Roger Moore: “The things they didn’t tell you about ageing”
It’s not all doom and gloom and there are actually some upsides to ageing and some may just prove useful:
1. You perspire less. It’s something to do with the sweat glands shrinking. I can’t possibly comment on other glands shrinking, however.
2. Your teeth are less sensitive. That’s not because you have more implants than teeth; no, over time you accumulate more dentin (hard tissue) between the outer enamel of a tooth and its central nerve. So you can enjoy more ice cream, for instance, without shooting pains firing all across your mouth.
3. You have less taste. Not sartorially, though I do wonder at some people, but because you lose some of your taste buds. So basically, you’re quite happy to eat anything and think it tastes OK. You’ll please even the most mediocre of cooks.
4. You are happier. This is true. I certainly became more content with the passing of time. Once you pass the nadir of middle age, things start looking up and you have time to do the things you want to now you’re not rushing around trying to support a family.
5. You can get into cinemas, theatres, galleries and other places cheaper.
6. You’ll also find people willing to give up their seats for you, though I’ve yet to see if that works in the theatre or at a concert where I’d like a better position.
7. If you forget something, or someone’s name, you can explain it away as a ‘senior moment’ and you’ll discover people are very forgiving.
8. Meanwhile, and not a lot of people know this (who was it who said that?), our feet become longer and wider with age. It’s something to do with tendons and ligaments losing elasticity, which in turn allows the toes to spread out and the arch of the foot to flatten. Some people can gain as much as one shoe size every ten years – and you know what they say about big feet!
9. Being older and hopefully a little wiser also means you’re more confident in making decisions, and you feel more qualified to make your thoughts known. That isn’t to say people will choose to listen. It’s also interesting that your relationship with your children changes too. We’ve all been there through the teenage years I’m sure, when nothing you say or do is fair and in fact you probably embarrass your children more than anything else. ‘Please don’t meet me outside the school.’ ‘No, I’d rather walk, thanks.’ ‘Oh, do you have to come with me?’
These are all familiar statements. But as you grow older so do your children, and when they in turn have their own offspring it’s reassuring to know they suddenly ‘get it’ – they understand you and perhaps even appreciate you more. In short, your relationship changes and you become closer. In fact you become friends.
10. I also believe that with great wisdom comes greater humility. You’re not afraid to admit when you’re wrong, or to stop for a moment, take a breath and see things from someone else’s point of view. You also learn not to judge or criticize so much. We all make mistakes and sometimes you need to allow others the chance to make their own mistakes and not judge them – you know they’ll learn from their errors.
11. It’s also true that possessions and status symbols become less important. In fact you want less. People say they don’t know what to buy an older person for a birthday or at Christmas, as they pretty much already have everything they need. So this is when the old adage, ‘it’s the thought that counts’, becomes far more apt. I’d rather have the paperback of a great book or a recommended DVD that I know I can watch and enjoy, than an expensive trinket.
In fact, when I think about it, although I know we all grumble about getting older, you are indeed thankful for being able to grow old. Not everyonedoes and many die before their time. With age comes gratitude and the knowledge that with every passing year we are blessed.
This is an edited extract from À bientôt ... by Roger Moore published by Hardie Grant Books RRP $24.99 and is available in stores nationally.