9 Days to 70: Health

Mama visited the ophthalmologist twice a year. She begrudgingly went with the hope that the doctor would miraculously get her to see well enough to pass the DMV eye test. That was not meant to be.

Her doctor was a charmer. He liked to engage with his patients, to put them at ease.  He never failed to ask Mama for her secret of looking young. Sometimes, Mama would answer, giggling and smiling, “I eat rice.” Other times, “I like to eat fish.” Whatever she answered, he’d follow up with other questions, such as “How often do you eat rice?”or “”What kind of fish?” He sincerely was interested, so I observed. 

Another thing he never failed to do after the initial look at Mama’s eyes was to turn to me and say, “Thank your mom for your good genes.”

I appreciate that I have Mama’s genes. Mama was a super ager. She lived to a resounding 94 years old before her body hit the wall. That’s how her doctor described it. Mama fell a lot that last year. A lesson for me to build up my balancing skills. 

I appreciate having Daddy’s genes, too.  His mother lived into her hundreds while he lived to be 76 years old. He may have lived longer if he didn’t have a bad heart or if today’s medical advancements were available, as well as affordable, in 1982.

Knock on wood my genes aren’t too screwed up from bad habits, toxic chemicals, negative emotions, physical maladies, and so forth and so on. Fortunately, we live in an age of medical wonders. In the last seven years, I’ve had my cataracts removed, a knee joint totally replaced, and my reproductive system pulled out to determine if I had cancer, which I did. It makes my head spin when I state it like that. Hopefully all that, and any other future medical work will help me be a super ager, yee-haw!