I know it’s going to sound supremely ungrateful, given the rest of the country is covered under layers of snow: did San Francisco really get a winter? It seems like we got one true week of coldness, then it was back to the same mildness we get year around. This weekend it got to the mid 60s during the day! Perfectly comfortable weather. I’ve even stowed away the winter duvet.
What’s it like to see your parents visibility age? I was recently shocked to noticed my dad have turned into complete old man status, replete with balding head and entire grayness of hair. The relationship has reversed now: instead of parents taking care of me, it’s my turn to return the favor. Physical and mental decline is a great worry when small mishaps can now easily morph into disaster. The mortality rate for falling and breaking a hip is alarmingly high.
You know how we complain about old people driving on the road? Yeah, my father is of that age now. It’s tough: the more you don’t do it, the faster the skills decline. But there’s got a be a certain threshold where you take the keys away before the risk becomes too high. Whether the parent will willingly give up said keys is also a challenge.
Which I think the fast emergence of self-driving taxi services will be a timely solution to that problem. For my parents who seldom need to drive, the few times that they do can be covered by calling a Waymo. The service will only get cheaper, with better coverage, over time. It of course helps to live in a city with solid public transportation options, and in a neighborhood with shops.
Atrophy comes for us all. We can only do our best to stave off the worse consequences by practicing excellent self-care - diet, sleep, exercise - as much and as early as possible.
Freshly cut. All the time.
