The P ublisher Po stulates
the reality of it. My aging progression has
been influenced by many experiences
and opportunities, yet much of it appears
random and not directly connected with my
life as it unfolds day by day. The dictionary
defines aging as a noun, the process of
growing old, or a decline of biological
functions, and the organism’s ability
to adapt, which translates into medical
problems. The first time I became acutely
aware that I was aging was when I began
to discuss doctors and medical procedures
with friends instead of other things.
When I was young, I worried about
what people thought about me. As I got
older, I did not care what they thought,
and now that I’m past my prime, I realize
34 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MARCH/APRIL 2021
they probably are not thinking
of me at all.
Whoever said that with age
comes maturity has not met
me. The only thing my age
has not affected is my juvenile
sense of humor. All I need for
a good laugh is to pass by a
mirror without my clothes, or
to remember what I had planned
to do when I was younger.
Those people who tell me they
understand life and know how
it works are the most humorous
of all. It is said that the older we
get, the smarter, we get, yet the
older I get, the more I find how
little I know. In fact, that may actually be
the proof that I am getting smarter, as I no
longer think I know the answers to things
as important as who is going to take care
of me, or whether E=MC2 is correct.
The best part of aging is having
memories. It allows us to forget the
unpleasant, while preserving happiness
and good feelings. My life is filled with
pleasant thoughts, and I hope yours is,
too. 9
When I was young,
aging was a slow,
barely noticeable
process. I now see
myself aging on a daily basis,
which I am told is natural.
Despite the ads and other claims
to the contrary, the only way to
stop aging is rather drastic and
referred to as death. While I
don’t mind dying, I just do not
want to be there when I do it.
There are three kinds of
aging – biological, psychological
and social. I understand my
biological age is related to my
chronological age. However, my
psychological age is much more in tune
with my life experiences and the lessons
learned, or not learned, as the case may be.
For example, I have learned to cover my
approaching senility by saying, “I can’t
think of the English word for it,” when I
find myself unable to articulate the image
in mind in an effort to appear bilingual,
rather than losing it. My social age refers
to my position in society, such as being
regarded as a sage or a philanthropist.
However, my current social standing age
is when someone says, “You look good,”
and they actually mean, “I thought you
had died.”
No matter which aging process I am
talking about, I find it difficult to live with
Publisher / Editor
AGING
By Aaron R. Fodiman
At 50 years of age, I thought I was finished maturing,
and my wife Margaret thought I looked like a Greek god.
I was wrong. So was she.