Growing Really Old

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There was a horrible story in the making going around the social media circles late last week.

An elderly couple went missing.

I believe the man was 91 years old and his young wife was said to be 89.

They were missing for quite awhile and a bulletin was sent over the airwaves.

Thankfully, the couple was found safe, in their car, a long ways away from their hometown. The story didn't say much, but it was noted that each suffered from dementia, and that perhaps they got mixed up and then really lost.

Scary stuff.

Thankfully they weren't harmed.

Yet it got me thinking about throwing another 40 years on the relationship that I have with my beautiful wife and then tossing us into a car bound for somewhere with neither of us quite having the grasp on where we were heading.

Sounds like absolute hell to me.

I could almost hear her going on about how stupid I am and how I should have listened to her about getting off at the previous exit.

That car would be really loud, filled with the sound of her voice.

Growing old is desired, of course, but it's also a bit rough.

So many aches and pains.

So many moments when you think:

'What the hell was I just doing?'

"Can you imagine me at 90?" I asked Kathy.

"Oh Dear Lord," she said. "Stumbling around, screaming at everything, shitting yourself. Not a pretty picture."

"But you'll still love me, right? You'll still want me when we're both 100, right?"

"Oh yeah," she said. "We make it to 100, it's on!"

We both laughed.

I'm thinking the next 50 might be a wee bit more difficult.

Late that night I thought about that couple a little bit more.

I really hope they stay safe for a whole bunch more years. Perhaps there will have to be a few adjustments made in regard their ability to just jump in the car and hit the road, but I hope they make it to the century mark.

Together.

Laughing all the way.

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