A few weeks ago, I went over to Southwood Nursing Center to visit some friends. First, I went by to see Freddie Bogue. Freddie was there recovering from a stroke he had last fall. Freddie is a good friend from Kiwanis, who I always enjoy aggravating. He’s back home now and doing much better. So now I can get back to really bothering him.
Next, I went by Rev. Ralph Jernigan’s room. I’ve always enjoyed being around Rev. Jernigan, with his kind attitude and his love for the Lord. He has since gone to another assisted living facility to be with his wife.
Finally, I went by to check on Mr. Paul Holland. I’ve known Mr. Paul ever since I first came back to this area in 1989. We used to be golfing buddies. Now we are just buddies. You see, Mr. Paul will turn 99 years old this week. I told him since he has made it this far, he might as well keep going for 100.
After making my visits, I ran into Caleb, a physical therapist at Southwood, and a member of my church. I jokingly told him, “You know you’re getting old when you go to the nursing home to visit your buddies.”
And I am getting older. I have papers from the Social Security Administration to prove it. About the only good things I have seen about getting older are senior movie tickets and senior coffee at the fast food place. And getting to move up from the regular tees to the senior tees playing golf. That’s about it.
As I am now officially old, I need to learn from my friends that I visited that day. I will need the determination that Freddie has shown in overcoming his stroke. I will need a kind and considerate attitude, like Rev. Jernigan. And I will need the resilience of Mr. Paul.
And I will need a sense of humor. Because you might as well laugh about it. Remember, you could be complaining about hospital food right now. I’m reminded of a joke a co-worker sent me after I retired. I think it was a hint that I was getting older. Here it is:
A group of 15-year old guys discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Dairy Queen next to the Ocean View restaurant because they only had $6.00 between them and Jannie Johnson, that cute girl in Social Studies, lives on that street. They might see her, and they can ride their bikes there.
Ten years later, the group of 25-year-old guys discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the beer was cheap, they had free snacks, the band was good, there was no cover and there were lots of cute girls. Ten years later, at 35 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the booze was good, it was right near the gym and if they went late enough, there wouldn’t be too many whiny little kids.
Ten years later, at 45 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the martinis were big, and the waitresses were pretty and wore tight pants. Ten years later, at 55 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the prices were reasonable, the wine list was good and the fish is good for your cholesterol.
Ten years later, at 65 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the lighting was good and they have an early bird special. Ten years later, at 75 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because the food was not too spicy, and the restaurant was handicapped accessible.
Ten years later, at 85 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. It was agreed they should meet at the Ocean View restaurant because they had never been there before. Like I said, you might as well laugh about it.