Getting older has its perks:  senior discounts, more life experience, senior discounts, wisdom—sometimes, senior discounts, the opportunity to show my eccentricities—sometimes, senior discounts. . .

But the body getting older can be a real pain!

The other day I started to put on my slacks the way I had always put them on—one leg at a time. It didn’t work.

Here’s the thing—I usually lift one leg and slide one pant leg on, then lift the other leg and slide the other pant leg on—while standing. This time, when I tried that, I lost my balance and ended up doing a little hop-skip-topple. I could no longer stand on one leg while manipulating a pants leg over the other foot and leg.

What’s with that?!? When did my center of gravity get skewed?

It’s not like I’m completely out-of-shape. Hey, I can still bend over and touch the floor with my hands. Okay—so my legs aren’t ram-rod straight now. And it’s my fingers that touch the floor, not the palms of my hands. But those are just minor technicalities. I should still be able to put on my pants one leg at a time while standing up!

Instead, I had to sit on the side of the bed to put on my slacks. Now, for me, it is a real problem to actually sit on the side of the bed because I’m so short. So, technically, it was more of a leaning against the bed kind of thing.

And then, of course, I have to remember to ‘lean’ against the bed every time I dress. Otherwise, I end up doing the hop-skip-topple thing all over again. That brings up another thing I hate about getting older—trying to break old habits. It’s a vicious cycle. Sigh. . .