Signs of Aging

 

While on my occasional morning walk, I took a moment to reflect on my time in the neighborhood. We moved in almost 40 years ago when everything was still under construction. We watched as they put the roof on the house we had just placed a deposit on. The streets were freshly paved, the sidewalks were new, and the landscaping was sparse. I could stand in our elevated master bedroom and look through the opening that would soon have a window to see an unobstructed view of the traffic almost four blocks away. Today, a powderpuff tree blocks most of the view of my own fence.

When we moved in I saw an older neighbor, Pepe, roller skating down the smooth streets. I soon got a pair of skates and began my own exercise routine. About a year ago I saw Pepe walking with his wife and I stopped and chatted. He was well into his 90s and had slowed down quite a bit. Several months back I heard that Pepe had passed away. His widow sold the house, they had an estate sale of furnishings, and last week the last of their belongings were placed in the swale area for trash pickup. Life in the neighborhood moves on.

While my exercise routine normally involves about a half-hour bike ride with laps around the neighborhood, I recently added an occasional walk. I wear braces to support my aging knees and took to carrying a cane to help in case one of those creaking joints decides to act up. Slowing things down allows for a bit more reflection and observation in addition to exercising different muscles.

The smooth streets have been patched and repaired over the years and the once pristine sidewalks are cracked and lifted in places by the roots of large trees. Both I and the neighborhood have aged. I had a head start on the neighborhood as I turned 40 shortly after we moved in. My house wasn’t yet one. I won’t speak for myself, but the neighborhood actually looks better and has more character.

We have beautiful trees that provide shade. The stately 70’ Royal Palms tower over the Royal Poincianas with their 60’ canopies and seasonal orange or yellow flowers. Almost without exception, the houses are well-maintained and nicely landscaped. Thirty-two years ago, Hurricane Andrew damaged things quite a bit but we built back better.

Yes, the neighborhood and I have aged but we are still chugging along. This nostalgic mood was brought on during my morning walk when I stopped briefly for a rest in the shade of a large Arborvitae. It is a favorite spot as it is at the ¾ mark on my walk and is almost always occupied by an unseen mockingbird who loudly sings out that this is his tree. This morning as I stopped the mockingbird began his song just as my Spotify playlist serendipitously switched to begin the 1963, Inez and Charlie Foxx version of Mockingbird. I wouldn’t know how to begin to calculate the odds of this happening, but it was nice to enjoy the moment.