Month: June 2023

I’ll be 72 in a few weeks.  I wrote the following article on my 69^th birthday.  I thought it would be interesting to look back 3 years and see the effects of the Parkinsonian aging process.

In 2020 I wrote, “I’m 69 years old today.  I graduated from high school in 1969.  The 69 Camaro is my favorite car. Sixty-nine has always been my favorite number.  In previous articles, I’ve talked about the importance of keeping your inner child alive.  It used to be the mere mention of the number 69 that woke up my inner child.  Now, at 69, I’m not sure why that number was so magical.  My inner child died from CRS and/or the reality of aging.  Either way it sucks.  (Nice play on words).” 

At 72, the magic number, 69, makes me smile, and thinking about the 69 Camaro makes me a little sad (my wife drives me around in my used handicapped equipped van.)

As you know, I’m not happy with the aging process. As it turns out, 69 was a good year. Biking was short lived but still possible.   At 72, it’s impossible.  For the 50^thyear in a row, I started to eat better.  That lasted a week, then I reverted to my old fat-ladened diet.  Well, I got back on the wagon and I’m starting to eat better again. I’m down 6 pounds from my all-time high of massive!  I’ve found a job that works for me.  I’m in charge of napping and do so 5 times a day.  I still don’t have the credentials I need as a medical editor for the Sex magazine I talked about earlier.

North Carolina is hot!  Thank God Covid-19 is no longer driving me crazy.  I still want to sit in a restaurant and have a nice meal but getting the wheelchair/walker is hard on Renee.  I want to go swimming but the lift chair at our pool is broken.  I want to go fishing but getting onto the pier is going to be tough.  The reality is I’m stuck indoors most of the time.

Writing about this is like puking: you feel better after the foul stuff comes out.  Maybe I’m wrong.  Maybe 72 will be a better year.  Only time will tell.  It’s 9 am and I have the rest of today to find something to do. Actually, once you are retired, every day becomes the same.  One more piece of advice, don’t retire.  Stay active as long as you can.

Hopefully, a vaccine will be available by January and then we will be able to do more.  We’ll see!  Until then, I’ll just have to come up with something to do each day and so will you.  Renee, this is my 69 year!

Here’s your song for the day and a joke.

Whatever you look like, marry a man your own age.  As your beauty fades, so will his eyesight.  Phyllis Diller

In researching for my articles, I often come across valuable sources of material on the internet. Quote Garden is one of those sources. I found many pages of quotes referencing diets. Some of the best are listed below with my thoughts about their significance. Once again, I’m working on losing weight.

“Your stomach shouldn’t be a waist basket” – Author unknown! Not long ago, I saw an overweight patient of mine in the drive-in window of a fast (fat) food establishment. He was putting fried junk into his belly.  He puts premium gas in his car. What’s wrong with this picture?

“Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork.” – English Proverb. Raucous Ralph, a character in my book and one of hundreds of patients I have seen over the years, did just that. Who do you love more, your spouse, your family, or your food?

“Inside some of us is a thin person fighting to get out, but they can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake.” – Author unknown. Many people use food as a drug/medication. Do you? If you are depressed, see your doc, not the local baker. If your marriage is bad, see a marriage counselor. Don’t have a closet affair with Godiva!

“A diet is a penalty we pay for exceeding the feed limit.” – Author unknown. Yes, diets are penalties; and yes, we pay BIG! It’s time to stop dieting and, instead, learn who you are and what you need to do to get healthy. If you’re healthy, stop fretting over your figure and enjoy life. If you are not healthy, work at getting healthy the right way. Diets and Other Unnatural Acts will help you.

“People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and New Years but they really should be worried about what they eat between New Years and Christmas.” – Author unknown. I’ll end on this note! A healthy lifestyle has room for holiday treats but no room for holiday cheats!