I never wanted to be “that” person.

And now, as with most everything, I see life from a different perspective. So many times, I find myself internally “ah-ha-ing” when I realize my mom was who she was or why she was for this very reason. From a young daughter perspective with my own issues at the forefront, I could not see life as she saw life. Admittedly, sometimes I was annoyed.

Mom seemed to have a lot of ailments, and I promised myself I would NEVER talk about my ailments like she did.

Fast forward a few decades. Mom, I get it now. I am sorry for every eye roll and every “Oh brother” whispered under my breath.

I, too, am falling apart…or at least it sure feels like I am.

I will still do my best to keep my ailments to myself, but man oh man, getting older is no walk in the park.

I am grateful for Aleve and Advil and Tylenol.

I am grateful for a few more vegetables and fruits in my diet these days.

I am grateful for a long gone ex-mother-in-law who hammered supplement-taking into my brain.

I am grateful I don’t mind drinking lots of water or taking those supplements.

I am grateful for a NordicTrack in the basement that is getting a lot of attention.

I am grateful for motivation once again. Ebb and flow, for sure.

It is tax season and with an estate planning business just down the hall from our office, I am privileged to watch a steady stream of older people walking from the parking lot to the front doors of our building each day for several weeks this time of year. I am quickly becoming one of those older people. This morning, a sweet couple held hands as they shuffled their way down the sidewalk. A woman walked by herself up the sidewalk to the front door, all the while watching her elderly husband park the vehicle and join her at the entrance to the building. Watching them made me grateful for the man who holds my hand every day, grateful that he is so wise to do our taxes on his own and has them done for this year, grateful that he runs circles around me with his energy and drive.

The least I can do for him is not fall apart.