I have been thinking about those who I have outlived – not family, but friends and acquaintances. Because I moved so frequently early in life, I have no friends from grade school or high school or even college that I have remained in touch with over the years. I tried. Often, I didn’t succeed. Sometimes the reason was as simple as losing an address book. Sometimes as worrisome as a disagreement over politics. Looking at the screen on this computer, I wonder why I have survived all these years. I turned 77 this year, but my mother who is 98 is still going strong. Is it good genes as they say? Or was it just luck of the draw? Thinking back to my military experience it could be just a latter – pure dumb luck. I’m really not sure.
I do know about its affect on me. Because of my disability, I don’t get out to do volunteer work anymore or attend my ham club meetings or a dozen other things. This limit my ability to meet and make new friends, so my circle of friends is slowly getting smaller. I have tried to keep up friendships by texting and emailing, but slowly the number of those is decreasing from things as simple as someone moving and not having a forwarding address or as sad as a friend passing on. I find it interesting that aging equates to isolating. This blog is called VC Musings and I will muse bit more about this topic another time, but don’t feel sorry for me. The alternative to not aging is not all that good – grin.
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As a laugh you could muse when I was a young man….
I received a couple of worried emails about this post. I had ended it with a bit of humor hoping people would not worry. As more and more surgeries and more and more physical therapy when on, I had to finally realize I would never return to what I had been. I quickly adopted the philosophy of being happy with what I could do and not sad about what I couldn’t do. I could also look around and see people in much worse physical shape than I am. I have applied the same philosophy to my narrowing the physical friendships – note the word physical. Through this blog and through lively email exchanges I have a widening circle of friends. It may be an electronic form of friendship, but I have long been a amateur radio operator and have friends I have made on the radio who I have never met too. With all that said, don’t worry about me.