Stepping merrily from heydays to grey days
The physical attributes vis-a-vis aging be it a receding hairline, increasing waistline, drooping shoulders, sagging skin, and fragile knees mightn’t be encouraging at first impression, but the abstract benefits that trail along having donned the tag of a retired employee are immense to the pleasure of the bearer.
Old age offers a whole gamut of freedom even more so than our youth if the phase over the hill is perceived smartly, wittily, and benignly. The slow rise of the sun seeming to be in sync with the newly introduced ‘slowness’ in my life temptingly lures my lazy being into tapping the added privilege to hit the snooze button at will to extend my nocturnal rest and take palpable pleasure in the cosy warmth of the bed longer than usual. Gaining a permanent edge over Monday blues, every morning of the week is reminiscent of another colourful Sunday as if playing an encore!
Unlike students or office-goers who willy-nilly groove to the ticks of the clock, rushing to their workplaces, my idle joblessness reflects the pleasureseeking ways of an epicurean lingering all around the backyard in a laid-back mood caring two hoots for the hoots of traffic snarl-ups. Courtesy of the licence to go for long-winded solitary walks along the link road snaking through a forested zone, my routine stroll has turned into an adrenalinebound zany adventure with no particular destination in sight.
The free time in cahoots with my free mind has mysteriously introduced a new uncultivated ‘self’ to myself in grey days that ironically had lost its way in the rigmaroles of the life of a young man busy juggling umpteen responsibilities to ensure two-square meals for his joint family. Owing to the paradigm shift in my obligations and priorities, the regression from being a coveted headmaster to becoming custodian of my Montessori-bound grandson has been sweet progression in itself; empowering me to pass down moral values, righteous virtues and lofty principles from one generation to another with pride and not to miss, relishing the priceless moments of lending keen ears to his anecdotes soaked in innocence.
Deriving chaste joys in performing routine chores requiring little effort has become the new order of the day, ranging from buying vegetables to settling monthly bills to mending leaks and cracks and their ilk, all done with absolute contentment without any unwanted pressures. What’s been the cherry on the cake is to swap hearty reminiscences and engage in dynamic dialogues with my cherry-picked ‘retired’ coeval group who are low on energy but always high on willpower and above all, spare time. Their never-ending riveting tales help each one of us feel heaps lighter, better and brighter that would significantly melt our melancholic evenings into treasure troves heavily stuffed with doting love and priceless memories. Gathering dust on the shelves for long had been all those books and magazines which my veined fingers now unhurriedly turn over page- by-page with sheer delight to satiate my long-standing appetite for reading extensively at leisure.
Having got pushed into self-effacing wilderness upon the retirement of its master, my green pen, an evergreen companion apparently revived from ashes and played a constructive role in foiling the wicked schemes of the pangs of loneliness that would insidiously try to hijack my merry living, especially during stillness and silence of the nights. Burning the midnight oil together, it would stimulate my cognition to ink fresh and new yarns worth passing muster for Spice of Life before calling it a day. My old body and young heart conscientiously trained to work in tandem have fortunately found an echo in the g(old)en words once quoted by Mark Twain: Age is an issue of mind over matter, if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
OLD AGE OFFERS A WHOLE GAMUT OF FREEDOM EVEN MORE SO THAN OUR YOUTH IF THE PHASE OVER THE HILL IS PERCEIVED SMARTLY, WITTILY, AND BENIGNLY