Of a certain age...

Good health is so easy to take for granted, until I experience a period of ill health. And sometimes I don't realize how sick I was, until I regain my health. Surgeries that require time for healing and rehabilitation also give pause to consider the importance of health and fitness.

At age 70, a downturn in my overall condition gives rise to much more introspection than it did at 40 or 50 or even 60. Living alone and being physically compromised brings up questions of the feasibility of long-term residency in a small town, 25 miles away from the regional medical facility. What if I get to the point when I will no longer be able to drive myself? Who do I have to rely on for transportation, running errands for me, or possibly meeting some care needs?

Being human, we have the innate habit of delaying exploring answers to these considerations and many others. Do I have a will? If so, is it current? How about an Advance Directive that spells out what kind of care I want to receive if I am no longer able to speak for myself? Do my doctor, hospital, and family have copies of my POLST form (Physician Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment)? How do I feel about Death with Dignity and do I understand my options?

Those are the big questions that I need to address, hopefully long before I reach that point in my life. In addition to having those ducks in a row, I need to focus on diet, exercise, proper rest, appropriate medication, and a positive attitude. There's nothing like a bout with diverticulitis, with bad reactions to antibiotics, dehydration, abdominal distress, and a six-hour visit to the emergency room to bring those everyday considerations into sharp focus.

"Just do it," as the Nike slogan instructs, is sometimes easier said than done. Inertia, as I learned in high school science class, comes from the Latin for idleness and one of its definitions is the resistance or disinclination to motion, action or change. My disinclination definitely needs to be overcome. As I wrestle with a reoccurrence of my gut malady, for the second time in a month, I am again afforded the opportunity to consider the appropriate path, which will definitely entail some reorganization, rededication, and perseverance on my part.

We are obviously finite beings. Some of us have the luxury of easing into that truth as we gradually slip into old age. Others must meet that truth head-on in a life-changing accident, unexpected disease, or permanent disability.

How I adjust to the changes and the attitude I adopt are the keys to the quality of life I have left. Making each day count, however that looks, is one thing over which I have control. Reaching out to others, continuing to be involved in life, and interested in the world around me are good elixirs for whatever ails me. When it is my time to leave this earthly plane, I want to go knowing I have somehow made a difference, that I have loved and been loved, and that I did not waste my life.