At 80!

 I've always wondered, as I grew older, why "old" people, and that concept definitely changes as we get older, were so impatient. I turned 80 this week during a few days of incredible pain realizing "we" are so impatient because we can hear the clock ticking. Not a tick tok either but a booming cacophony of rings signaling "thy time is nye" according to Marley in THE CHRISTMAS CAROL

I've made my peace with the end days as I have watched so many friends, a sister and celebrities I grew up with pass on. Each day now brings a reminder. My father died at 40 so even though I inherited the blood disorder he died from and many more illnesses besides, I have outlived him by 40 years.

Also at 80, you kind of have a kind of permission to cut through all the B@#$-it of life and spit outexactly what it is. Remember, that clock is ticking louder and louder.

During my illness I still had chores to do and two involved calling banks and their credit card departments. I won't detail what we all know is the path to hell to reach a human and talk. One was answered by a man I simply could not understand. The next call was answered by a woman, just as bad. When asked where they were from, they both replied, Idaho. To my knowledge there is no city, town, region or state in what I assumed was India called Idaho. They are not fooling anyone. In my Philippine experiences there is usually a rooster in the background. I struggled to get my information and in one case the phone switched and I spoke to a another person.

What bothers me, and I don't know which is worse, a second language speaker or a AI robot. I'm just sayin'. While my children learned second languages easily, I struggle with English. These people are pawns in a corporate world that tries to save every penny while their salaries grow. It can't go on forever and as history teaches us, it won't. History can be incredibly boring, though it always fascinated me. But as Santana says, "Those who forget history are condemned to relive it." We don't even have go back 100 years for reliving history. As my daughter pointed out, "At the end of all this,  there will be a trial."

Another peeve is the bombarding of political ads. As a Democrat I get many solicitations everyday - text
messages, email and yesterday a phone call asking for $50.00! I exploded, "You gotta be kidding?" The GOP is just as bad and because I'm a registered voter I guess they assume, "hell, let's give him a try!" I'll skip some of my replies.

To me the greater issue is why is a New Yorker soliciting me for money? Or Ohio, Arizona, Texas and God knows where else? Someone opened Pandora's box and local elections have become national elections. Folks, read your Constitution (which few have). There is only ONE national election; for President and Vice President of the United States and they were once nominated and voted on separately!

Five dollars, or ten dollars, even a dollar or two over a period of a month adds up. With the "no-inflation" we are experiencing too many, as Elizabeth Warren points out, have to choose between food or their medicine. I know personally that items at COSTCO have gone up an average of $5.00 a package be it soap, coffee even popcorn. And eating out, well, where do we begin? It's cheaper in some cases to eat at a restaurant than McDonalds!!! And what's this about tips at a McDonald's? For what? For doing their job?

At one of the hotels we stayed at on our road trip they placed an envelope for a tip to the housekeeper. Tip? They should tip us. We remade the bed, re-hung towels and mercifully had our own soap. The only thing the housekeeper did was put that envelope on the dresser as we ate a bagel and yogurt.

I simply don't understand why we have phones. I mean why? No one answers them anymore. I've been to state, county, federal offices where phones are ringing like mad. While some may actually be on the phone most go to voicemail. "Your call is very important to us but we are experiencing greater call volume than usual. Please leave  your name and number and we will call you back ASAP." What, in dog years? Rarely do they EVER call you back. 

Experiencing incredible back pain, a nurse practitioner I was working with said you can call at 7:55 to make a same day appointment as a few slots are left open. Call Monday morning. She calls back a few minutes later saying Monday is filled up, call Tuesday. Wait a minute, this is Friday, how can Monday be filled up if calls must be made the same day? Flustered she could only spit out, "Please call Tuesday." I wished my back pain on her.

So Tuesday I showed up at the office at 7:55 as it's about five minutes away. They too were flustered. "Can we help you?" "I'm here to make a same day appointment to see my PCP.." "You could have called you know." "And what, waited 30 minutes on the phone?" I saw him 45 minutes later.

It's not just doctor's offices, it's everywhere. And in fact, I just go in person, if I can, to make appointments. They have to do their jobs because there you are, standing in front of them.

Another peeve is the drug store. I am forced to use CVS. The lines are always long, lunch is 12:30 to 1:00 just when working people can stop by to get their meds and weekends it's 10 to 5. 

After two years we finally got their App to work on my iPhone. There is a special line if you use their App. In reality no one is there and you still wait in line when you use it. Several counter people are notorious for looking at each transaction as if it's their first. Deer's in the headlights so to speak, and transaction times are long.

As you age and I am now certifiably old, I guess you resent so much time spent waiting, at the doctor's office, bank, dentist, drug store or on the phone because there are things you still want to do. How can I paint or see a fiend, read a good book (though I bring them along as I kill the time), do my chores if the day is eaten up as dead time waiting? At 25 you never think of these things. At 80 you do, trust me.

The majority of these delays are caused by money. Over schedule, hire fewer workers and demand more work fill the corporate coffers and drain yours. My time is as important as there's as companies are beginning to find out.

Can you imagine seeing the musical HAIR in London, front row mezzanine for twenty busks? I did in 1969. A similar hit today? A thousand or more? Or all you can eat hot dog, fries and Coke for $35.00 dollars at Dodger Stadium? A beer today is $18.00, three six-packs at the grocery store. As Vegas is learning, jacking prices up and up has limits. Playing to the high rollers comes with a warning, what do you do when they move on?  Even residents there are turning away.

The history of lessons is there to study. Yet how many companies, Kodak or Marshall Fields or Packard, cities or regions have gone bust because they didn't study the shopper climate. There are so many names I remember of products and companies I grew up with that are no longer with us. Good products that just didn't innovate or change with the times. The ONLY certainty of life IS change.

I am not ready to go as there's still so much to see and do! I have made as many of the arrangements in life for after when that life is gone but, hopefully, there is still life to live. On our road trip we saw many wonderful things to buy. Gazing at some exquisite Native American pottery I had an epiphany. I would be turning 80 soon and why am I buying? Anything? At this age I should be giving things away! That moment really put a new perspective on life. It freed me from want and allowed me to enjoy beauty without the need to get more. Truly liberating.

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