An Aging Household

I've known one simple truth for some time now.  But it wasn't until today that it really hit home for me.  The Edmunds household is aging.  We are not by any means old, but we are not as young as we use to be.

Take our house for one.  It was built in 1929.  If my math is correct, our home is 82 years old.  In fact, it was built before indoor plumbing!   We have put enormous time, energy and money remodeling it.  However, there are a lot of "little" things that never got finished.  It's also time to make what has become old new again.    This fall Rick and I made some decisions about the house.  Because of his health concerns and our ages, we decided to make the house ready for the future. We are thinking ahead and making changes that will benefit us in our golden years.  We are putting in hardwood floors, new windows, a bathroom overall, paint, etc.  Twenty-five years ago we definitely had more energy to do the work.  This time around it is going much slower!  But I think it is the best work we've done to date.

Then there is Rick and me.  We are now 53 and soon to be 49.   Once again, I do not consider us old.  But every day our bodies let us know that we are no longer twenty something physically.  We both have our daily aches and pains.  We also have our daily regiment of medications.  We are so lucky because we both only take one pill a day!!!!  But, nevertheless, we do have to take them.  That was a hard one to swallow, no pun intended, when it happened.  The perception was that only old people take long term medication.  You know the images...pill boxes, early bird specials, walkers, etc!  But no matter what our bodies tell us, we still feel twenty something in our hearts.  I don't care what the calendar or the medicine cabinet says, attitude means every thing!  My attitude is to enjoy, laugh, learn and embrace my life.  It's the only one I have on this Earth, and I want to have no regrets.

So, what drove the point of age home today?  Two words...Sophie and Stormy.  They went to the vet today.  It was one of those defining moments.  They have crossed over to the older dog category. Let's start with Stormy.  She is a nine year old Schiperke mix, and she is the love of Rick's life.  Back in January she got sick and we discovered she a mass on her liver.  We tried a few things and I took her back for a check up.  Unfortunately, her liver panel levels are higher now than they were in January.  So, she is now on medication for life.  It will help her lead a quality life for however long she has left.  Then there is Sophie, the eight year old Terrier mix, who is the love of my life.  She too is now on  medication for life.  She has arthritis on her spine and has a lot of trouble getting around.  So,  Dr. Williamson put her on a medication to help control the pain and inflammation.  While both girls have slowed down a bit and move more gingerly, they are still young at heart too.  All I have to do is say "rabbit" and watch them go.  They may not run as fast or as far as they use to, but  they will give it a good old college try!

So as you can see, the Edmunds household is aging.  The proof is in the picture.  All you have to do is drive by and look in our window.  Every morning we line up and take our pills together. At night,  Rick and Stormy will be sleeping and snoring on one couch.  Sophie and I will be curled up on the other couch.  We will be spending quality time together and loving every moment of it.

None of us  knows what the future holds, so we must make every day count.

Denise