We\u2019re living in a new world \u2013 sheltered in place \u2013 quick trips to grocery stores, take out food places, gas stations and the like. Not everyone. Essential workers are on the job, keeping us functioning. It\u2019s the NEW NORMAL. I only have one complaint! The media stole my crowd\u2019s terminology – new normal<\/i>. It\u2019s a way of life for us old coots \u2013 we move to a new normal<\/i> several times a year; it starts the day we sign up for Social Security, a stealthy beast creeps up on us when we\u2019re not paying attention. <\/p>\n
It throws in a little arthritis here \u2013 a hip ache there \u2013 a \u201cWhat did I come in the kitchen for,\u201d moment. At first you run to your doctor, \u201cI can\u2019t walk on the high school track as fast as I used to and it makes me tired.\u201d You get the (new normal) answer, \u201cYou have to expect that at your age.\u201d Sometimes you get those exact words, though my primary care physician claims he never said that to me. Whatever! What he thinks he said changed in midair on the trip from his lips to my ears. My older, old coot mentors, warned me when I boarded the old coot train, \u201cYou have to get used to it! You’ve got a ton of new normals<\/i> coming your way; you\u2019re just getting started.\u201d Darned if they weren\u2019t right!<\/p>\n
Now, I hardly think about it, this aging process loaded with new normals<\/i>! THAT\u2019S A LIE! I think about it all the time. Every new normal<\/i> is like a poke in the eye. Then I adjust and grudgingly accept it.<\/p>\n
The last time I went to the doctor, he asked me if I had any new issues. I said, \u201cNot really \u2013 I do get a sharp pain in my side quite often \u2013 I get up three times a night \u2013 my knee is sore \u2013 I limp a little \u2013 I get tired easily, just those kind of things.\u201d He gave me that scolding parent look and asked why I hadn\u2019t come in sooner. I explained, \u201cI just thought they were new normals.<\/i> So, after a lot of tests, X-rays, sonograms and the like. He figured it out; a kidney stone (it went away on its own), a little arthritis flare up (it backed off), a nerve problem in my arms and legs (that one stuck around). My new normal eased a bit, but I still ended up at a new old coot plateau. <\/p>\n
Then, at the wrap up visit for dealing with those issues, he scolded me again, \u201cGet in here and get things checked out instead of thinking every change is a new normal<\/i>. I asked why he couldn\u2019t accept, that whenever I climb another rung on the old coot ladder, I call it my new normal<\/i>. He just shook his head. A few weeks later, I received a letter from his practice announcing his retirement. Imagine that, a young guy in his early 60\u2019s stepping off the work train. (I can\u2019t complain too much; I did it when I was 57). He probably got fed up with old coots in general, and me in particular. Now, I have yet another new normal<\/i> to adjust to \u2013 a so-called \u201cget acquainted\u201d appointment with a new physician. I hope she\u2019s up to it. <\/p>\n