rory took my picture. He then texted this to our four adult children—none of whom found it funny. Their first reaction was “why was he taking a picture instead of taking care of me?” Overall, a blow to my self-esteem more than my body. However, it did get me thinking about the pitfalls and truths of the aging process, so here are five realities I am learning about being an aging baby boomer.

Falling Happens

Last year, I fell on the sidewalk during a parade while visiting my daughter and granddaughter. As you can see, I fell in the snow a month or so ago. Just the other day, I fell on the back deck while playing with our dog.

I haven’t sustained any broken bones or serious injuries from these falls (knock on wood!)—yet. I am personally acquainted with people about 10-15 years older than me who have sustained broken arms, hips and wrists, so I am always worried about it, though.

Honestly, I never feel dizzy when I fall—I just fall!  I do know it hurts a lot! I seem to have lost my ability to catch myself and stay upright when I trip. I am suddenly falling and unable to keep my balance or even try to land softly.

The causes can be myriad why we seem to fall more as we age, but my arthritis and its medications; old bone damage from a long-ago accident; dehydration (I drink too much coffee and not enough H2O). Scratch that—there is no “too much coffee” in my world!

At any rate, the aging process brings with it many changes that can cause unsteadiness and lack of balance. The outcome for me is worried kids and a husband who is seriously talking about ordering the “help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up button”! Probably the only thing saving me from that fate is that I can get up and usually am just fine.

Disappearing Words & Thoughts

Wait, I forgot what I was going to write about here—oh yes, I remember. How many times have you forgotten the word you just had in your head? The movie title that won’t come to you, so you start describing the whole thing in hopes someone will know what you are talking about? I literally start playing charades but using words to help. So frustrating!

Then there is the purposeful walk from  Continue Reading