Cleaning out the basement got me to thinking....

Leann

Leann

Traveler
My house is simple, clean and easy to keep that way. The basement, well, that's where the challenge lies. I told myself that this was the year that I was going to go through all of the boxes and at the very least, look at what I have stored and then ask myself 'why'. If I need it or if it is particularly sentimental, it stays. Otherwise, I'll find a new home for it. Which got me to thinking about....

Christmas stuff. I have boxes and boxes of decorations and ornaments. I went through those and pared things down quite nicely and donated a lot to charity this past week. Three years ago I bought a Balsam Hill artificial tree and honestly, it's too cumbersome for me. So I'll probably donate it, too.

All of this got me to thinking about the things that are little by little becoming challenging for me. Like the Christmas tree. I live alone so everything is on me to do or it doesn't get done. And I handle things well but there will come that time when it won't be possible. I'm already starting to feel a little sad about that. I'm so independent (because I have to be) but I know that will change one day.

What are some of the things that have become difficult for you to do? Or are you still able to do pretty much anything you want or need to do as you always have?
 

I pretty much can do everything but at a much slower pace and I get tired more quickly. Makes me mad because I get involved in a project and have to quit early.

Sounds like you are making great progress in your basement. I keep finding things in our basement also. I just sold a really nice pet gate that we used for 3 of our dogs. Made me so sad knowing I'll never have another pet but we travel to see our daughter and we took down our yard fence. I have achy knees and the hubby is 80 so walking a dog a few times a day just isn't realistic especially in bad weather. I have my memories.
 
I am still physically able to do most things (will be 69 in August). But what I have noticed in the past 5-6-8 years is that I've become mentally lazy, which makes me physically lazy.

When younger I had a thirst for learning new things, but that is mostly gone. I've been working on cars, tractors, motorcycles, lawnmowers, chainsaws, working on my house, etc. all my life and enjoyed doing it, but no more. Now I have come to despise even the thought of having to fix anything.

I really have to start going through all my junk and throwing most of it out -- but it's so easy to put off!

My oldest sister is 78 and has always had tons of flowers outside their house, but in recent years she has lost interest in it, although still physically able.

I guess this is all a part of growing old.
 

Pretty much the same issue. I think we all have a room or two in the house where we put everything we don't know what to do with. Then it accumulates. Then I look at it & say, "I've got to clear out this room," but I don't want to bother with it; there are so many "better" things to do.
I have a room on the first floor that's filled with broken furniture & other odds & ends.
The 2nd floor has one bedroom with piles of clothes I can't wear - they're from a time when I was much larger. I've already given much of it away, but there is so much left.....
The 3rd floor has a cluttered office space - some broken office furniture, papers, etc.
 
Like others have mentioned I can still do most things but I need to do them slower, plan better, pack smaller boxes, etc...

The thing that I lack is the optimism, incentive and enthusiasm over my life/future.
 
What are some of the things that have become difficult for you to do? Or are you still able to do pretty much anything you want or need to do as you always have?
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I am still capable of doing pretty much everything I have always been able to do. But these days, I'm a bit more discerning about what I choose to tackle. I'm less inclined to carry the heavy things that might impact my back, or run up a ladder like I used to, because my balance isn't as steady as it once was, as two examples that immediately come to mind.

I have NO problem telling my kids/grandkids or any younger person around "Hey, I'm old, take care of that for me will you?" And they always laugh at me and tell me I only pull out the "I'm old" card when there's something I don't WANT to do. True. You got me. Do it for me anyway! :lol:
 
I can still do what I've been doing, for most of my life.

Last night, our drainage channel, in the back of the house, became blocked. I only noticed this when I looked out the kitchen window, and saw a lake in our yard! I put on rain boots and a jacket, and went out in the raging storm. I had to lay down in three inches of water to get my hands on the darn outside rug that was blocking the drain. It took almost everything I had to pull that sucker free against the built up water pressure, and then my arm got sucked into one of the pipes! Had I been infirm, unable to extricate myself, I would have been in serious trouble.

I used this example, about ten minutes ago, as I talked to the gf about how things may change as we age. At 66, I don't feel like I'm an old man, but I know the time may come when my body stops being the good friend it has been. At that point, I'll have to make some tough decisions, but so far, so good.
 
My experience has been that the slippery slope of being capable of physical efforts grows steeper very quickly as you approach 80 and beyond. Like many of you, when in my 60's and well into my 70's, I could still perform most of the yard tasks, etc., that I always had, although admittedly at a slower pace. After hitting 80, I've taken 3 falls, breaking a rib and injuring a knee. No amount of PT sessions and medication can get that knee back to working properly which greatly limits my ability to do much. I now need a cane and have difficulty climbing onto the yard tractor although once on I'm OK. I wouldn't dare to pick up the same chainsaw that I used 6 or 7 years ago in my late 70's, and so it goes.

I'm not complaining as I've done well until the last few years but when reading some of our post on this site, I've lived long enough to realize that there's a wide spread among seniors, both in age and abilities. Today's strong active "senior" can quickly degenerate to tomorrow's crippled up elder. The change is just quicker as we age.

Just my experience, but having been an active "outside" person all of my life, I get very frustrated with my present lack of mobility and I know that it'll only get progressively worse.
 
I can do everything around the house and yard that I used to, but these days I don't speed through jobs in hours or a day, it takes two or three days to do some things like yard work. I've found that in my mid 60s, I've lost some upper body strength, even though I exercise sometimes and do physical chores all the time, always been a pretty strong woman. One example is that we have a pop-up slide-in camper that sits in the bed of our pickup. You have to manually push the roof up, that was never an issue for me until the last couple of years, and I'm 66 now. My husband has been opening it now.
 
We have owned 9 homes, but never had a basement. That has not precluded collecting junk. You just have to deal with it.

The last time we moved the ladder stayed behind. I have retired from climbing ladders.
 
treeguy64 said:
I can still do what I've been doing, for most of my life.
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Ditto, and I feel blessed. I read somewhere that the speed of a person's gait is an indicator of how long they will live, and I'm still a fast walker! (Not sure if that's total bunk, but it does kind of make sense.)
 
C'est Moi said:
Ditto, and I feel blessed. I read somewhere that the speed of a person's gait is an indicator of how long they will live, and I'm still a fast walker! (Not sure if that's total bunk, but it does kind of make sense.)
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I read the exact same thing, many years ago. I walk fast, as well. If I feel myself slowing down, I mentally kick my butt to pick up the pace! :sunshine:
 
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