I See Old People

Isn't it strange to think that we'll all be old one day?

I can't imagine it, the present is too immediate. Our society's emphasis on youth, beauty, fashion, sport and the aquisition of money makes me forget that I'll be 75 one day (maybe) when none of those things will impact me.

But one day, we'll have really saggy bits, we'll probably lose at least a part of our eyesight, we might need walking sticks or a frame (horrors!) and, most tragically, our fashion sense will be quite gone.
We'll be way more fragile, and become susceptible to getting infections and diseases, as our bodies wind down and our vital organs lose their vitality.
If we're lucky, our children will let us stay with them and their families - if we're unlucky, we'll end up in a resthome, an ordinairy one or one for dementia patients.
If we get dementia (a not unlikely occurrence) we may spend the rest of our lives talking away to ourselves, or reliving old stories as though they're still relevant, or we may wander up and down purposelessly. Perhaps we may believe that our parents are still alive, or that we don't live at the resthome, but live with our families. If we're still computer savvy, maybe we'll spend a lot of our time on PensionBook.
If we're christians, we'll (hopefully) believe that we don't ever need to spend our lives, as some fit and well old people do, playing golf or going bowling.
Perhaps we'll realise that we can strive to be unselfish even in our old age, and work harder for God in evangelism, youth training, Christian book writing, and mission work. Maybe we can volunteer for work in our churches, and maybe the old women can train up the young women and wives. They could challenge the young people in their congregations to quit wasting their lives in superficialities, sport, fashion and petty relationships, and help them to see their potential for being world-shattering christians. They could be amazing models to young christians of what a Christian should look like after living a self-sacrificing life for Christ.

I would LOVE to be an old person like that! How do you plan to spend your life from 65 onwards?

- Lydie