Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about getting older.
I’m a few weeks from turning 36 and, although I don’t feel like a grownup, I’m at the middle stage between parents and children. My daughter is growing up and we’ll have to start thinking about preschool and I worry about my parents’ health and well-being since none of us live within an hour of them. This piece in The Atlantic does a good job analyzing the relationships of adult children and aging parents and the fine line that both walk.
I’m grateful that my parents are both still here and healthy and have five grandchildren and a good relationship with all of their children. My biggest issue with that awful book Wild was that the writer/protagonist insisted that no one understood what she went through when her mother died. How narcissistic. A close friend of mine lost his father while he was still in high school. It’s the circle of life and literally billions of people have experienced it before me. And nothing has even happened yet! My parents volunteer and compete in a weekly bar shuffleboard tournament.
I’m just worried about it.
So I’m always fretting about either my parents or my daughter and, meanwhile, I’m getting older too. I can no longer ignore my health or just eat whatever I want. Forget the fact that I’m fat, it’s unhealthy and could have long-range ramifications. What’s the point of saving for retirement if I’m not healthy enough to do anything?
Getting old sucks.
Here’s what I wrote this week:
“It’s strange to have children at the beginning of life and parents nearing the end.”
– Amy Waldman
Call someone you love today. Before it’s too late.
Christopher Pierznik’s eight books are available in paperback and Kindle. His work has appeared on XXL, Cuepoint, Business Insider, The Cauldron, Medium, and many more. Subscribe to his monthly reading review newsletter or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
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