What to do when age catches up with you

#Middlebury #SeniorNewsLine

At what point do we finally cave in to aging? It’s different for all of us, but there are some things we eventually need to give up. Aren’t there?

For me the breaking point in “I can do it myself” came recently when I started planning for a bit of redecorating. Tops on my list was painting a few rooms.

I’m no neophyte when it comes to a paintbrush and roller – and a ladder. I painted my first room at age 16 and have painted at least some of every place I’ve ever lived since then. I have a 20-year-old ladder, a bit wobbly now but perfectly stable for zipping up and down while wearing a certain pair of shoes (also old) for grip. I even know just how far it’s safe to lean to the left or right without the ladder tipping. I’ve felt perfectly safe.

Until now.

What, I’ve asked myself, would happen if I fell and there was no one here to help? I’ve thought about ways around that, including having a neighbor come over. But no, I wouldn’t enjoy what has always been a happy solitary task with music blaring.

So where do you draw your line in the battle against aging? When do you stop shoveling snow? When do you ask for help carrying 40-pound bags of pet food? And when do you stop hanging from a ladder like a monkey while wielding a paintbrush?

After making a few calls, my painting situation has been solved. A very nice young painter will be here to paint ceiling trim and the top 2 feet of walls while I, with feet firmly on the floor, paint everything else.

I wonder I’ll have to give up next.

(c) 2018 King Features Synd. Inc.