Thursday, July 3, 2014

Sometimes You Have to Just Bite the Bullet

I have always been a fairly independent person.  Unless moving a refrigerator or a piano is involved, I try to do what needs to be done by myself.

I am no longer young, but my mind is still in fairly good working order.  I manage my own finances.  Under normal circumstances I do my own shopping.  I clean my own apartment.  I do my own laundry.  I haul out my own trash.  Unlike some of my vintage that I have seen, I do not spend my days with a remote in my hand.  I am into being as prepared as possible for whatever comes along, so I can and dehydrate food and little by little, stock up on other needed supplies.  I have hobbies that keep me interested.  I have pets that keep me smiling.  I usually take care of myself pretty well.

My kids have been really good to see that my needs are taken care of.  One will call and tell me they are going to the Farmer's Market and what would I like them to pick up for me.  Other times when something like a bad cold keeps me home, they will pick up a few groceries for me and drop them off.  If I need to go somewhere that I can't get to by bus, they are more than willing to take me there.  I have good kids.

I will not here go into a litany of physical complaints.  Anyone who reads regularly knows what they are, for I have been known to whine now and again.  This spring and summer, however, have been a bear.  It has been one thing right after another.  I have been dealing with arthritis since age 15.  By now I know that no matter how many pretty little pills my doctor prescribes, it isn't going away.  I will have good days and bad days, but it is not going away.

Asking for help with anything is one of the toughest things for me.  I hate it.  But a couple of days ago, my youngest daughter read me the riot act.  Poor thing, she called me right after I had spent a considerable amount of time trying to shove swollen feet into shoes, with no success.  I was grumpy.  When she asked what was wrong, I told her.  Wouldn't have, had I not been in such a foul mood, I suppose, but there you are.

That's when she reminded me that I have grown children who are happy to help.  And she let me know in no uncertain terms that they can't help if I don't tell them when I need help.  I'm not sure, but I believe I have been verbally spanked.

So, with help from my offspring (I thank God every single day for them.), we will work out a plan for the bad days.  Ideally, I should live in an apartment either on ground floor or where there are elevators.  My landlord has talked about installing a chair lift device on the front stairs.  I will talk with him about that, because I really don't want to move.  My bank is within sight of my building.  The bus stop is less than half a block away.  The post office and library are within two blocks.  Everything I need is right here.

The stairs are the big problem right now.  Going down is easy.  Coming back up - not so much.  In any event, some decisions will be made soon.  And I will work on asking for help when necessary.  But I will still hate it that I have to do so.

Getting old really ain't for sissies.

12 comments:

  1. No, it's not for sissies, but Vicki, you have an amazing attitude and joie de vivre that certainly helps you to handle, and overcome, what age is dishing out.

    I don't think I could ve anywhere as upbeat as you if I'd had to handle arthritis since I was 15 years old.

    You're amazing :)

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  2. Dani...What a nice thing to say. I think a goodly portion of stubbornness probably helps. That and a slightly skewed sense of humor that lets me see the funny side of whatever comes my way. Laughter helps. A lot.

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  3. The chair lift sounds like a good idea, I hope he does it.

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  4. Gorges...I hope so, too. There is another lady living in the building who walks with a cane, and I know it would really be beneficial to her. We shall see...

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  5. Sometimes I have problems with our stairs. They are pretty steep. I always hang on to the hand rail but one day they will find me in a pile at the bottom and that will be it!

    Our laundry room is on the very lowest floor. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

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  6. Harry... I hope it will be a very long time before they find either you or me in a pile at the bottom of the stairs!! There are lots of things that seem like a good idea when a person is young and doesn't give flights of stairs a second thought. My laundry room is in the basement. I'm seriously looking for one of those portable washing machines that plugs into a regular household outlet. There are dryers that work the same. I think that will be a top priority.

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  7. I yearn to have concerned children nearby, but I would go out of my way not to feel like a burden. But that's how you and I see it. As long as your children are willing, you are lucky and they see you as their cherished mom. I always had old age in mind when I chose a home. No stairs. Never. Stairs are the new enemy to the old. Maybe a chair lift would be a liability for the landlord. I can just see idiots riding it for fun or falling over it on purpose. Here's hoping there's a way around it! I worry about Harry in the hills, and now I'll be worrying about you. Thank god your kids are nearby.

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  8. lotta joy...Bless you. I appreciate your concern. Truly. But there is no need for worry. I just don't bounce back as quickly as I once did. My kids take up the slack and it will be OK. Before long I will be out terrorizing the general public again! And if I find the stairs too prohibitive, I will move.
    There are only 5 apartments on the upper floor of my building. It is above a bicycle shop in the historic part of town and the residents are all adults - no kids to ride a chair up and down. I would probably be more apt to do that! Well, maybe my 6 year old grandson. But I get to ride first.

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  9. Living over a bicycle shop sounds so quaint!! Five apartments with adults, and another lady who needs a cane. I'd say it's time to get that chair lift!! But I DO worry about the bloggers I know who are having physical problems.

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  10. This building may be even more quaint if all goes according to plan. Landlord told me he plans to restore the outside so it looks like it did when built in the late 1800's.
    I think we become familiar with those who write. We read their thoughts nearly every day. And we grow to care. That's a good thing.

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  11. Ok now I feel bad for whining. My family gets mad at me too. Today we went to Walmart in Hutch. I had to wear my boot, but I over did it. I feel worse then before. If they would have let me wear my regular shoes I would be fine. Ok I'm done whining again. look for an email tomorrow from me. I'm beat headed to bed.

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  12. Rob...Don't feel bad. You have lots of stuff that you have to deal with every day that I don't. Everybody needs to vent a little bit now and then. If we didn't, we might just explode!!

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