By Nina Keenam
One morning I got up earlier than usual, showered, ate breakfast, got dressed, hurriedly dabbed a little make up on my face, and drove uptown to take care of an errand.
On my way home, I decided to stop in at a supermarket that was having a close-out sale. My shopping expedition must have taken at least an hour and a half, while I moved up and down the store aisles, filling my cart with bargain items. When I returned home, I transferred the groceries I had loaded into my trunk to my trusty “little red wagon.” After emptying them onto my kitchen cabinet, I was almost panting for a refreshing drink of water.
After I quenched my thirst, I headed to the living room to collapse in my recliner, Once I had settled in with my little dog snuggled next to my hip, I wondered why I had fizzled out so quickly. Suddenly a song my husband used to sing came to me; “Time has made a change in me.” Why did I think I could keep up a pace like a 20-year-old at my age?
For years, it took me only a minute or two to apply make-up to my face. These days my bathroom mirror keeps playing tricks on me. No matter how much time I take spreading concealer over my facial imperfections before I pat on my make-up, wrinkles keep showing up in that mirror.
When I was young, I never thought about cure-alls for aching feet, vitamins to keep myself healthy, creams to make skin forever young, and dishwashing detergent with an added ingredient to prevent red, dishwasher hands. Nor did I ever give any consideration in those days to instruments that improve the hearing.
Then the years raced by, and not only did my bathroom mirrors seem out of whack, but all the mirrors in the house were the same. They placed added pounds on my body and seemed to make my clothes shrink. When I struggle to fit into some of my favorite clothes in front of my bedroom mirror, my waist disappears.
Because my most treasured dress shoes feel like they were bought for someone else, I have turned to “sensible shoes.” The things look awful to me, but I have to admit they are comfortable. I can’t help but remember how many times I returned home from work with my feet feeling like bricks of burning flesh.
These days I wear an electronic gadget that controls the volume of my hearing aids. It also connects with my cell phone and television set to help me hear better.
In my younger years I never dreamed that one day I would need hearing aids.
When you are young, you just don’t imagine yourself being hard of hearing, your hair turning grey or having facial wrinkles. There is definitely a lesson in that old song. Time can change all of us. If we live long enough, we will surely find out.