I remember that I am of the nature to grow old
I can not avoid ageing
But that knowing is very different
From the experience of aging
Moving, causing that pain in the knee
Feeling that pain with every step
Feeling the tightness in the hip
Because of the change in my gait
Feeling that soreness that has developed in the low back
Because of the change in my gait
Knowing that aging will come
Has not prepared me for this experience
That keeps changing
I often thing of my friend Bob
Who often said in his later years
“Getting old ain’t for sissies”
Most of life is about getting better at things
But how to get better at this?
How to get better
At this ongoing loss
Very little in my life
Has prepared me for this
And so I have more learning
Probably more letting go
And lots of opportunities
To marry what I know
To my lived experience
Randy Roberts December 3, 2023