Human beings worry about uncertainty in the future.
Animals live in fear, but they do not worry about their future.
At 92, I have old-age worries only.
I am lucky: (a) All duties are over, (b) Well settled children and grand-children, and (c) Caring wife and children.
My limbs and brain have served me well, for nine decades.
Now I have problems: (a) Dementia, (b) Arthritis in the knees, and (c) A catheter installed in my urinary passage.
I forget the catheter's utility, due to dementia, And I still go to toilet to urinate as usual, Although it is not possible now.
Now the catheter has become a permanent fixture in my life.
I need three lifelines for normal living: (a) Dentures, (b) Reading glasses, and (c) A walker.
Arthritis I can walk 30 meters at a stretch, with a walker, but not more than 100 meters in a day.
I need a wheelchair for longer distances.
A day in my life at 92 * I get up, early in the morning at 4 AM, while everyone else is sleeping, and I go to the toilet-room on my own, with a walker.
I don't have enough patience to keep sitting on the toilet-seat.
I wipe my ass dry, reasonably clean, and come out in a hurry.
* During the day, when I go near the toilet-room, I feel like, going in again.
Sometimes, when I have stomach-gas, I get tense; it could be a call for 'number two'.
More often than not, it is a false alarm, but I can't take chance.
It can happen, many times in a day.
* I prefer to go to the toilet-room on my own; But if my wife or son come to know, They try to help me, to sit on the toilet-seat.
I ask them to go out, as I feel awkward in their presence.
I avoid calling them, for help.
They keep an eye on me, through the half-open door, for my safety.
They try to supplement my cleaning efforts; I accept the offer reluctantly.
*Sometimes, I go to toilet before lunch and again after lunch.
My wife takes a pun, "You are in toilet, most of the time!" Yes, it is true at 92.
Bath, breakfast, and prayers I enjoy a shower-bath, all by myself.
I cover my torso with a towel, and wipe the body dry.
My wife, 88 years young, takes out my clothes from the cupboard.
I can wear clothes, without any help.
Dentures, my first lifeline I keep my dentures in a water-bowl overnight, for cleaning.
But next morning, I forget, "Where did I keep the dentures?" I often caution my son, "Keep the dentures in the cupboard.
Somebody may steal.
" Prayers After breakfast, I go to the prayer-room.
My second lifeline, the reading glasses, are placed there.
I read daily one or two pages of the holy book.
It is a never-ending continuous activity.
I forget, which page I was reading the previous day.
I jot down the page number, But I can't recollect the next day, "Where did I write?" Life goes on, and it does not really matter.
I will continue reading the scriptures, till my last day.
Forgetfulness *After prayers, I want to take a rest, But I forget, the way to bedroom.
Do I need road-signs in the house? *I am tired now; so I need a short nap.
When I get up, in the afternoon, I am not sure, whether it is early morning or afternoon.
I may go for a bath again.
*Due to dementia, My memory of recent incidents is nearly zero.
Sometimes I ask for a breakfast item, a second time, As I forget that I had it already.
Sometimes by mistake, I take the same medicine, twice.
*Surprisingly, I recall 50 years old incidents successfully.
I remember the name -- Mr.
Lal Deen Abid, The Head Master of my school in 1939.
Old age confusion *I do get confused sometimes.
I ask my son, daily, "Whose house is this, where I am staying?" He tells me that it is my house.
I have my doubts.
*Sometimes I ask my wife, "Am I in a room or in a train?" The windows of my room and trains appear similar to me.
Self-help In the dining room, My children keep an eye on me, and Adjust the dining chair when I sit down.
I consider an unsolicited help, as interference in my life.
I want to sustain my belief that I am self-reliant.
I know, they try to play safe; As elderly, I have high probability of falls and injuries.
My ego My son needs lot of patience to handle me successfully.
If he takes a head-on confrontation, I fight back.
I love to do things myself.
If he just supervises or guides me, and lets me do, I am happy.
It is not easy, to handle an old-age person, who suffers from dementia.
Socializing I live a reasonably normal life, for my age.
I go for an evening 'walk' by wheelchair, every day.
For entertainment, I watch TV: old musical melodies, and hymns.
I do not have patience, to enjoy TV soaps.
I enjoy with my family, visits to the temple, on Sundays.
I love the community meals there.
You may say, "It is a dull routine.
" But at 92, This is a wholesome life, for my existence.
Thanks to my family I have my mother's photograph, on the head-side of the bed.
There are three photographs on the facing wall: (a) My two elder brothers, and (b) My father-in-law.
I lost my father, when I was just 4.
I am thankful to my brothers, who brought me up.
I thank my father-in-law, for my wife, my life partner.
Thanks to God I am grateful to God.
I hope that I stay at this level of forgetfulness, till my last day.
I work out daily, mental-exercises: Arithmetic's multiplication, and addition sums.
Hopefully, it will halt or delay the memory loss.
This is life of an old senior citizen -- in his second childhood.
In old age, life is still fun, If we are not lonely, and Our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Communicate with us frequently.
You may say, "Why are you thankful to God?" Well, problems are there, only for living beings.
My erstwhile colleagues and siblings are no more.
I am still there.
God gave me more time.
