Here I stand a mere days away from what has historically been one of the most significant landmark birthdays in a person’s life. It’s when a lot of folks start to assess the possibility of completing a bucket list they haven’t started yet while other people begin their countdown to death. It’s a perspective thing.
For me, the paperwork is genuinely the most amazing. It’s copious and the extraneous noise from companies vying for a seat in my purse has exacerbated what was already an annoying process. The hunt is on to take advantage of the next legally “senior” citizen in line. Lord, help it not be me!
Since I hung up my headset, I’ve been on a mission to find peace.
I interrupted the process when I signed on for a stint with CBS Washington, then put it down again, then picked it up for Newshour and the 2024 RNC and DNC gatherings in Milwaukee and Chicago respectively, So, yes, the disruption was totally on me with the off and on again headset thing but after doing something for so long it really hasn’t been as simple as I thought it would be to just let it go, cold turkey, no more, boom, done, finis, fade to black.
Now that the most recent work I did was the 2024 political conventions, bye bye seems wayyyyy easier. There is a certainty this step back from the fray is final. Let me clarify that with the words “news coverage” so there won’t be any missed opportunities to be involved in some fat sports or entertainment projects should they come my way. Call me.
Cut to today, standing firmly on the front lines of the coordination of future health benefits. This makes the front deck of the control room look like the easier thing to do. Record keeping is not an adequate description of what is about to be required to exist in the time beyond age 65.
I just this minute totally understand why people lose touch with one another as the years go by, beyond just realizing that there are some people you don’t really like, maybe never really did, and only now are doing something about it, which is to do nothing. The rest of the dissolution of relationships may have to do with our being trapped in individual paperwork we can’t get beyond often enough to get together where no doubt the conversation at some point will be about that paperwork, once the medication and ailment portion of the chat has been exhausted. That’s something I’m not looking forward to either.
There have already been conversations with people who don’t laugh like they used to anymore. Depending on the joke they need to point out how they don’t eat chicken or beef or their health scan levels of whatever enzymes is up or down so the bovine and poultry references aren’t funny, as if the words have something to do with levels of whatever in their systems that has sapped their sense of humor.
Knowing that the list of pills and tests will inevitably be part of a conversation has put me off contacting some people. We’ve all got our own tick-tock of things to do to maintain our beings but I don’t want to share mine and I’m okay if you keep yours to yourself too as opposed to giving me an update each and every time we speak. I’m not a doctor. If death is imminent, okay, I’ll listen and provide comfort.
That said, consider this my one and only instance whining about the forms necessary to keep order as I age.
There are a lot more things on the to-do list worthy of my attention I’d rather share with you.
Read any good books lately?
Have you seen a manatee up close?
Where was the last best place you saw a sunset?
We already know nobody gets out alive.
Let’s keep living without complaining until that happens.