Our hair thins, we put on weight, we don't have the stamina we once had, our habits change, our friends change, our tolerance level changes and things that we were able to do in the past that we took for granted are now a big deal- if we can do them at all.
That all sounds pretty serious but "those are the facts maam"
What got me thinking like this was "an evening out to dinner with the girls."
It was a beautiful night, not a cloud in the sky, no threat of rain and a full moon. What better time to go to a restaurant that has an ocean view. No waiting to be seated, no loud music and to top it off, a wonderful dinner.
After dinner we elected to take a walk on the beach. Even though we live a short drive from this area we don't get there as often as we could. After a while we pulled up a bench and started talking about past summer memories and what we are experiencing today.
THE PAST
We all grew up on the North Shore and have fond memories of summers at the beach. When we were children our parents would take us to the beach for the day. As teenagers we would meet "fellas" - after we had children of our own we spent many happy times on the beach. (carrying chairs, blankets, food, and changes of clothing for the kids. You couldn't leave them in wet suits even though they didn't like being changed in a public place.)
THE PRESENT
Now the picture is totally different - Even when the kids were on their own we still would meet at the beach, still carry the chairs and all the other goodies that were needed. Then came the time we sold our homes and moved into condos that had swimming pools! Good-bye beach - hello swimming pools. There is only one senior that I know that still goes to the beach!
Going to the beach is too much of a hassle - the water could be cold - there could be loads of seaweed, low tide, rip-tide, hot sand, etc, etc.
Funny, when I was younger none of these things bothered me.
It's so much easier to just walk over to the pool - no problem parking the car - no chairs to carry and water that is always clean and the right temperature... and not coming home with sand between my toes!!
What we did in the past was good - as time goes by we adjust, and that's good too.