Opus 2022-094: Ode to Old: Tickling Cure

The old age word for the day is “flaccid”.   I am not addressing what might come to your mind.  I am concerned about the mind it comes to.  I am worried about a flaccid mind.

One of the dangers of old age is a mind that has lost its edge.  Many worry about such things as dementia, Alzheimer’s and memory loss.  We have all seen it in family and friends.  I see it in others when they repeat the same question in a conversation or tell the same stories over and over again.  Every time I have a hard time remembering a word I start to wonder if it is just a word.  Have I told this story before?  Was it in this conversation?

I wonder how much of the decline can be held at bay.  I remember reading somewhere that learning new skills can keep your mind active.  It is very easy to not put in the effort.  I sometimes think that writing these posts is one of the ways I try to keep my brain alive.  Something else I have thought of trying is not telling stories of things that happened more than a day earlier.  

For me the biggest danger is living in a daydream, putting my mind in neutral.  I don’t mean naps but flaccid fantasy that robs the mind of vigor.  I can sit and drift off on a moment’s notice.  I can rework the past and create all kinds of futures.  A little probably doesn’t hurt but it is easy to get preoccupied.

I guess this is where grandchildren come in.  It is hard to daydream when you are tickling a two year old.  Maybe I have a few years left in me yet.

homo unius libri