Travel today

A family friend who has always traveled a great deal told me recently that she has decided to put that part of her life behind her. Flying is too much of a hassle now, she says. I agree with her that waiting in long lines to check in and then facing even longer lines to go through security can be daunting. We all want to be safe, of course, but we do need patience when flying anywhere these days. Especially when asked to remove our shoes. Young people don’t mind, in fact they find it fun, but older people who are not provided with chairs to put their shoes back on have been heard to mumble rather loudly that they deserve more respect.

          On two international trips I had to go through security at a few different airports, and I must say that those charged with our safety take their job very seriously. I doubt that anything dangerous could slip by. I had to throw away a metal nail file because it was seen as a possible weapon. 

          While going through airport security can be time consuming and tedious, it’s a new reality in today’s world. Unlike my friend, I doubt that it will lead me to give up flying anytime soon. All we need to do is allow enough time before flying so as to not be stressed at the security check point. And not be shy about asking the airline to provide assistance if needed.

           A couple of a certain age I know always reserve wheelchairs inside airports so they’re not tired and stressed when going through security. Wise planning since airports are getting bigger and bigger all the time it seems. And you’d better not have sore feet when having to walk from one end of an airport to the other to catch a connecting flight.

           I’m sure that like me you no doubt yearn for the old days when you could get to the airport twenty minutes before a flight and get on without problems. I did it many times myself, but that’s in the past. Like so many other changes that have occurred over the years, we must now live with time-consuming security-conscious flying.

           It could be worse. We could still be traveling by horse and buggy!

Test Yourself

During a visit to my doctor,

I asked him, "How do you

determine whether or not an

older person should move to a

home?"
     "Well," he said, "we fill up a

bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon,

a teacup and a bucket to the 
person to empty the bathtub."
     "Oh, I understand," I said.

"A normal person would use the

 bucket because it is bigger than

 the spoon or the teacup."
      "No" he said. "A normal 
person would pull the plug. Do 
you want a bed near the window?"

A short neurological test
 1- Find the C below. Please

do not use any cursor help.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

2- If you already found the C,

now find the 6 below.
9999999999999999999999999999

9999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999

9999999999999999699999999999

9999999999999999999999999999

9999999999999999999999999999

9999999999999999999999999999

           How did you do??

             ======================

ARE WE RESPONSIBLE??

We are told that older folks like us  are the source of many of the world’s  problems today. But are we really  responsible?        I got an e-mail recently which  asked that question.  The sender  considered that we are not responsible  for removing the following: The melody out of music, The pride out of appearance, The courtesy out of driving, The romance out of love, The commitment out of marriage, The responsibility out of parenthood,  The togetherness out of the family, The learning out of education,  The service out of patriotism, The Golden Rule from rulers, The nativity scene out of cities, The civility out of behavior, The refinement out of language, The dedication out of employment, The prudence out of spending, The ambition out of achievement or God out of government and school. Certainly not as far as I am concerned!

Insomnia anyone?

I don’t know about you but I do remember a time when I could fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and then sleep for eight or nine hours without waking up. Ah the days! Unfortunately as the years speed by sleep patterns change.

            As we add more candles to our birthday cakes, falling asleep as soon as we get into bed is often only a dream, a daydream that is. As you lay there trying to sleep, sometimes it is difficult to shut off your thinking. The movie you just saw keeps you wondering if an earthquake in your city could really happen. Or you keep thinking about your medical scheduled for the next day and begin to fear bad news. Or you wonder how to find out who walked through your flower bed.

            Fortunately there are all sorts of things that can help. Deep breathing is one that can let your cares and worries drift away with every breath. Or you can listen to tapes to help you meditate and forget the rest of the world. Personally, I am a firm believer in laughter to bring on sleep. I listen to late-night comedians, and there is no question that the more I laugh the more soundly I sleep.

Sleep hygienists tell us that having a couple of drinks before bed to help with sleep can be tricky. The reason is that we may wake up during the night with a very dry mouth requiring a glass of water and then being unable to go back to sleep. People who enjoy some warm milk instead of a couple of drinks before retiring may have the right idea.

Of course, as we age most of us reach a point where we wake up during the night for a required trip to the bathroom. That in itself is not a problem. What can be however is our inability to go back to sleep.

            Don’t you find that being awake in the middle of the night is a breeding ground for dark notions? Your thoughts spiral in your head: Did I forget to lock the front door? Does the cat have worms? Does my grandson have a bad cold or is it something more serious? How come I have a pimple? Can’t be acne; maybe it’s a tumour! Aaaagh!

            What to do when your worrying mind keeps you from going back to sleep? A no-no is certainly looking at the clock so the depth of your problem is clearly in front of you. “Ohmigod, I’ve been awake for almost an hour. I’ll never go back to sleep now.” From my experience that makes it worse.

            A ninety-year old I know says she always wakes up after three hours. She simply reads for an hour or so until she feels sleepy again and can be in the arms of Morpheus for another three hours.

Many people read when they can’t go back to sleep. It is something I have done myself, but it has to be something interesting but not so involved that it keeps you awake—perhaps the dictionary?? 

Of course, the best thing is to simply lie in bed daydreaming about something you wish for yourself or those you love. You’ll soon be asleep and your mind will be full of pleasant dreams.