Thoughts While Enjoying A 2nd Cup of Coffee
Jan.
5th, 2016
“An Old Dog’s New Trick”
I’m not afraid of dying,
or how I die – what will happen, will happen. What I do dread is coming down
with Alzheimer’s Disease. I’ve been close to several people who suffered from
it, and not only is it awful for the sufferer, but more so, I think, for their
loved ones.
I
mentioned my concerns about Alzheimer’s to my primary care physician, and she gave me
a SAGE test from Ohio State University. It is meant to measure someone’s predisposition
for developing Alzheimer’s. I got a score of 17 out of 22, which she said was
quite good for a “man of my age”. Ugh – I’m now old enough to be classified as
a “man of my age.”
Anyway, knowing of my dread, when I saw her for my quarterly
visit, she gave me a magazine article that boasted a new activity that was
supposed to help fend off memory loss – adult coloring books. This was NOT my
cup of tea, but in deference to her concern, I read the article. Adult coloring
books, it said, can activate different neuron “thingies” in your brain, which
helps mitigate memory loss.
So, with no enthusiasm at all, I figured I could “tough it
out” and do this activity a couple of times a week, in the name of “mental
rehabilitation”. So I went to Amazon.com and ordered some stuff. Nothing
elaborate – a box of 24 Crayola crayons and the first adult coloring book on
the Amazon list.
When they arrived I set my alarm, so I didn’t have to exceed
20 minutes of “torture”, and opened everything up. WOW. This was NOT the
coloring book of my youth, or my children’s, or grandchildren’s youth, either. This
was a book of very intricate patterns. It was immediately obvious that crayons
would not work – the points were too blunt. I quickly ordered some ink pens
with fine points, and postponed my date with inevitability.
Well, when I finally got around to my “punishment”, I found
I loved it. I went way past the 20 minutes in my first session, and could
hardly wait for the next day to do it again. I was hooked. Staying inside the
lines is not required, and neither is matching your colors – which is good,
because I am not good at knowing which colors look good together. That’s why
all my socks are black – everything goes with them.
I now have several adult coloring books, and several types of
ink pens of different “fineness”.
Is it working? I don’t know, and I don’t really care. It’s
fun – lots of fun. I find it very, very restful, and it’s a lot like knitting:
you can do it almost anywhere, and anytime.
Are there any unforeseen consequences? Not that that I can
see – well, maybe one.
Beth and I take the 45 minute trip to Bangor about 3-4 times
a year to buy stuff we can’t get around Searsport. During those trips, Beth
always stops at the art supply store and asks, “Are you coming in?” I always
bring a book, and reply, “No, thanks, I’ll guard the car.” Now, if someone
wants to steal the car with me in it, there’s not a lot I can do to stop them,
but saying “I’ll guard the car” has a nice machismo ring to it – especially for
a “man of my age.”
Now, I’ll leave the book at home, and go into the store with
her to check out their supply of ink pens and coloring books. I suppose, God forbid,
that someday we could come out and find that our car has been stolen. If that ever happens, I’ll be completely
honest with Beth. It’s the dog’s fault.
