“It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.” ― Andy Rooney
y father was 58 years old when I joined the USAF. After I joined the opportunities for visits with him became few and far between. I was stationed at numerous distant or foreign locations and years would go by before we would be able to see one another. I clearly remember it was during one of these infrequent visits that I noticed my father was getting old. My father had always seemed rather ageless to me. Not realistic, but that’s the perception of him I held in my mind. I can also remember wondering how it felt to my father and did he feel like he was old? I’ve now reached that same mid-60’s age where my father was at the time of my recognition of him growing old. Being here has created reflections on this subject in my own life. I wonder if my children already see me as old? It’s a shame I didn’t have a conversation with my father on how he felt when he was this age. He passed away a few years later at the age of 69 from leukemia. As for me beginning the second half of my 60’s, I don’t mentally feel old. But I do recognize my mind’s a bit slower and my body’s a little less fit. And then there’s that constant reminder that I’ve been a card-carrying member of AARP for several years.
his past Sunday the outside compressor/heat exchanger of our air conditioning stopped working. With temperatures in the upper 90’s (heat index 100+) our townhome quickly began to heat up. We’re renting this home and, of course, there was no one in the property management office on Sunday. Bonnie placed a call to their listed emergency number. Things took a downward turn when she heard their voice-mailbox was full and she couldn’t leave a message. We discussed our options and decided to contact one of the local 24/7 1-hour response local A/C service companies. They wanted to help but couldn’t work on our unit unless they were contacted by either the property owner (who lives in California) or the property managers. I certainly understand that liability policy but… So our only recourse on a hot Sunday evening was to submit an online service request and wait till Monday morning for a hopefully quick response. Sunday night was spent with windows open, extra fans blowing with very little fitful sleep.
Mid-morning on Monday we received an email stating our service request had been received and forwarded to a 3rd party contractor who should be contacting us shortly. Time passed and temperatures continued to climb without hearing a word from the 3rd party. That’s when I decided to purchase a portable air conditioner from a local home supply stores. Bonnie reached out again to our property management group asking for an update on when someone would contact us. Crickets. The three of us (counting Maggie) spent Monday night in our bedroom with this portable AC unit running on high. As you might imagine it was a second night with little sleep.
By Tuesday morning Bonnie had reached her limits and I was close behind! Bonnie sent an email to the overall manager at the property company outlining how we’ve had no AC in 100º F temperatures for nearly 48 hours and had not heard from anyone to indicate the problem was even being addressed. Then she pulled her senior card and described how it was a very unhealthy situation for two senior citizens and an elderly dog to be in this situation. Yelp, you better watch how you treat us “old people.”
Within minutes of the email being sent, we received two phone calls, one from a third-party AC service company saying they would be there shortly and a call from the person at the property management company who handles service requests. The service technician arrived soon and fixed the issue in a very professional and responsive manner. It’s our feeling that this particular company hadn’t been contacted on Monday.
In any case, cool air was soon blowing from our vents again. However, even with continuing to run our portable AC unit along with the main unit it took almost 24 hours to cool the whole house completely.
The point of this whole story is that up until recently I’ve never publicly claimed to be old or in more polite verbiage a senior citizen. I never really thought of myself in that role, acknowledged it or leaned into being a “senior” especially in regards to using it for some type of gain…until now.
Humm…where did I put that TV remote I think “The Golden Girls” is on.
Ha! If I would have known this tactic would work so well, I would have started using the senior-in-jeopardy line when I was 45.
Maybe we need to order a suction cup car window sign that reads “senior-in-jeopardy aboard.” 😂
Haha, good story Earl. There used to be a time when sleeping in 100°F would not have bothered me, but these days, I do find myself turning on the air-con more often than I used to. Especially when the humidity hits over 80%, though only at night. I still don’t like being in air-con during the day.
My father died at 82 and it was only in the couple of years leading to his passing that I thought of him as old. He walked 10k a day, visited cafes daily for his coffee, liked dringking wine and laughed a lot. I turn 60 next year and if I can be like he was for the next 20 or so years, I’ll be happy.I may just need to pretend the muscles are not as stiff as they feel, each morning ;)
Thanks, Cedric. As I’ve gotten older, my tolerance of heat seems to be less although I acknowledge it might be a case of my having become more use to air conditioning…spoiled so to say. It sounds like your father certainly enjoyed his life. I especially liked the “laughed a lot” description. Let’s wish for us both to have many more years with similar enjoyment and laughter.
Now that I’m in my mid 60s I think often of how much I may have changed since my daughters saw me last. I know I recognized the aging in my parents after being away (the Navy) for a year, sometimes more. I don’t fret over it and try to remain young-at-heart as the classic song urges but still…
Yelp, Joe, there’s absolutely no gain from fretting over aging. I read a quote, but I don’t remember where it came from…”We cannot control the wind but we can direct the sail.” It’s stuck in my mind and seems to apply to most situations where one might feel out-of-control. Thanks for the visit and sharing your thoughts.
Wonderful story. My condo is cool because I live on the ground floor and live in Colorado, so I never turn on my AC. Every once in awhile I will think about our ancestors, who were eldersb but without AC and heat and phones and electricity and cars and microwaves and radio. How did they survive?
Monte, you’re very lucky you don’t have to use your AC where you’re at in Colorado. My family never had AC when I was growing up. It was a matter of sleeping with all the windows open or in later years Dad installed a large attic fan that pulled the cooler night air in and soon cooled the whole house…which I remember seemed a big luxury. Now, I’m sure there are plenty of folks here who don’t have AC or if they do it’s a simple window unit but these hotter than normal temperatures are becoming a health hazard. Perhaps surviving and enjoying surviving are two separate things! Haha :-) Thanks!
What a story, Earl! Well, I’m glad that they got it all sorted out. It was pretty brutal the last couple of weeks with the temperature and humidity. I think that I would have bailed for a pet-friendly hotel! :D I need my A/C. As I am in the tail end of my 50s, at 57, it’s sometimes hard to believe that I’m getting old, but the little aches and pains, from time to time, are a reminder. If I ever end up in a bind, then I’ll pull out the “senior” card! They don’t have to know how old I am, exactly!
Yeah, it seems to be the norm that we see ourselves as being younger than we are. I guess that’s because we see ourselves from the inside out rather than from the outside in. :-) Bonnie and I had discussed a pet-friendly hotel, even researched a few, and that would have probably been our choice for the third night if they hadn’t gotten the AC fixed. You look old enough yet to play the senior card, Paul…and that’s a good thing! Good to see you on the web again!
Hey, the day I turned 60 I decided that if I *had* to grow old then by God I’d make good use of it. I forget something? “Hey, I’m *OLD*!” Can’t pick up something heavy? “Hey you kids (anyone under 50 nearby)! Come and help an old man!” It’s especially good to face down potential fights: “Go ahead; HIT me! At may age, it’s instant FELONY!”
Yep, growing old can be fun!
–Ken
Hi Kenneth, I haven’t been mentally resistant to growing old (for what little good that would do me) but until this incident, I haven’t leaned-into it either. I can’t honestly say growing old is “fun” even with the few advantages it provides. :-) Thanks for the visit and comment. 👍