My Mind and Body Versus My Job Performance

For lack of better wording, aging has a funny way of sneaking up on us. One day you’re pulling all-nighters and bouncing back like a champ, then the next, you’re pulling a muscle just reaching for a shoe. Without realizing it, your next favorite pastime becomes comparing lower back pain remedies and discussing the weather like it’s breaking news to friends.

Then there’s the magical disappearing memory. You walk into a room with purpose, only to stand there wondering why the hell you’re standing there. Names begin to escape you like scampering squirrels, and you start calling your adult children by the wrong names. But somehow, you still remember your childhood phone number, proving your brain just prefers vintage content. That one drives me wild.

 

 The best part? Learning to embrace each day with a sense of humor. Wrinkles become laugh lines, gray hairs are referred to as “wisdom highlights,” and early bedtimes feel like a luxurious life choice. Aging might come with creaks and quirks, but it also brings the priceless ability to laugh at yourself each day, and that’s a skill worth growing old for. 

 

It’s been a week of upsides and downsides. Let’s see, Easter holiday was great. The following work week not so much. A month or so ago while attempting to rid ourselves of a big dismantled living room reclining chair in a dumpster it got dropped on my arm inadvertently. I thought for sure I’d broken something but within hours I had more or less recovered, but maybe not. In retrospect I should have had it checked, especially due to my age. 

It had been fine until the beginning of last week, then my shoulder down to the elbow injury area began aching again. I do a lot of repetitive movement at work so it makes sense but it’s becoming problematic and hurts to lift. That was Monday, coming home on Tuesday after my nine hour on my feet shift I removed my shoe and one of my ankles was swollen on the side as big as a golf ball. Not the foot, not the leg, just the left ankle. Are you kidding me!? I have no patience for this new annoyance. I am not a wimpy person by nature, and often will tell off my misbehaving body parts as if they are my naughty children. 

 

On Wednesday morning I gave in to my bulging ankle and stayed home. By Friday the edema had pretty much subsided, the arm ache not so much but it was slightly better. I don’t like this crap. There is no bridge between my younger mind and my aging body and I need to figure this out. There also is no short shift at work, once there it’s for the 8 plus hour duration and absolutely no sitting. The chances of obtaining a different decent paying job after age 60 in my experience is slim, online or off. Prior to working at my current company I had spent a year trying to get employment. I did a brief stint of online work, hated it, and I will never do it again.

 

Nobody wants to hire someone in my age range unless you are willing to bag groceries at a supermarket for minimum wage. My plan like many seniors, is to continue to work part time where I am currently once my social security begins later in the year. All I can do now is begin again Monday and see how my body responds, I’m hoping it’s in my favor. At the same time this is all going on my older husband is also struggling with his own newfound issues due to age. Happy birthday to me, today I can add another year to the latest dumpster fire called life. ☕️

 

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