I want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes today. Its hard to believe Ive made it another year! Several times a day I see this stranger looking back at me in a mirror ... he looks familiar at times though. I did this story about a year ago, but it still fits. Enjoy ... 2/27/2014 Getting Older (The Face in the Mirror) By Russ Gardner Sr. I was born in the late 40’s, just after the war ended. I’m a ‘Baby Boom’ baby, or a “Boomer”. Like most people my age, the years have a way of showing on the face. The hair recedes and ‘greys’ and balding sets in. You realize that age is creeping up on you when you hear about childhood friends that have passed away, way too early. And there are too many of them! You can’t stop age from finding you and taking its due. It becomes apparent when you least expect it too. Look in the mirror every day of your life – but one day there it is! ‘You don’t know who it is looking back at you!’ I’ve looked in the mirror and wondered ‘what happened to me’ many times. I see this face that resembles me looking back, wrinkles, sagging in places, eye-lids drooping and looking tired. (You know that the cartilage in the nose continues to grow, as does the ears – that’s why they look so big on ‘old farts’) Sometimes it’s me looking back, other times it’s my father or one of my brothers. I even hear my mother and father using my voice at times. (Whoa … did I just say that?) Most times my body tells me (reminds me) I’m over 50 or over 60. I’m too old to care which one. But there are those days when I think I’m 20 years old again. That’s when I was fit, in great shape. My beard back then was dark brown, my eyes sharp, my grip strong, my reflexes fast and I stood more upright too. Even at 30, I was strong and in great shape (I smoked like a chimney though). I could drink anyone under the table (or so I thought) and tried several times at McPeak’s Bar. LOL I could eat anything that I wanted without fear of ‘later-on’. (Case in point – high fat, greasy foods) I grew up playing outside all day long, only coming home when the street lights came on, and no-one worried about you. I drank out of the end of a hose or the Wissahickon Creek! No bottled water for me! And I seldom washed my face and hands. But here I am 60 some years old and still kickin’ – well my Arthritis holds that back some. (Ok – Ok – I’m pushing 70, but who’s counting?) I drank Pepsi and Coke when they had Coca in them! I went to Dr Kent for stitches ‘in or out’. OK … I went to Woman’s Medical Hospital several times too. I was once young and good looking enough to always have a girl-friend. I went to SE Asia a few times and was lucky enough to come home all in one piece. My mind likes to play tricks on me at times. It lets me go on thinking I’m young. I think I can stop some young punk by just stepping in front of him, only to be told “out of my way OLD MAN”. Getting old is not for the weak. It takes effort. I look at my driver’s license every so often just to check – yep it’s still me. I used to joke by saying “I checked the obituaries today and didn’t see my name” (I don’t do that anymore – afraid of what I might find!) I grew up in East Falls on Bowman Street and I had a great childhood too - and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Playing ‘wire-ball’ down the street, kick the can and all the other games that were played. Hanging on the corner with the other kids, rolling up someone’s rug for dances in their house … having a party in someone’s basement and taking a girl behind the furnace to steal a kiss. Those were the days …. Today starts with a hand full of pills, a diet I’d rather not be on, checking blood values every day, pain pills as needed and a small hand full of pills before bed. All that just to enjoy another day! I look at some pictures of friends on my Face Book page, and see that they also have the same mirror I have. Some are smart enough to NOT use their picture, but one of the grand-kids or pet. With the others – I sometimes have to look hard to see it really is, and it takes a while for my brain to ‘process’ the picture. (‘process’ is code for removing the wrinkles) The young guns that are on the ‘I’m From East Falls’ page have all this to look forward too. I’m so glad I found that page to share memories and listen to others stories. It helps remove the cob-webs in my mind and some things come flooding back. Like parking at ‘the pines’, the ‘caves’, the Alden Movies, Mifflin School, St. Bridget’s School , Roxboro HS – Roman HS – Hallahan HS, hanging out and driving around on gas that cost $0.299 and a quart of oil came in a glass bottle, turning your wheels to the curb so the car didn’t roll down the hill, auto parts at Pep Boy’s (or Midnight auto supply), racing cars on Umbria St, picking up girls in Roxborough, sliding down the street on the ice, sledding ‘up the nuts’ on Johnny Zimmerman’s car hood ( Johnny found out what no oil would do to your car hood – the push rods came flying thru!). Ahh …The dances at Saint Bridget’s, St Johns and Holy Family. Listening to Hy Lit (Hyski,o’rooney,mcvadio,zoot), Jerry Blavat (the boss with the hot sauce, the Geeter with the heater) on WIBG 99am radio. The late 50s/early 60s was a great time for music! These are the things that I started remembering after coming into this page. The face in the mirror is mine … I can’t deny it. I’ve put many miles on it and it shows all the wear. But every once in a while - - I see that young kid staring back at me and I’d love to tell him about some ‘trip stones’ up ahead, but as it turns out, he won’t listen. Getting old is NOT for the weak. Thanks for listening to an old man …………………..
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 20:09:20 +0000
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