I had a moment of insight last night.
I was bending down to tie my shoes and noticed an item nearby that I knew didn’t belong there. I caught myself thinking “I should pick that up while I’m already bent over.”
It made me think about how my thought processes have changed by getting older. I remember telling a friend a few years ago that “the best part of growing old is that I’m no longer expected to run through brick walls… I can look for a door”… Or, better yet, let a young person do it!
When you think about it, it’s really about being more efficient. “Look before you leap” not only keeps you out of potential trouble, it saves a lot of time. Time spent correcting the result of not thinking ahead to the consequences of your action.
Over the course of a lifetime, most of us gain experience by doing things the hard way. The wisdom of aging (or more realistically, the reluctance to experience unnecessary pain), has taught us to get the most out of our actions. Chronic Pain has a way of encouraging older people to reduce the effort needed for any given result. Let’s face it… We are getting older. But, on the bright side, we’re also getting MORE EFFICIENT!