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Grandfather Says: One Good Thing About Getting Old

By RD Blakeslee

One good thing about getting old — and there aren’t many — is that you can blame a whole lot of things on your age:

Miss your aim at the toilet …

Forget to pay at the gas pump …

Tell the cop you’re staggering because of “the shakes” …

And some things are just a gift, like:

Looking at your wife and honestly thinking she’s beautiful.

Tell her so and she says, “Thanks, Love. Failing eyesight is a blessing sometimes …”

***

About the Author: RD Blakeslee is a nonagenarian in West Virginia who built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as opposed to papers in a drawer, like stocks and bonds. You can read more about him here. This article was originally published on 17 August 2017.

Original oil painting by: Grandfather’s wife

September 16, 2021

Comments

  1. 1

    Steve from Arkansas says

    Well, at 61 I’m sitting on the back porch this beautiful morning while it rains lightly thinking about my sore foot that wasn’t helped by the record pace five mile run my 62 year old wife drug me through at 5:30 this morning wondering if it will dry off enough for some really hard singles tennis this afternoon with one of the top players in the state. So I’m guessing this post is about really old guys like maybe 90’s?

    • 2

      RD Blakeslee says

      Grandfather says thinking about your day has made him too tired to answer ..

    • 3

      Bill says

      You’re only as old as you feel? From the sound of your foot, and your morning, you’re getting there. Your wife might be trying to kill you so she can get a pool boy.

      • 4

        RD Blakeslee says

        Bill, I didn’t know my foot “sounds”, never said I am “only as old as I feel” and we don’t have a pool.

  2. 5

    Ken in NZ says

    The best thing about being 60,70,80, 90 etc is that you’ve got that far. Anyone younger doesn’t know if they ever will.

  3. 6

    Bill says

    My legs aren’t very steady anymore. My back is not so good. My quick wit and sense of humor are in tact.

    Getting older means people don’t laugh at you when you fall. They all rush over concerned and want to help you. When I show up, people get excited. I don’t know how much is the younger ones enjoy my company, and how much is they are glad they don’t have another funeral to go too. lol

    • 7

      RD Blakeslee says

      LOL! I guess one thing all us oldsters have in common is we can never be sure how younger people feel about us.

      I try and put them at ease by making jokes. For example, if someone holds a door open for me, I say: “Thank you! Us old folks need all the help we can get.”

  4. 8

    Bill says

    One good thing about getting older is you relax, and see more humor in life. A good laugh does a body good.

    I would like to work part time. It will get me out interacting with people I miss. I’ll have some extra pocket money, and can bring in Dial-A-Maid once a week.

    Nobody wants to hire old retired postal workers.

    Interviewer: “What is your worst fault?”.
    Me :”I’m honest and straight to the point.”.
    Interviewer: “I don’t think that’s a fault.”.
    Me: “I don’t give a d*** what you think!”.

    I think it’s age discrimination!

  5. 9

    RD Blakeslee says

    Grandfather says amen!

    In his opinion, Jean-Paul Sartres philosophy Existentialism boils down to: The meaning of life is what you make of it.

    Also, Grandfather says he believes Woody Allens pronouncement Eighty percent of success is showing up.

    So, now Grandfather says he just shows up and makes meaning.

Trackbacks

  1. Black Coffee: A Matter of Trust - Len Penzo dot Com says:
    August 26, 2017 at 7:37 pm

    […] reading a post from the bi-weekly “Grandfather Says” series by R.D. Blakeslee on the best thing about getting old, Ken in NZ added […]

  2. Black Coffee: A Matter of Trust – Len Penzo dot Com says:
    April 26, 2020 at 8:45 am

    […] reading a post from the bi-weekly “Grandfather Says” series by R.D. Blakeslee on the best thing about getting old, Ken in NZ added […]

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