“Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭71:9‬ ‭NIV‬

Ok, I turned 65 in June. No big deal. Got my Medicare card, which is UBER cool. I get discounts (when I remember to ask for them). But that’s the thing…I don’t remember to ask for them. Because, I’m NOT a senior citizen. How could that be remotely possible?

Oh, but it is. I looked it up. Google says…in many different places…that you reach senior citizen status when you turn 65. It’s pretty standard because that’s when you start receiving Medicare benefits. At least, for now you do. Uncertainty aside, I rebel at that “senior citizen” label. That’s for “old” people. Right? That’s what I used to think, anyway.

I saw this chart on Facebook yesterday. It’s all about staying safe in the summer heat. I have noticed over the last few years, my tolerance for heat has been drastically reduced. I also found out that once you have had an episode of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, you are much more susceptible with each recurrent heat exposure. I don’t like this. I used to work outside for hours…gardening, hiking, biking. Nowadays, I’m running for the air conditioning when the temp gets up to 80. And then, ten minutes later, I’m putting on a sweatshirt.

I remember my grandma sitting down to eat supper and fanning herself with her apron…yelling for someone to open the front door. Ten minutes later, someone had to get up to close it. Over and over. We just don’t regulate our body heat like we used to. And that’s kind of hard to admit when you truly feel 35 in your brain.

The thing is…and I don’t know if this is power of suggestion or not…I’ve felt my age more since this last birthday than I have any previous ones. I’m sure part of that is caused by catching up with medical procedures that I have been putting off till Medicare started so I didn’t have to pay a huge deductible. I’ve had mammograms and biopsies and surgery and a CT scan. I’m getting ready to see a gastroenterologist and a dermatologist. Oy! That’s enough to make anyone feel “older”.

So, I guess I’ll cut myself some slack. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for a long time. I’ve had to focus on health issues for a little bit. I’m sure when I’m caught up and I don’t feel like I’m going to the doctor every week, things will settle down. In the meantime, I have to admit…I’m 65. There really ARE things I have to pay attention to that I didn’t have to when I was younger. But I’m not “old”…I’m aging positively. I’m aging intelligently. I’m becoming informed. And…I get a senior discount. Go ME!!! ❤️