Barbara J. Hamby

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Bingo

Bingo! Today it hit me right between the eyes. I really am 75 years old. Most of my life I considered card games and Bingo a waste of time. Now I’m looking forward to playing Bingo tonight at the clubhouse in the senior facility where we live. A few recent card games with visiting relatives have brought us some laughs also. I may even try Scrabble again if my former competitive nature has abated enough to make that game enjoyable.

Sitting in a room most of the day, surrounded by computer equipment, is what my life is about. My partner works on his computer much of the time also, in another room. Although we hope we have twenty-five years to finish our memoirs, statistics tell us to hurry.

The best advantage of living most of the time in two rooms, is the minimal housekeeping required to keep the “visible to company” part of the house presentable. When we only walk through to get to the refrigerator or the car, the floors don’t get very tracked up, especially since we don’t wear shoes much of the time. We do, once in a while, eat a meal together, even when we don’t have company. The automatic dishwasher and the microwave are “must haves,” but sometimes one or the other of us actually cooks a meal, instead of just heating food.

We could, of course, “write naked” as a sign and tee shirt sold by Writer’s Digest magazine suggest and thus cut down on laundry, but that seems silly when we have an automatic washer and dryer. Besides, I might have to turn up the heat in the winter or wear a blanket.

Our social life now is quite limited. Dining and dancing in fancy venues is not at all attractive when it takes a huge hunk of a budget, may result in indigestion and/or exhaustion, and remind us of the death of a beloved old friend, “Service.”

We still enjoy traveling when the mood strikes, and simple social events such as Bingo and folk singing with a group of musicians and singers. Most other activities involve family, music or writing.

Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not whining about being 75. I am extremely grateful to be waking up every morning, breathing whatever passes for air that day, and feeling able to do most of the things I’ve done for all those years.