TalkBaja.com » Baja Mexico Forums » Baja Stories - Writers Corner

Olding



Through The Learning Channel, Discovery and National Geographic I stay in touch with the world. So much to see and be amazed by. Recently I learned that early man had very short life spans -- Cro-Magnon, Neanderthal both about 40 years on average. I’ve known for a while the sad statistics of the short life expectancy of people in countries like Niger (29) or Uganda (33) and others ravaged by drought, disease, war.

I live in Mexico. Life expectancy here, for a man, is 68.42. I turned 73 years old in October. I’ve already beat the curve for a lot of countries. Now that I have, I begin to feel another kind of sympathy for those who die young, before their time --- whatever the hell that means.

When I was a young man, I did youthful, energetic things. Now I can wallow in the sloth of old age, do all the things old people are famous for. I shall always consider myself lucky to have lived long enough to reach this age, live in this way.

Those unlucky souls who died while still very young, who were simply worn out, worn down by the conditions under which they lived and labored could only have their youth to remember. I give them no dishonor when I speculate that a man of 35 years, living in a country where his life expectancy is age 40, does not consider himself old by my standards. He will die before he can look old, feel old, be old. That’s the sad part.

He will never feel the pleasure of the complaint. His ills and ailments will never become his welcome bedmates, his friends and constant companions. This man can never know the satisfaction of being the victim of time, the joy of grousing about how ageing gnaws away at the body and the mind.

It is not possible for a young man to fully appreciate the satisfaction in scolding, chiding, advising a 50 year old son or daughter -- a special kind of fulfillment found in sharing one’s hard-won wisdom with the foolish, wrong-headed youngster. One of life’s precious secrets, learned at the age of 25 is no more than a fuzzy footnote to the sum and substance that man would take to the grave if he died a mere 15 years later.

The same secret, about women, politics, the human condition, carried about, polished, cleaned, tuned for 60 years, takes on the importance, the majesty of The Rosetta Stone, Hammurabi’s book of laws.

What of serious dialectic, discussion, argument? The young-old man has only children to talk with, to lecture to. A man of 80 or more years can and will argue with anyone who has ears, vocal chords, a tongue and soft palate, lips. His most eloquent pronouncements are soliloquies -- what we sometimes hear as mutterings, gibberish, are actually arguments won and lost with the master of the argument, the old man himself.

I’m coming of age myself. Last year I took some visitors, friends and family from the states, fishing in my little boat. We saw some marlin that wouldn’t bite, caught two small tuna. Rays were jumping everywhere. One of the youngsters asked me why the manta rays jumped. I said “because they can.”

Later that day my grandson Greg said “Grampa, why don’t we all go down to the beach, go for a swim?”

I said. “Because I don’t have to. Because I don’t want to.”

A statement not so much of prerogative but, considered against the millions who can never make such a gruff and gritty rejoinder, an obligatory declaration.

He probably mis-read my grin. He doesn’t know what it means when I rub my big belly with both hands, grin that way, open another beer. He‘s lousy at current events, geography. He doesn‘t know about the young-old people in Gambia, Ethiopia.

He’s 11 years old, lives in San Diego. Tomorrow he and I are going for a ride on the beach in my dunebuggie, sit and fish awhile. By the time we get back to the house he’ll know just how lucky he was to be born in a place where they let you live as long as you want.

Another good one.....so, could you share that "secret... of women" with my incumbent husband ? He's not 73 yet and I'd rather not wait. Enjoyed it, Osprey!

Sorry Dusty, that won't work. I could tell him but then I'd have to kill him.

So where does a "young" kid like me fit in this story at approx mid-line on the age scale???

Zambia if you're a non-smoker.

And Bahia de los Muertos if he's a smoker???

Another good one, Osprey!

I looked for Zambia on the map but I couldn't find it. Must be an old map...