More on aging…or is it?

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Some things I am noticing…

Source: clipartpanda.com

Source: clipartpanda.com

Bed flags – I ceased being comfortable (by temperature) ten years ago. I am either hot or cold. As if that isn’t the worst, everything I do about it is a conflict. I like it warm but I like to sleep in a cool room with blankets. We added a room air conditioner to the bedroom because in order to make it cool enough, we had to freeze out our first floor. (Why can we go to the moon but we can’t design HVAC for comfort?) The beloved husband does not like a blanket during the summer. (Men really need to go through menopause.) I use a fleece throw on my side of the bed. We sleep in harmony. Sort of. When I crawl in the bed, I am cold, so on comes the sheet and throw. Within two minutes, I’m hot and off goes the throw. And on it goes all night. That throw sees more action than a flag in a windstorm.

More things are moving out of reality and into my head – I have already written about how I do gourmet cooking in my head rather than in my kitchen. I cut out recipes I never try and keep them in a box. When the box is full, I toss them all out. Then I got get a pizza! I have started to do that with house renovations. My kitchen wallpaper is nicked and the corners have been shredded. For two years I have been planning this project in my head. This is the summer to do it. (Of course I said that last summer!) The renovations are trying to move into my head right next to my cooking. We’ll see what happens…

Common sense…finally – Long-time readers know that I am a big fan of retail therapy. A new pair of shoes or a tee-shirt can work better than Valium and you get to wear it over and over. Lately I have been backing out of purchases at the last minute. Yesterday I had an armload of things in a store. I was ready for check-out when I went through each one, item by item. I put back three things. My old self would have never done that. That’s not to say I wouldn’t occasionally (very occasionally) suffer from buyers’ remorse once I got home, but never in the store.

None of these things are directly related to getting older. They are a result of hormonal changes, waning energy and worry that I’ll outlive my money because of some catastrophic health issue that hasn’t happened.

Perhaps all this proves is that older people are indeed wonky! Share with us something you have noticed as you have gotten older!

61 thoughts on “More on aging…or is it?”

  2. I have worked out the hot and cold of sleeping with a beach towel. I use it for a blankie and CH calls it my “dress” because it is wrapped around my waist at all times. We keep our house cold all the time. CH is always saying it is freezing! I am in the process of cleaning out clutter this summer. Something I have noticed as I get older… I don’t mess with people that create constant drama in my life. Also, I don’t waste time worrying about what other people think. And, I can’t take summer heat!

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    • My fleece throw is the size of a beach towel but I only use it in bed or sitting (TV or reading). However, I have several hoodies on pegs convenient to reach and often wear them especially later in the day when the cold bothers me more. (That’s before I go to bed when the heat bothers me more.)

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  3. You’re really becoming a star blogger. Your comments are like Gone With The Wind. Age, a model’s nemesis…I notice it most when I want to put vodka in my cereal. BEST LINE: When the box is full, I toss them all out. Then I go get a pizza!
    Loved that 🙂

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  4. I tell myself that I can compete in the games I play with my nephews, grandchildren, etc but what my mind tells me and the body allows and pays for after are very different.

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  5. In the winter I turn the heat way down because I like it cold so I can snuggle under the covers but it’s awful when it’s time to get up. I have no idea why I don’t have a programmable thermostat on the furnace. In the summer i turn the a/c off and open the window. I like it warm in summer.
    I have some fear of living longer than my money will last. When I think about it I have a big glass of wine and forget it.

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  6. We moved from Portland last year by putting all of our earthly possessions in a medium-sized U-Haul trailer. Hard choices had to be made… by one of us only apparently. We still have more cookbooks than most public libraries!

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    • Cookbooks are hard to part with. I used to collect them. I have downsized them considerably (since I downsized my cooking too). I still have about 30 of them. Once in a while I’ll look something up but not very often.

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  7. Had to laugh because this phrase is so perfect “That throw sees more action than a flag in a windstorm.” The cat hates all that flapping….I keep thinking she’ll take the hint and take her long heat producing fur and sleep elsewhere.

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  8. I can relate to ALL of these issues! I’ve noticed that as I get older I’m much more content with myself and with life in general.

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  9. Yup, we’re all there, it seems! I have the most wonderful blanket thing I bought two years ago at BB&B. I just looked for it. It warms me up when I am cold, but the fabric stays cool — like a pillow. When I get hot, I just turn it over and I’m cool again. I tried to find a link for you but no dice.