Thank you God, once again.
Animals live in fear, but they do not worry about their future.
At 92, I have old-age worries only.
I am lucky: (a) All duties are over, (b) Well settled children and grand-children, and (c) Caring wife and children.
My limbs and brain have served me well, for nine decades.
Now I have problems: (a) Dementia, (b) Arthritis in the knees, and (c) A catheter installed in my urinary passage.
I forget the catheter's utility, due to dementia, And I still go to toilet to urinate as usual, Although it is not possible now.
Now the catheter has become a permanent fixture in my life.
I need three lifelines for normal living: (a) Dentures, (b) Reading glasses, and (c) A walker.
Arthritis I can walk 30 meters at a stretch, with a walker, but not more than 100 meters in a day.
I need a wheelchair for longer distances.
A day in my life at 92 * I get up, early in the morning at 4 AM, while everyone else is sleeping, and I go to the toilet-room on my own, with a walker.
I don't have enough patience to keep sitting on the toilet-seat.
I wipe my ass dry, reasonably clean, and come out in a hurry.
* During the day, when I go near the toilet-room, I feel like, going in again.
Sometimes, when I have stomach-gas, I get tense; it could be a call for 'number two'.
More often than not, it is a false alarm, but I can't take chance.
It can happen, many times in a day.
* I prefer to go to the toilet-room on my own; But if my wife or son come to know, They try to help me, to sit on the toilet-seat.
I ask them to go out, as I feel awkward in their presence.
I avoid calling them, for help.
They keep an eye on me, through the half-open door, for my safety.
They try to supplement my cleaning efforts; I accept the offer reluctantly.
*Sometimes, I go to toilet before lunch and again after lunch.
My wife takes a pun, "You are in toilet, most of the time!" Yes, it is true at 92.
Bath, breakfast, and prayers I enjoy a shower-bath, all by myself.
I cover my torso with a towel, and wipe the body dry.
My wife, 88 years young, takes out my clothes from the cupboard.
I can wear clothes, without any help.
Dentures, my first lifeline I keep my dentures in a water-bowl overnight, for cleaning.
But next morning, I forget, "Where did I keep the dentures?" I often caution my son, "Keep the dentures in the cupboard.
Somebody may steal.
" Prayers After breakfast, I go to the prayer-room.
My second lifeline, the reading glasses, are placed there.
I read daily one or two pages of the holy book.
It is a never-ending continuous activity.
I forget, which page I was reading the previous day.
I jot down the page number, But I can't recollect the next day, "Where did I write?" Life goes on, and it does not really matter.
I will continue reading the scriptures, till my last day.
Forgetfulness *After prayers, I want to take a rest, But I forget, the way to bedroom.
Do I need road-signs in the house? *I am tired now; so I need a short nap.
When I get up, in the afternoon, I am not sure, whether it is early morning or afternoon.
I may go for a bath again.
*Due to dementia, My memory of recent incidents is nearly zero.
Sometimes I ask for a breakfast item, a second time, As I forget that I had it already.
Sometimes by mistake, I take the same medicine, twice.
*Surprisingly, I recall 50 years old incidents successfully.
I remember the name -- Mr.
Lal Deen Abid, The Head Master of my school in 1939.
Old age confusion *I do get confused sometimes.
I ask my son, daily, "Whose house is this, where I am staying?" He tells me that it is my house.
I have my doubts.
*Sometimes I ask my wife, "Am I in a room or in a train?" The windows of my room and trains appear similar to me.
Self-help In the dining room, My children keep an eye on me, and Adjust the dining chair when I sit down.
I consider an unsolicited help, as interference in my life.
I want to sustain my belief that I am self-reliant.
I know, they try to play safe; As elderly, I have high probability of falls and injuries.
My ego My son needs lot of patience to handle me successfully.
If he takes a head-on confrontation, I fight back.
I love to do things myself.
If he just supervises or guides me, and lets me do, I am happy.
It is not easy, to handle an old-age person, who suffers from dementia.
Socializing I live a reasonably normal life, for my age.
I go for an evening 'walk' by wheelchair, every day.
For entertainment, I watch TV: old musical melodies, and hymns.
I do not have patience, to enjoy TV soaps.
I enjoy with my family, visits to the temple, on Sundays.
I love the community meals there.
You may say, "It is a dull routine.
" But at 92, This is a wholesome life, for my existence.
Thanks to my family I have my mother's photograph, on the head-side of the bed.
There are three photographs on the facing wall: (a) My two elder brothers, and (b) My father-in-law.
I lost my father, when I was just 4.
I am thankful to my brothers, who brought me up.
I thank my father-in-law, for my wife, my life partner.
Thanks to God I am grateful to God.
I hope that I stay at this level of forgetfulness, till my last day.
I work out daily, mental-exercises: Arithmetic's multiplication, and addition sums.
Hopefully, it will halt or delay the memory loss.
This is life of an old senior citizen -- in his second childhood.
In old age, life is still fun, If we are not lonely, and Our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Communicate with us frequently.
You may say, "Why are you thankful to God?" Well, problems are there, only for living beings.
My erstwhile colleagues and siblings are no more.
I am still there.
God gave me more time.
Thank you God, once again.
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