“Is Age Slowing You Down?” So asks a Boston hospital that wants me for a research study.

They promise me three meals a day plus snacks, for six months.  And, oddly, either testosterone or a placebo.  And medical exams at no cost.

Plus five hundred dollars to compensate.

(But I may not qualify if I have had prostate cancer or certain other maladies.)

No thank you.

I’m all for studies. And I admire volunteers but I’d rather not be one of these. I try to stay away from hospitals if I can.

The last time I stayed in one (for abdominal surgery) I was plagued by hallucinations. I was convinced enemy aircraft were attacking our city, ready to blast my surroundings to pieces. Nobody could talk me out of it.

Mind you I’m in favor of hospitals and glad for their readiness to help us all when we need it.  To one hospital in particular I owe the reconstruction of an arm damaged at birth.  This surgery, in 1932, has enabled me to exercise a level of activity otherwise impossible.

And I must admit that the letter from the Boston hospital got the question right. Like most of my age peers, I’m losing speed, both physically and mentally. 

My walking speed is not what it used to be. Thanks to arthritis in my right knee, my locomotion leaves much to be desired. I approach uneven sidewalks with a caution once foreign to me. Worst of all, I have given up my long-prized Sunday softball games.  

On a subtler level, some of my mental activity has changed.  To my chagrin, I have trouble doing some crossword puzzles that I formerly handled with ease.  And it takes me longer to recall the names of people and places, though I am still sharp with many recollections.

I share these slowdowns somewhat reluctantly because I do not like to admit them even to myself. Like everyone else, I would prefer be operating in all, (or most) spheres with long-accustomed ease. It would be sweet to carry on all of my usual activities with familiarity and confidence.

However, it would be remiss of me to leave out of consideration the pluses of later life.  Like so many others of my age, I am enjoying the fruits of later life.  

Old age brings a new freedom to appreciate other people without regarding them as competitors or personal threats. This situation gives me great pleasure.  I can delight in the activities of others and not feel they are there to challenge me.

We know that our society can treat elderly people with neglect or even cruelty. But this failing is far from universal. My contact with young and middle aged people is almost always beneficent. They usually reach out to me with grace and pleasure.

For many of the past years, I have extended greetings to my juniors with much enjoyment.  I feel freer to do so now, and love to greet new neighbors and make new friends. 

Older people sometimes hesitate to extend their range of acquaintance. To me, this is a mistake. 

I feel glad when I see both older and younger folks walking down my home street. And I enjoy seeing the same variety in the squares of our cities. Together they make our society vital.   

I hope these brief comments explain to readers why the “age slowing you down” motif has positive connotations as well as negative ones.  Slowing down can have its pleasures and benefits. And it is worthwhile sometimes to try and identify in your own life what these good things are.