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Jim Hasse's avatar

At 82, I’m surprised how long it takes me to get in gear each morning – to the point where breakfast and lunch often merge into a late brunch.

50 years ago, I found it was no big deal to get up at 5.30 a.m. to get to work by 7:00 so I could catch some of the inconsequential chat over coffee in the senior executive section of our office.

Now I have the privilege of sleeping until 9:00 a.m. if I have the “day off” from my “encore” work as Substack.com writer-publisher. That also gives me the freedom to watch late-night TV shows.

* What task continues to give you satisfaction as you complete it, even though it consumes more time than it did in the past?

Joseph Muldoon's avatar

Wow. Anna sure was a hard-headed woman. Reluctant even to use a kneeling pad? Myself, I readily embrace many of these clever gadgets and tools that facilitate the sundry challenges of daily life. I don't think of them as shameful concessions to Wicked Father Time, but as additions to a well-considered arsenal of clever tactical weapons for beating the old S.O.B. "Take THAT old man. What else ya got?"

Jim Hasse's avatar

I agree, Joe.

Since walking is always tentative for me due to a lack of balance, right now I have crutches, a walker and two scooters (a light one for air travel and a heavy one for outdoor distances). I use each "tool" according to the social situation that happens to come up.

Back in the 1950s and '60s, I could have used them all, but some of today's refined technology was not yet available.

I'm surprised that I see very few mobility scooters (the ones with three and four wheels) on the University of Minnesota campus.