by Lorelei Cohen

Created on: January 05, 2009   Last Updated: December 02, 2009

Growing old definitely makes each new day an adventure as you struggle with the simple tasks of life that are the basis of earning you passage into the realms of life as a senior citizen.

I think that my largest problem in this aging scenario is in trying to control my bodily functions. I always thought that they were just supposed to take care of themselves, but I guess I was wrong, because they just do not? Take drooling for instance, I am not too sure when I started to do this rather annoying little act, but it now seems to occur on quite a regular basis. The wife usually gives me a sharp jab in the ribs whenever she notices. Most of the family however, seem to just try to ignore this little indiscretion of mine, but I can usually tell something is wrong. When I notice that they won't look me in the eye, or they start passing a pile of napkins or Kleenexes over to my place setting, then I know that something is amiss. Who would have thought that drool could be such a problem?

Then of course there is the issue of trying to not wet myself in public places, now that can be a very embarrassing situation. I am also more than a little upset with my family on this issue. They are definitely much more understanding when my grandson does it than when I do. They must not think that I notice how much encouragement he gets, as for me, well I actually get a lecture for not wearing my diaper. You would think that they would be proud that I at least tried to go without it!

My second largest problem with aging is walking. I am not too sure when I forgot how to walk, but it appears that I now have to relearn this trait, and it turns out that walking is actually a very difficult skill to learn. Each morning my eyes pop open, and I think that I am okay until my feet hit the floor, that is when my problems begin. I'm sure that a snail would have a very good chance of winning if I were to race one on my morning trip to the washroom.

My steps must now be thoughtfully planned out, and be taken very slowly to insure that I make my trek safely, and without falling. Any obstacles in my pathway, like the wife's slipper, must be carefully maneuvered around so as to avoid any danger of them tripping me up. Oh, and forget about stopping to pick that darn slipper up, becoming unbalanced and tipping over is a whole other problem. My balance issues are also a problem that comes with a whole new set of rules and regulations.

But back to the issue of my morning walk to the washroom, I just

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