Senior Moment(s)

For Tova

Senior moments are often used to describe those times we forget or act with less acuity than used to be the case. Such as when you forget to get off the bus at the right stop, forget to bring back that celebratory glass of whisky that you had poured yourself, or as a friend recently told me put the phone into the sink instead of her empty coffee cup. My worst senior moment was when, shortly after my 60th birthday, I ordered the pensioner's special £5 pub lunch after a long morning walk in the mountains; two other members of the family tucked into a filling lunch whilst I was given a portion that would have failed to satisfy an anorexic child, and then I had to pay for it all.

These sort of senior moments happen more frequently than they used to and are the source of gentle teasing but there are also some very good things to offset these moments. My wallet now contains an entitlement card which gives me free bus travel, a senior railcard and my winter heating allowance pays for about three weeks of heating costs. But most of all I now know the value of time but not the cost of it.

It was a joy to watch Joan Bakewell on 'Have I got News for You' last night, she provided an exemplar of senior humour and wit that even Ian Hyslop could not help enjoying.  She showed us that senior moments can also be wise, full of empathy, justice, courage, fun and fulfilment. She proved that old lives matter, they could even become the new black.

I woke up early this morning and texted my daughter to tell her that today would be the day. I then went for a run wearing just shorts and a T-shirt for the first time all year as the spring sunshine wiped away the overnight frost. The daffodils were out at last and the snowdrops were finally fading after the coldest March on record. I then converted some of my old film camera lenses to fit a digital camera that I had just bought and tested them in the midday sun and was pleased with the results.

But the greatest of all senior moments is when you become a grandparent, endowing another generation with enduring love. The bodings were good as Eva went to the hospital late afternoon and our granddaughter was born at 1:50am. Now, where did I leave that glass of whisky?

Tova