I’ve had a few glitches in my health lately. I didn’t travel to the doctor right away. I don’t like medicine and I wasn’t sure if the tiredness I felt was just my age. I’ve never been 75 before so I wondered if I was slowing down because it’s a natural progression of what was supposed to happen when you get to these advanced years.

I thought of my mom at 75. She didn’t visit the doctor either. And she didn’t take medicine. At the time I thought she was old, because when she was 75 I was somewhere around 31, and anyone older than 60 was old to me. I will admit I was misguided in my thinking about age when I was younger, but nothing stood in my mom’s way of doing things she wanted to do. Everyone else her age was old according to her, and she wasn’t one of them. At 90 I caught her up on the roof of her house trying to fix it! That aged me.

My neighbor down the hall moved to assisted living last year. It was hard for her to take a shower by herself anymore and she had to use a scooter to get around. She was in her 90s and sharp as a tack. Her main complaint about her new digs? It was all old people in her building and she was bored! I think if I asked her what it was like to be her age she might reply that it was frustrating as her body slowed down, but her mind didn’t, and that dictated who she lives with because of it.

I finally broke down and visited my amazing Doctor. I found out I had a little allergy problem but I didn’t ask the question, “Is this the way I’m supposed to feel at my age?”

And how would he have answered? He’s in his middle 40s. How could he possibly know what you should feel like at 75? Of course, he treats other people my age so he could give me clinical answers. He could use his medical school jargon, but he won’t be able to tell me until he is 75.

You’ve heard the phrase, age is a state of mind. If that’s the case I’m 21 again. I could party and ride roller coasters, and run up the stairs. Actually, I’m not sure I could run up the stairs at 21. I wasn’t the athletic type, but at 75 I believe in my mind I could. Some days I just can’t get my body to want to move out of my chair. Those television shows are so enticing.

My mind hasn’t kept up with my body. And I have my family warning me about some of the things that might be harmful to my health. Such as the answer when I wanted to visit Valley Fair and ride the river ride. “Grandma you can’t, you’ll break something. No!” Or wanting to add a portable bathtub to my shower as I miss baths. Kids: “ I don’t think that sounds like a good idea. You have to step up and you might catch your leg and fall and you have to get up out the bath, and you might not be able to do that.”

The age number is different for each of us. Some might not be so mobile anymore because of health issues. Did anyone warn them it was going to be like this? It’s probably better we didn’t know and are surprised, otherwise it might have made us crazy worrying. And then there is the other alternative. We have to visit our friends at that peaceful place down the road called a cemetery, or talk to our friends in the wind as they are scattered. I’m scattered in real life so that might be my fate. The kids will toss me to the wind.

I remember when I was pregnant with my first child. 75 wasn’t even in my conscious thought. Maybe I should treat it like the anticipation of the birth of my first child. I had some telling me how horrible birth was, and I would never forget the pain. On the other side I had sister-in-laws and a mother-in-law that had the other viewpoint. “Not to worry, it’s a piece of cake, you’ll forget the pain.” I chose to believe somewhere in-between. It was good I didn’t worry as I was one of the lucky ones, short labor of three hours and the kids that came into my life after that was shorter. I have no idea why I was so blessed, but maybe I need to think of turning 76 next month the way my sister-in-laws encouraged me to think of birth. Anticipation, joy, the circle of life and probably some pain.

In my cozy mystery series I created over-the-top senior citizens. Granny is modeled after my mom. I was tired of all the ads on television that portrayed elderly people as weak and crippled people. My characters also have a sense of humor and I hope many of us embrace the funny things that can happen to us in our aging years.

I do believe age is an attitude, although I also believe health plays a big part in attitude. If you are in pain all the time I think crabbiness is natural. Anyone out there older than 75? Let’s hear from you. Next month is 76 for me. How slow will I go at 76? Will I be the tortoise? Slow and steady? Or the hare, over confident that fast is best, and not take the time to savor the moments, but trying to run away from the reality that age changes us? If I am the hare now, because I felt the exhaustion the past months, what will I be at 80? How slow can I go?

Thanks for putting up with this nonsense. We all need a little nonsense sometime.