A Bow to the Inevitable

Well, I surrendered. I hired someone to clean my gutters. It felt the prudent thing to do. Granted, I can still hoist and climb my ladder, but the younger man did it with considerably more ease than I’ve managed lately, and certainly with less trepidation. I fought back the temptation to stand outside and watch him. Instead, I sat inside and listened to the banging. When it was all done, he sent me pictures of my nice clean gutters.

It’s been thirty years since a doctor first said I’d reached the age when I should avoid ladders. I resisted for as long as I was able, mostly because I have flat ground and a relatively low roof. But the last time I went up I no longer really felt safe and thought all it would take would be for me to misjudge the stability of the ladder to find myself on the ground with a broken hip. If I’m gonna fall, I’d rather tump over closer to the ground.

So, that’s another in a long line of adjustments I’ve made to age. I think they’re just going to keep coming. But avoiding them will give me something to do. Luckily, my mind feels pretty sharp, and I’m trying to be cognizant of my physical limitations. But it’s a process that’s unavoidable, and I’ll have to navigate it as best I can. And do I miss climbing up that ladder? Not really.