Mantra of a Wise Old Fart Who Is Closer to 80 Than 70

I know I’m old, my body reminds me every day. However, in my mind I am thirty-five. I admit that I am stubborn, but I am learning to accept the changes which are forcing themselves upon me. This is my new mantra, my acceptance of what has happened to me.

It’s the Little/Big Things

Nothing, and I mean nothing is as important as a good night’s sleep. I find that if I eat almost anything after four in the afternoon I suffer from heartburn. Occasionally I allow myself one-half of a plain bagel if I am very hungry. Most days I eat very little after breakfast.

In 2008 I hurt my back while working for our country’s largest electrical supply company. I was working in the warehouse, loading 100 pound reels of wire onto a pallet, when I heard and felt a “pop.” An MRI revealed that my pain was caused by bone spurs, bone loss, compressed discs, and scoliosis. None of it is operable, not that I would have chosen to be treated with the least effective solution. My employer offered zero compensation. I couldn’t afford an expensive attorney to help me receive the medical care I needed.

Today my knees are weak, and my balance is very poor. I walk with a cane and somedays a walker. This is especially upsetting. I was always very athletic. When I lived in North County, San Diego, I became the first male aerobics instructor in the area. I am a second-degree black belt in an old style of martial arts, having studied Kenpo Karate and Tai Chi Preying Mantis, Mai Jong, and Law Horn Kung Fu: all styles from China’s Northern Monasteries.

Unable to Perform the Simplest of Physical Needs

Today, when I drop something, I become angry with myself. It is difficult to pick the item up. Another side effect of a bad back is running to the bathroom about two dozen times a day.

I had a great deal of difficulty showering. I decided to purchase assist bars, a stool, and remounted my handheld shower unit much lower. It works.

My eyesight is becoming worse, and my optometrist is unable to improve the situation. I cannot afford Lasix surgery. It’s considered “elective” and not covered by Medicare. My driver’s license is renewable this year, and I’m not certain that I will be allowed to drive after the eye test at the DMV.

I Should Be Doing the Things My Bride Does Today

I feel guilty that I cannot help my wife with most of the yardwork. She will be 73 at the end of the year, and she refuses to cease doing what she could do 10-20 years ago.

I don’t feel sorry for myself: it is what it is. However, think about all of this, you may suffer some, all, or more of the same problems in the upcoming years. No one is immune to the effects of aging.

I am thankful that I’m a writer: it keeps my mind active and alert. I am far more informed than when I was during the peak of my working life. I’m working on my 10th novel, and continue to write for the Guardian Liberty Voice several times a week. I am also doing something everyone should do: I’m writing my autobiography. I want my children and grandchildren to know the truth about my life, the good and the not so good.

My Faith in My Country Is Nearly Non-Existent

On the list of things which are better with age is knowledge. But one part of my education is very upsetting. Unlike the 1950s and 60s when I grew up in Los Angeles, I no longer trust anyone in authority. Everyone who has power over our lives lies constantly. Law enforcement, the entire judicial system, big business, all politicians, and even most religious leaders fail the average American daily.

As a writer focusing on politics and sociological changes in our country, I don’t like what I know. America is controlled by a plutocracy and is therefore a business, not a nation concerned with the welfare of its people. Capitalism is government by certain rules and principles, including supply and demand, and consumer spending.

The recent “Greedflation” was the result of pure greed and not a shortage of any necessary items purchased by all Americans. The average wage for the working class has not increased for more than 30 years, adjusted for inflation. What greedy corporations fail to understand is that they will begin to lose their bloated profits as a larger number of consumers are unable to purchase their commodities.

Professional Politicians Are All Criminals. I Offer a Single Fact.

If you hold a seat in Washington, you are surely required to own or rent two residences: one in your home state, and one near D.C. You must travel frequently. There are many other expenses. The base salary for all members of the 535 men and women who serve in the House and the Senate is $174,000 per year. They have multiple aides to pay and yet after about two terms in office they are all millionaires. How?

The point is that the America which I loved as a younger man no longer exists today. It is a nation I do not recognize. Most Americans are tools for the rich and powerful. The news is not news. It is propaganda and bad entertainment. Our politicians lie to us and do nothing to improve the lives of the majority. They no longer serve us, they rule over us, ignoring our needs and wishes. Racism and bigotry continue to grow and are the reasons America has never been a great country, and probably never will be. I am lucky. I won’t be around in 50 years to witness the end of the dream.

One entire political party is moving towards Hitler’s fascist party of 1930’s Germany rapidly. It’s your choice. Surrender to an autocratic government or save the nation of our Founding Fathers.

Op-ed by James Turnage—The Wise Old Fart

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