Laughter

I had always sort of looked at people riding these scooters at places like Disneyland as maybe victims?

Victims of old age.

However, now that I am 76 I see it somewhat differently.

From my present vantage point I see that the problems one has at basically every stage in life from birth to death are equally difficult, just in different ways.

When you are young (under 30) you often don't know enough to see things as how they really are. It's easy to get into cynical places to protect yourself from the harsh realities of life.

Then you move into your 30s and 40s which are often about marriage, divorce, raising children, starting businesses, trying to buy a house etc.

Then you move into your 50s. I find that from about age 50 on through the rest of your life the problems are somewhat the same.

For example, from 50 to 64 my wife insisted I have full medical health insurance. This cost us about 1800 a month and I thought at the time (how many people could afford this?) many people can actually afford this.

For example, let's say you make 16 dollars an hour and work 40 hours a week which is: $640 a week or 2540 a month. How are you going to afford 1800 dollars a month for medical insurance?

That's right! You aren't going to pay for it because you have to pay for somewhere to live and to eat and maybe a car and gas and maintenance and if you are married or have any kids then forget it.

So, if something happens to you between 50 and 64 what do you do? Go Bankrupt and die?

Yes. This appears to be the truth.

So, from my personal point of view the problems of all ages are equal in many ways at least until you go on Medicare.

I remember my retired EYE doctor neighbor telling me: "Isn't Medicare amazing, Fred?"

And I said "Yes!"

But then even if you have Medicare and then you retire at 65, how are you going to be able to financially survive to 100 years old since 90 is what you should expect to live to (theoretically if you make it to 30 to begin with.

So, as I rode this 4 wheeled scooter today at the San Diego Wild Animal park near Escondido I felt like I was a child again riding the Disneyland autopia for the first time at age 8 or 9 by myself.

So, instead of feeling like a victim I felt somehow liberated.

And then we watched a video from our daughter's Iphone of us riding these things and we both laughed hysterically because after being world travelers and sailors and riding motorcycles and piloting airplanes and traveling all over the world, here we were riding these ridiculous 4 wheeled electric carts around San Diego Wild animal park near Escondido. How Funny!

And I think my wife couldn't deal with it but I was having fun like I was an 8 year old not passing out in the hot summer day while everyone around us was fading out from the heat there Today Thursday 8-8-24.

How funny!