Don't let an old person move into your body

Don’t let an old person move into your body; I recently came across a book with this title.

It seems like great advice. And it was like a punch in the face; in a single sentence it captures my point of view, and it describes the kind of mature people that I hope will join me on this journey. If you feel like resisting that old person hanging around outside your body, then we’re like minded. We can’t avoid aging – but we can influence how we deal with aging.

Anything that follows is opinion, or perhaps better put, my belief.

The door through which the old person enters is our mind.

We think him or her in. They are knocking outside and we think the door open – and in they come. Our back and legs ache. Our mind tells us those weird symptoms are an incurable disease. We struggle to have our eyes focus. We strain to hear. When we sit we sigh. When we stand we groan. No doubt the aches and pains are natural but at least we know we’re alive, right? But it’s the old person’s reactions we display.

I suppose we do all have aches and pains, we may have maladies both minor and major, so there’s no point in trying to pretend we don’t. Happily for some, they have managed one way or another to eliminate or lessen these physiological realities.

Letting the old person in is a mistake. But then we make another mistake. We think the door shut – and locked. because having let this old person in – rather than evict them, we invite them to make themselves at home and bolt the door.

So what’s the secret to keeping the old person out – or if they are already inside how do we kick them out? I don’t know. But here’s some simple things I have resolved to do for myself:
- I believe that the way I behave – the way I walk and move – affects my thinking; old person behaviour results in old person’s thinking,
- first thing in the morning I do whatever it takes to loosen up by stretching, or by massaging muscles, or by moving – all without an accompanying grimace or groan,
- I walk, and climb stairs throughout the day, and I stand tall whenever I become aware that my posture is stooped,
- I always try to walk quicker than at my default pace,

- When I sit, and especially when I stand after sitting for any protracted period, I try to make no sounds like sighing, grunting or groaning; and I try to give no visible evidence that I feel stiff or physically challenged when I stand.

I won’t pretend these are the only ways, or even the correct ways, but to my simple way of thinking these actions and commitments make it harder for the old person to move in.

Try it.