The New Year is upon us and once again rekindling the hope for world peace, universal justice, the elimination of hunger and for Daisy and Minnie to finally get married or at least laid. Sadly, of all these worthy goals the last one is the most likely. However, the human spirit is eternally optimistic and we persevere.
Likewise, I bring determination to my perpetual resolution to get results from my constant dieting – why doesn’t it work?
I am expanding my list this year to include: learning iPad, achieving a butcher voice and finally reading The Iliad, Troilus and Cressida and Vanna White’s autobiography.
As I think back, several noteworthy New Year’s Eve’s come to mind; probably there were some better (wilder) ones, but I can’t remember them. The routine would be the same: my gay and lesbian friends and I would try to nap until 9 then prepare to head out; the gals an hour later, the guys two. It was always a great adventure: the crowd, the snow, the noise, the sweaty bar rooms and finally the vague memories of checking into the local Slipper Inn and staggering out mid-afternoon; if lucky, with wallet intact. Fun times.
Now my friends and I have a party at six, ring in the New Year with Times Square at nine, dash home before the highways fill up and are safely in our jammies by ten. Somehow it isn’t quite the same, but the thought of hitting the bars as of old is not only unthinkable, it is undoable.
I hope you have found some pleasure in my briefs. A safe, happy and healthy 2014 to all.
Final advice for 2013
My final advice for 2013 is something I have touched on more than once because I feel it is an important issue to senior LGBT men and women who too often stay home and give up participating in social activities. It may be true that dear friends are not here, and as we age it becomes harder and harder to make new ones, but it is not as hard as you might think.
We are especially lucky here in San Diego with several volunteer opportunities and a wide spectrum of LGBT groups where one can exercise, play cards, dance or simply chat as I do with a couple of groups. After the obligatory weekly review of our medical conditions, we discuss current politics, books, movies and scandals. We have solved some of the world’s greatest problems – if only people would listen to us! Low key, but enjoyable; although I occasionally quibble with those who claim to have suffered more than I with their hernia and prostate operations. The same probably happens amongst the women’s groups as to who endured the longest labor or who produced the baby with the biggest head.
As you might gather from my articles, I am naturally reticent to impose my views on others. Of course, occasionally, when they are seriously wrong, stubborn or wacko (a therapist’s technical term), I feel it my duty to give a gentle hint to correct them. Normally, having no doubt as to the supremacy of my ideas, I keep silent to be polite. If you hear anything to the contrary, ignore it.
Get out and join the fun. Don’t let the golden years turn into copper.
