Don't Tell Me Not To!

This post was suggested by a conversation I had with my niece, on Gregory's side, who I dearly love and who I know has my best interests at heart.

I mentioned that I needed to get out the ladder so I could climb up and re-aim the HVAC vents for the air conditioning during summer.

She replied, "You shouldn't be climbing ladders when you are 70 years old!"

I joked and said, "If I fall, I can always crawl over to one of the I have fallen and can't get up buttons.

She and my nephew said that if the blogs stopped coming, they would know I needed help and would call the paramedics.

I got to thinking about the conversation. I wasn't upset or insulted then and am still not upset or insulted now, but I did want to share some feelings on the implications of not being allowed to climb ladders anymore because I am 70 years old.

First of all, it is not like I am climbing outside to the top of the house to clean the leaves out of the gutters like I used to. At a certain point I stopped doing that and wouldn't allow Gregory to do it either, hiring a company to do it for us.

Hopefully I am aware enough of myself, and intelligent enough to monitor and curtail my behaviors that no longer are possible or are dangerous for an older person. If I was not aware, I guess it would be good to have someone out there watching out for my well being.

But being told I cannot do something, when I know that I still can, and that I am more careful doing it because I am older ... is upsetting.

The bottom line, and it is probably harsh, is that I would rather fall off the ladder and injure myself or die than to stop doing the things that I enjoy and that are important to me. What good is treating myself like a fragile, frail old man when if effect I am not!

I really think that I have given up some stuff already because either it is too difficult or I just cannot do that anymore. For example I hired a firm to clean the carpets, I hired a painter when I decided to redecorate, I ask someone to help when moving something is too heavy.

But arbitrarily to not climb a ladder to re-aim the HVAC vents because I am 70? No, I would rather die!