Aging Ungracefully

After spending the last day and a half with my parents, I reached the conclusion that I will not be one of the people who ages gracefully. Old people things fall so far from anything I have ever been interested in that I am certain I will grow to be as old and unpopular as I have been young and unpopular. By "old people things" I mean things like: driving from tourist trap to tourist trap and calling it sight-seeing. There were mountains and a few antelope and buffalo along the side of the road, but 90% of the towns were artsy/craftsy overpriced kitsch shops. eating dinner at 4:30 to get the 2-for-1 special at an already cut-rate chain restaurant (give me the check, we can eat someplace with food that is edible). sitting for intolerably long periods of time watching shows that aired when I was in the prime of life - I watch so little television now that I barely know what is on, so while it would all be "new" to me, I wouldn't know what the good shows were. sleeping for more than ten hours a night. I never knew sitting was such an exhausting endeavor. staying inside with air conditioning when outside is far more pleasant. Nice breeze, view of the surrounding mountains (well foothills to the Rocky Mountains), thunderstorms rolling over the tops of the mountains/hills in the distance but not making it to us. These days have been vacation for me and I have attempted to relax, but I have so much more fun while doing that sedentary endeavors annoy me. I have found myself clinching my jaw so much as to not say what I am thinking that I give myself a headache. (My dog is even so bored he voluntarily goes into his crate and lays down with a sigh.) I usually take vacations by myself so I can DO the things I want to and not rely on anyone else. If I had arrived here on my own and found the options of things to do so limited, I would have demanded a refund and moved on to another location. As it is, I promised my parents this time and feel obligated to honor it. It costs me nothing but time (and a little bit of sanity). I want to age ungracefully - to be more rebel in old age than as a youth. I want to continue enjoying life and the world around me actively much the way my grandmothers did into their 90's. When I start doing the "old people things" I will know it is time to move into a senior facility where I can be fed through a straw and have my diaper changed regularly. From what I can tell, there is not much difference in the quality of life.