Dialogue 4 – Old Age

“It’s hell getting old,” she said.  “I’ve got aches and pains everywhere and just about everyday I discover another.”

“Welcome to the club,” he said.  “Want to compare pains?”

“Not today,” she said.  “But, maybe if I get a new one tomorrow, I’ll want to talk about it.  Until then, how come young people think it’ll never happen to them?”

“Because old age doesn’t come all at once,” he said.  “It comes upon you a day at a time.   A new ache here, a sprain there, a broken ankle, a hard hit on the head.   We get these over a period of time and they just sneak up on you.

“But, there’s a good thing about that,” he said.

“What can be good about having all the aches and pain of old age?” she asked.

“Simple,” he said.  “Time gives us a chance to adapt.  We age one day at a time, we adapt one day at a time.

“Put a 25 year old in this body and he’d be screaming like a baby.  Old age asks the questions, but it gives you time to understand the answers.”

“So, would you want to be 25 again,” she asked.

“Not on your life,” he said.