WHAT A WONDERFUL GEEZER WORLD

There are many early mornings when the weather is perfect, and nature greets us with a hearty “hello.” As we stroll along, the last remnants of yellow wildflowers salute us as they rise from the luscious unmanicured native grasses of unspoiled land on one side of our path. At the same time, young folks from the nearby upscale neighborhood run by to log in a few miles before battling horrendous traffic on the far too few roads leading to downtown Austin. It doesn’t seem that long ago when I was one of them, as those thirty years or so have flashed by.

Paddy and I have loved long morning walks for the past 11 years, although it’s now a short 30 minutes rather than the hour we spent before hip problems sidelined me. Paddy loves to smell each blade of grass and take his sweet time doing his “business.” Gary, one of his good friends at the Geezer apartments, walks 5 miles at approximately the same time we’re outside. Gary is fond of Paddy and always has a treat for him. When Paddy doesn’t have his nose buried in grass or another dog’s poop, he frantically looks for Gary on the trail. After his encounter with Gary, Paddy tries to run after him for more dog biscuits. My running days may be over, but that doesn’t stop Paddy from pulling me along. Thank goodness he’s only 20 pounds, or I’d be a goner.

We often encounter other friendly residents. A neighbor two doors down meditates on her patio in the early morning hours. I usually quietly pass by without comment but will tell her “Good morning” if she’s watering her plants or not actively meditating. She hasn’t lived here long and accurately describes Paddy as a dog with “good energy.” Additionally, she’s offered to take care of him if I leave town, an offer that was unsolicited and very much appreciated.

My beautiful former upstairs neighbor, Cindy, had to move to another apartment on the other side of the building due to her place flooding in December. She’s barely old enough to live here and looks much younger than the minimum requirement of age 62. As Paddy and I are walking, Cindy will drive by at 7ish AM on her way to work. If she’s not in a hurry, she’ll stop to chat. I’ve recently written about how geezers often talk too much about their health. So, I didn’t expect her answer this morning when I asked how she was doing. Otherwise, I would have asked her how she liked the weather. I’m trying to redirect the usual conversations around here, but I momentarily forgot because I couldn’t imagine someone so perfectly put together would go there. She answered that her dentist thinks she has Lupus, so she’s going to a doctor to confirm it. I’m giving Cindy a pass because she’s so lovely, but I worry about a dentist diagnosing an illness. On the other hand, Cindy once excitedly told me about a woman on an airplane who convinced her that Ivermectin could not only prevent COVID but also cure it. That sounds a bit contradictory, but okay. Whatever. Cindy began telling me about her former husband’s serious condition that this same dentist diagnosed, but her ex ignored him. By the time he finally saw a doctor, it was too late. I kept thinking about how dentists were small-town doctors in the 1800s and how far we’ve come since that time. Then, I thought about all the horrible bills the Texas Legislature passed this year and realized we ARE in the 1800s. Cindy’s dentist probably should have attended medical school. Perhaps he’s got a jump on how far this state is regressing and wants to be ready for the inevitable in what’s become the wild wild west.

Just as she was diving into her ex-husband’s health issues, Gary walked by and saved us. I suppose we can’t escape people who need to discuss illnesses, and I’m empathetic to a certain point, but my clock is definitely ticking. I’m grateful that Gary has never shared anything that might be wrong with his body, although he expressed great concern at eating a half gallon of ice cream the previous night. He keeps putting one foot in front of the other as he walks five miles every morning and afternoon. It’s a different kind of obsession, but more power to him. In fact, he’s lost 100 pounds because of his lifestyle changes, so what’s a few more miles to get rid of any extra ice cream weight?

I treasure the morning encounters with our friendly neighbors. It's the perfect start for the day. I can almost hear the remarkable Louis Armstrong singing...

“I see trees of green

Red roses too

I see them bloom

For me and you

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world

I see skies of blue

And clouds of white

The bright blessed day

The dark sacred night

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow

So pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces

Of people going by

I see friends shaking hands

Saying, "How do you do?"

They're really saying

I love you

I hear babies cry

I watch them grow

They'll learn much more

Than I'll ever know

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myself

What a wonderful world

Ooh, yes”