Cutting the Mustard, Senioritis, Aging Gracefully
I hope all can relate to “Cutting the Mustard”. I remember a song from when I was a very young child, Too Old to Cut the Mustard”. Words, “too old to cut the mustard any more, too old, too old, He’s too old to cut the mustard anymore”. It was very funny then. Don’t know exactly why, BUT it isn’t Funny any MORE. I also heard of “lumbago and rheumatiz, understood that a little, Aging gracefully seemed nice and NOT understood. STILL ISN’T.
What he was too old to do was totally beyond my scope. I never thought anything “nasty” would be on the radio and I knew nothing of hidden meanings. Nor did I think that it meant women too, or that I was in any danger of ever being too old. I was trying my darnedest to get old. No reality at all for “too old”.
So, I arrived here. I knew I was “too old when I could not out run the six year old great grandchild. She took delight in herself and maybe that is why I thought “too old” was funny when I was a kid. It was solace for being “too young”.
I went to the clinic for a wellness check. Got lab work. Usually only have a bit of high cholesterol. Went to the eye doctor, and still only need readers and no disease at all. I got a better treatment for my allergy issue, so I would if I could, jump up and click my heels in the air. I still lighten my hair instead of darken it. I try to jump start myself each day and be more active. I do the same grooming I have been doing for 50 years, if I go out, but if I stay in, I skip some of it some of the time to be real truthful here. I try to eat the healthy stuff and have a few indulgences. I have people who are with me and people who are not still with me. That sums up my senioritis and aging gracefully. No, it doesn’t.
Senioritis is harder than it looks for me and I have my days when I don’t know if I am getting a bug or it is one of the “senior things”. When I do my grooming routine, I am hoping for a miracle, and when I finish, I usually feel that I have “wrought a miracle”.
Some days no grooming seems to make me look or feel “bright eyed and bushy tailed”.
As for what “he was too Old for in the song too old to cut the mustard”, I am surprised at how long some things last, get better or are still working. I have gotten a lot of cobwebs out of my head and am still working on that. “nasty” is a word I don’t need much anymore. If it is reasonably clean, it isn’t “nasty.
As for GRACEFULLY, this is my best rendition. I like you and I like me and I always liked older people. I can only hope that my young people can see age as not too scary, and can laugh at me, outrun me and still give know that “too old” will be there for them and sooner than expected.
I do hope that you senior chatters people will find this helpful and will share your best strategies for coping with ” too old to cut the mustard, senioritis and doing it gracefully. Gracefully, bah humbug.
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Hi Rose, well my theory is if you tell yourself you are old you become old. ok the body changes, joints are stiffer especially first thing in the morning,……I like you do not go out with out make up on, justs makes me feel better, therefore more confident, not as much as some of the young would slap on though, don’t want to look like Mutton dressed as Lamb,……..great believer in if the mind goes down the body follows, need to keep the grey matter ticking over the best you can, stimulating conversation and company all positives……… people can soon bring you down if all they talk about is illness and ageing….for reasons unknown to me, when some people age, talk of doctors, hospital appointments, illness and death becomes paramount, ok we are never going to run the four minute mile….. but we can still think young….don’t let the brain age too…….xx
Starlette, thank you for your comment and we fee and think the same for the most part.
Growing “old” is awesome. I mean really, it’s much better than the alternative for sure. I hear “younger” people say “age is just a number”. I think for the most part that’s true. Often too many times we allow society to dictate how we see the elder years. I for one refuse to buy into the notion we’ve had our time or our turn. Our turn for what? Who is to put a feeling with a number? Not me! How old is too old to “cut the mustard”? Don’t ask me, my knife is sharper than ever. I agree with Star, we at times listen to the negative and ills and become a part of it. Should we have compassion for such? absolutely but not allow it to consume our minds. That’s one reason I refuse to “retire”. This is just me and my opinion but “retire” is a beginning of an end. I’m a firm believer you become what you condition yourself to to be. I’will cut the mustard till the body dictates otherwise. I was built by the creator to move and live and I have no intention of altering it. Great blog Rose!!
Thank you jsmile and I say, “way to go”. I will be right behind you, trying to keep up.
I love this age…we can laugh at ourselves and it doesn’t bother us! Growing old is not for sissies but it sure beats the alternative as you say! Wouldn’t trade it in for anything!!!
cwsweet, I hate getting tired before I get finished. Or very tired when I do finish.
Hi Rose,
I just finished reading your blog and enjoyed it fully. We live in a society that is very much youth oriented and in complete denial of their own future regarding aging. In my particular case, age was not ever an issue and the older I get the less I care about it because you are only as young as you feel at heart. If anything I have come to enjoy the fact that as long as I don’t hurt anyone I can be, feel, and act as young or old as I desire at any given moment. Every stage in life definitely holds its own beauty. Every day for me holds a new discovery. The most recent being that retirement is really highly overrated. I think people should remain active as much as possible, I struggle with this but I’m happy to report that I’m fighting my fears and making efforts to conquer what is still available to me in this world. Keep up the good work. Greetings!!!!!!