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  10. My internal thermostat has a small range of comfort these days … and it changes. On with the comforter … off. On with the sweater … off.

    I used to fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and wake up when the alarm went off. Now I seem to need a winding-down routine, I have to drink decaf, I wake up a couple of time during the night, and I beat the alarm clock by 20 minutes.

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  11. I engage in Reverse Retail Therapy ~> clearing clutter instead of buying stuff. We got rid of another 4 boxes of extraneous stuff this week and it put a big smile on my face. Huzzah!

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    • When the yellow jackets invaded my husband’s closet, we had to move his clothes to spray. I didn’t realize how much clothes he has. He wears the same stuff all the time. Time for another major cleanout. Most of my retail therapy these days involved fondling the merchandise rather than buying it! Yesterday’s purchases were bath towels. Pretty boring but nice an soft.

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      • I did a closet overhaul a few weeks back ~ got rid of bags and bags of stuff that was no longer being worn. It’s easier to get dressed when I know that anything I reach for works.

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        • Honest to God, we have done so many bags I don’t know where this stuff comes from. I know I still have some “work clothes” that I opted to keep for a while just in case (don’t ask me just in case of what because I have no idea). I have some lovely jackets that haven’t been worn in 4 years. If I would ever need something, they would most likely be out of style anyway. Besides, we wear the same stuff week after week and we are happy in those clothes!

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  12. I think my internal thermostat needs to be calibrated, Kate. I’m cold in my office and use a small heater year round (I had it on earlier today) but at home I’m hot. All. The. Time. I used to sleep though the night but not anymore. Bill says my body radiates heat but he doesn’t have to tell me, I can feel it. Good times. As for retail therapy I am not helping the economy. I don’t like to shop unless I’m in a rare mood. My sister loves to shop and I’m happy to get her castoffs.

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    • When I worked my office was first off the air handler. That means cold in the summer and hot in the winter. Don’t miss that at all. I don’t have a sister so there are no castoffs. Sounds like a good deal.

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  13. I truly love your hilarious outlook on life Kate. Maybe it’s because I recognize myself in so many of your reflections. The hot-cold-flag-in-the-wind bedtime rituals are a prime example. Last night I left marital slumber in favor of warm feet and cool shoulders in the guest room. 🙂

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  14. Research says people sleep best at 65 degrees. I’m more of a 62 degrees, because I love snuggling under blankets. We got new insulation for our house, and now I’m kind of bummed because the temperature doesn’t drop overnight!

    Do the cats sleep with you?

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  15. It all sounds quite normal to me! I also make far fewer purchases than I used to. I’m not so worried about out living my money, I just need less. I actually find it a bit freeing. Several of the purchases I made early this summer remain unworn. Most days I find myself reaching for the same, comfortable clothes. And, oh by the way, keep those home improvement projects inside your head. Mine are actually happening and it’s not fun. Hopefully the results will be worth the pain.

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  16. Ah, hot in bed. Yep. Hubby doesn’t mind having a furnace lying beside him in the winter, but gets peeved when I throw off the duvet. Here on the boat, it is SO HOT on summer nights. I have taken to sleeping on top of the duvet (he’s under it) but I still get hot. If I push off the throwover, he gets cold, so I’m wedged between a shivering man and the side of the boat, the dog at my feet restricting my leg movements stopping me from sticking my feet out at the bottom, and sweating like the proverbial pig on a spit roast.
    Wish I could say this was recent, but although we’ve been on the boat a year now, I got hot in the house too, so it’s been going on for years, like 20.
    As for retail therapy (apart from sweet stuff like chocolate or doughnuts), this has never been an issue as I hate shopping!

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  17. I find I’m much more ‘serene’ during these golden years…I’m able to shake things off and get on with enjoying life. One of my knees makes way too much noise but that’s cause I fell and did a job on it…ouch. I’ve also stopped buying much in the way of clothing…honestly don’t need anything and don’t wear a third of what I have. Hubby and I have separate bedrooms (simply because our house is quite small) so we have happy nights w/temps to please both. No ‘wonkiness’ here! Life is good.

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  18. We have a similar throw problem, except it affects both of us and at different times of night. (Who ever said nights are just for sleeping?) As for the wallpaper and retail therapy, let me suggest you’ve only now come to your senses. (Who ever said younger folks are always right?) I will also add that those of us who worry we’ll outlive our money are luckier than those who have no money to outlive. (Who ever said aging was easy?) P.S. Toss the “wonky.” We’re fine just the way we are!

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