An Old Dog's New Trick

Thoughts While Enjoying A 2nd Cup of Coffee

Jan. 5^th, 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.