Excerpt from Daily Cures, Wisdom for Healthy Aging by Connie Mason Michaelis
Coffee filters are my new favorite metaphor. Like the second hand on a clock, coffee filters tick off the days of the year. I buy my coffee filters in big boxes of 300. I use one a day except for being out of town. When I get to the bottom of the stack, I am always amazed that it is time to buy again. The underlying shock is, “How could a whole year have passed? I feel like I just bought coffee filters last week!” Does that happen to you? Do you belong to a club or organization with annual dues that seem to be payable every three months? Are you aware of how fast time passes? Have you put off doing a project only to discover that you’ve been talking about it for a year (or two) and still have not even begun? Benjamin Franklin says, “You may delay, but time will not.” Time marches on with no regard for our good intentions.
Have you been telling yourself it is time to downsize? I feel like a broken record, but the reason it is important now is because you must do it while you are strong, mobile, and making your own decisions. Where you live will make a difference as you age. Imagine yourself as a 90-year-old; would your current residence be appropriate and conducive to an active lifestyle? Would it be easy to negotiate physically? Planning ahead is the key to healthy transitions. If you have an emergency and end up in the hospital, someone else will have to decide for you. Or you’ll leave your spouse with the burden of decision-making and moving. The goal is to take action early; don’t wait to wake up some morning and realize you’ve waited too late. Abe Lincoln said, “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” Begin to plan your future today!
Spot on Connie!
soooo true!
Excellent, Connie! When I was a young man my grandmother used to always (and I DO mean “always” !) tell me “0h my, time goes by faster and faster as I get older!” At (just) age 73 I finally know what she’s talking about!
Yesterday at a coffee, this is exactly what our group of women discussed. The article addresses everything! Time fleeting, actually we spent years accumulating and then whoa,...time to minimize and wonder how we get it gone! Coffe filters ...filter....we need to do it as we go. !