ON TURNING 75

YES...THE ROBERTO ANNOMETER turned past the 75 years mark just a week back.  Note: the term "annometer" seemed an appropriate word invention.  A bit like the odometer, which tells one how far one has ridden, walked, or driven; or the knots in the rope that used to be paid out behind old sailing ships, each a nautical mile from the next, from which distance covered could be determined and speed calculated (hence "knots", or nautical miles per hour).  So the annometer tells how far we have travelled down the road of life.

I find myself at this mark in excellent health, apparently possessed of a good ladle of longevity genes.  My two half brothers (one from my mother and the other from my father) have passed the mid-80s mark on their annometers while my mother made her way past the century mark by more than a year or two.  So I suppose I should take seriously the probability the I have entered the final quarter century or so of my own passage.  Actually, I do and seek to eat carefully, exercise each day and do most of the things that gerontology has uncovered that appear to support healthy ageing.

I admit to some horror as I notice the new wrinkles, some signs of 'bags under the eyes', and the loss of elasticity of skin in various places.  Unseen are the incipient cataracts that will need attention somewhere down the track, and some other internal defects that it would be boorish to recount.

As I remarked in a much earlier post, ageing is like have to beat back the forest that threatens to gather in a farm.  The worst trees in the encroaching wood are the morning aches and pains, the stiffness that would tempt one to move or stand in some 'old person' manner, and loss of flexibility.

I manage these by three cups of strong black coffee as soon as I rise, then a half hour or so of floor exercises based on Yoga and Pilates,  two or three visits each week to the gym for aerobic workouts, and one session of 'slow burn' strengthening exercises; when weather favors, a good bike ride, or a good walk.  Especially beneficial is physical work around the house.  Sometimes I feel a sense of dread, 'What would life be like if I could not do these things?'.

In the meantime, I count myself greatly blessed to be in good health, to have good friends, the love of family, to have interesting pursuits, and to feel part of a vibrant community.

Too bad I cannot offer you, my readers, the secret of ageing but, if by 55 or so you have good health, and good genes, make the most of it and keep in mind that you have to do the enjoy the journey ahead.

This has been a very good year for me.  On my last birthday I settled on the house and moved in on June 1.  So the house and I have been one for just over a year.  I have torn down partitions, gotten rid of doors, made additions, improved the fit of the house to its environment, repaired and painted, and really achieved quite a bit.  Through various avenues (like the local Episcopal Church, the Garden Club, the gang of chaps I meet with at a downtown coffee house) I have come to meet and befriend quite a bunch of acquaintances and friends.  All these things make for busyness and contentment.

While it may appear that I have really settled down it is also the case that I have been fashioning a base from which to explore.  Many adventures  lie ahead...watch this space.