Observations on Life - Growing Old

Old age........................... getting older..................... looking old............ when does it all happen?

Tonight I was walking home after dinner from an adjacent suburb and I passed three older Chinese gentleman walking towards me. One of these gentlemen was talking very loudly and very seriously and got my attention. As I looked at them coming towards me I made some visual and mental observations. Side pocket grey trousers pulled up so that the belt line was approximately at navel level, zip up shoes, checked shirts tucked in tightly to accentuate the curve of the tummy, thinning and receding hairline's, and a walk that says " I am old" even though they only looked about 60. I wondered to myself as I walked towards these guys when I would make the transition from middle age to "old bloke".

Is it a transition that people don't notice until it's too late? Is it something that people just don't care about? When does a person realise that its time to hang up their favourite pair of jeans in favour of some grey side pocket trousers? When do T-shirts become flannellete checked shirts tucked in so that the look resembles a Gut Buster's advertisement? Does sharing a meal mean that you eat half of it and then pass the false teeth to your partner so that your partner can finish the meal? Does going to bed involve putting your false teeth and your hair on the side table, checking that you have really exhausted every drip in your bladder so that you don't wet the bed, and try to remember your partner's name before you say goodnight so you don't get into trouble?

I pondered these mysteries of life as I passed these three gentlemen and looked at the one who was gobbing off at the other two and thought to myself " I hope getting older takes a very long time"........

For now, Tales of Asia signing off.

Alan