How Far Do You Bend?

We seniors are always being admonished to stay flexible—and I don’t mean physically. What we’re warned against is getting so set in our ways that any disruption in schedule or routine sends us into a tizzy/ Adaptability is the key. My adaptability has been tested twice in recent days.

The first was a test we all share, young or old. Our bi-annual adjustment from Daylight Savings Time to Central Standard and back again. I handled Saturday’s night switch quite admirably, thank you, by sleeping ten hours. But by Sunday night I was exhausted at 9:30. I told myself that my body thought it was 10:30 and it was really all right to go to sleep. But eight hours later, almost to the minute, my eyes popped open, and I was awake. I did not want to getup at 5:30 no matter if I’d had my eight hours or not. That sounded awful to me. I did sleep for another hour but was forced out of bed by both Sophie and needs of my own.

Sophie worries me every time the time changes, especially when we fall back. In her mind, when it’s daylight, it’s time to start the day, and she comes gleefully into the bedroom at a full run with a bark that says, “Get up.” She doesn’t even necessarily want to go outside, she just thinks I should be up and keeping her company.

I’ll adjust. We all will. We always do. But it takes a few days.

My other test came this weekend when I spent three nights at my daughter’s house. She went out of her way to make sure I was comfortable and taken care of. For instance, I didn’t take my gadget that helps me put on my left sock nor the stool I use to put on the shoe. So I’d go limping into the kitchen, one shoe on, the other in hand, to ask for help.

Going to the bathroom was a challenge because my walker wouldn’t fit between tub and sink, and I inched along holding on to the sink. Then I had to go to the kitchen to wash my hands because the guest bathroom sink has a problem.

There were other little things, none serious, that made me realize how Jordan and I have shaped my cottage around what I can and can’t do. Out of my own environment, I’m at a disadvantage.

I will brag that I handled the bus trip well. Couldn’t take the walker on board with me, so I walked holding on to one seat back and the other. With Jordan’s help, I even managed to go to the restroom without falling. (On my first Vonlane trip, solo to Houston, I had a spectacular fall—no immediate consequences but I’m sure the incident contributed to the overall deterioration of my hip.)

And I managed the walker on Austin’s hilly streets, though not without effort and frequent stops to rest. Uphill is not good.

How do I grade myself? Medium flexible but room for improvement—physically and emotionally. How about you?