Thursday, February 25, 2021
Subscriber Login
SpotlightNews
  • Home
  • News
    • Business
      • Spotlight On Business
      • Spotlight on Finance
    • Community
    • Covid-19 Updates
    • Crime
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Milestones
    • Obituaries
  • Sports
  • The Spot 518
  • Hot Spots Calendar
    • Calendar Listings
    • Submit Your Event
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Our Opinion
    • Point of View
    • Your Opinion
  • Family Now
  • Classifieds
    • Classified Listings
    • Advertiser Login
  • Subscribe
    • Subscriber LogIn
    • Join us – Subscribe Today
    • Renew Subscription
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Business
      • Spotlight On Business
      • Spotlight on Finance
    • Community
    • Covid-19 Updates
    • Crime
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Milestones
    • Obituaries
  • Sports
  • The Spot 518
  • Hot Spots Calendar
    • Calendar Listings
    • Submit Your Event
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Our Opinion
    • Point of View
    • Your Opinion
  • Family Now
  • Classifieds
    • Classified Listings
    • Advertiser Login
  • Subscribe
    • Subscriber LogIn
    • Join us – Subscribe Today
    • Renew Subscription
No Result
View All Result
Spotlight News
No Result
View All Result
Home Capital District Family Now Senior Spotlight Senior Columns

Ask Your Daughter: Is it really 2016 already?

Spotlight News by Spotlight News
February 23, 2016
in Senior Columns, Senior Spotlight
0
Ask Your Daughter: Set some goals
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

In the year 2525, if man can survive, if woman is still alive…” — Zager and Evans

It’s 2016. 2016! That seems like it should be a year in the distant future. For some reason, 1974 is stuck in my head, and I have been having some trouble wrapping my head around 2014, 2015 and now 2016. My children have told me that this whole “issue” I have with time passing way too quickly is actually a sign of my imminent old age. I know and I raised these guys; where did I go wrong?

My mother is 80 years old, and she has frequently commented that she never envisioned her old age, for she never expected to get this old. Unlike dreaming about getting married, having a career or raising children, very few of us ever see ourselves at 80, 85 or 90. We don’t mentally prepare for our “imminent old age.”   

When I try to think about what I will be like when I am old, the Zager and Evans song “In the Year 2525” always comes to mind, and instead of thinking about me, I think about the song. This particular song comes to mind because until I just looked it up for this article, I have been misremembering it as “In the year 2020 if man can survive, if woman is still alive.”  What does not come to mind is me at 80 — what I am doing, how I look and where I live.

Without this mental rehearsal that helps us prepare for so many other stages of life, how can we get ready? There is the usual advice about saving money, exercising, eating right, developing hobbies and maintaining relationships. But for me, that is vague and a bit overwhelming.  I find it easier to think about being ready for aging in terms of capacity.

If I want to be able to do my own grocery shopping when I get to be in my 80s, I need to be able to walk a half a mile. It now becomes a matter of maintaining the capacity to walk at least a half a mile and not about “exercising.” If I can walk a half a mile, I will have enough capacity to go grocery shopping.

If I want to be able to take things out of my cupboards or off of my closet shelves when I get to be in my 80s, I need to be able to raise my arms above my head and lift a can of soup up and down. It now becomes a matter of doing some simple stretches and a few arm raises with light weights to make sure I can still do it.  If I can raise my arms and lift soup cans, I will have enough capacity to put things away.

If I want to be able to have friends that I can call or visit with when I get to be in my 80s, I need to make an effort to stay in touch with my old friends and reach out to people who might be a bit younger than I. If I have friends of different ages and stay in touch… well, you get it.

This seems to work for me. I find myself frequently thinking about capacity. How can I maintain my capacity to do the things that are important to me? Since I am still 20 years away from being 80, I won’t know if this worked or not, but for now it helps me feel like I am taking some positive steps in preparing for my “imminent old age.”

Share this to twitter or facebook:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Tags: 2016Ask Your Daughter
Previous Post

Veteran Next Door: New year, new people

Next Post

Albany Jewish Community Center February 2016 activities

Next Post

Albany Jewish Community Center February 2016 activities

Leave Comment

Stay Connected with Us

  • 7.1k Fans
  • 4.6k Fans
  • 609 Fans
  • 357 Subscribers

Recent News

Colonie library’s multimillion-dollar facelift is underway

COLONIE LIBRARY: Beat cabin fever

February 25, 2021
Son of a Gun releases new EP

Son of a Gun releases new EP

February 25, 2021
SPOTTED: Colonie falls to Troy in Suburban Council matchup

SPOTTED: Colonie falls to Troy in Suburban Council matchup

February 25, 2021
FIVE QUESTIONS: Gary Cimorelli

FIVE QUESTIONS: Gary Cimorelli

February 24, 2021

Hot Stories This Week

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
UPDATED (w/video): Police investigating break-ins in Delmar neighborhoods

UPDATED (w/video): Police investigating break-ins in Delmar neighborhoods

February 22, 2021
Colonie Democrats pick slate of candidates for town offices

Colonie Democrats pick slate of candidates for town offices

February 20, 2021
SPOTTED: Shaker gets by Colonie in season opener for both girls basketball teams

SPOTTED: Shaker gets by Colonie in season opener for both girls basketball teams

February 19, 2021
SPOTTED: Shaker and Guilderland wrestlers kick off season

SPOTTED: Shaker and Guilderland wrestlers kick off season

February 24, 2021
Colonie library’s multimillion-dollar facelift is underway

COLONIE LIBRARY: Beat cabin fever

February 25, 2021
Son of a Gun releases new EP

Son of a Gun releases new EP

February 25, 2021
SPOTTED: Colonie falls to Troy in Suburban Council matchup

SPOTTED: Colonie falls to Troy in Suburban Council matchup

February 25, 2021
FIVE QUESTIONS: Gary Cimorelli

FIVE QUESTIONS: Gary Cimorelli

February 24, 2021
Spotlight News

Spotlight News, The Spot 518 and Capital District Family Now are divisions of Community Media Group, LLC. Our local offices are located at 341 Delaware Ave, Delmar, NY 12054. You can contact us at 518.439.4949.

Browse

Follow Us

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact the Editor
  • Employment
  • Our Team
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2021 Community Media Group, LLC - 341 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054. 518.439.4949

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Spotlight On Business
    • Spotlight on Finance
  • Sports
  • The Spot 518
  • Hot Spots Calendar
  • Opinion
  • Subscribe
  • Log In
  • Classifieds
    • Advertiser Login

© 2021 Community Media Group, LLC - 341 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054. 518.439.4949