I was almost forty eight when I met Michael. He was working full time in the mining industry, specialising in the storage and transportation of bulk materials. I was employed as a special needs education assistant, working part time. so I could be available to deal with my and my children's inevitable disasters at a moment's notice.
Michael had shunned doctors for years. He was aware of his lung status - he'd been diagnosed with pre-emphesema changes in 1998. The knowledge wasn't strong enough for him to quit smoking. So, by the time I met Michael, in 2009, he was getting closer to the chest infections that would become very familiar to him.
He was spiraling towards both physical and emotional breakdown in the twelve months after we commenced our relationship. His body was worn out from hard work in often appalling conditions. His children had ignored him, abused him and left him. I am ashamed of their behaviour, all four of them.They certainly contributed to Michael's decline in his already precarious health.
Suddenly, Michael's health collapsed in June 2010. He started on a cocktail of medication to restore him to an equilibrium of sorts. He slowly became better. then other issues intruded. He has had surgery on both shoulders and both wrists. He was diagnosed with fatty liver disease. And high cholesterol. And high blood pressure. His work on our shops have led to compulsory physiotherapy to keep him from seizing up completely. We compare ourselves to Humpty Dumpty and his Missus. And in April this year, he nearly died from pneumonia with associated complications.
I am in awe of Michael's ability to bounce back after physical and emotional adversity. He now has a respiratory specialist, a gastroenterologist and a new GP. He continues to grapple with a number of health issues and now approaching sixty, will probably always do so.
I have had my share of "after fifty" body adjustments. I've had surgery on my shoulder and my wrist (both as a result of work injuries), my stupid ankle and various gynecological procedures. I find myself surprisingly exhausted from time to time. I work hard in the garden and pay afterwards, when various parts of my anatomy seize up. My own emotional breakdown in 2006 means I will always be medicated to keep me on the straight and narrow. I have the usual suspects of high cholesterol and racy heartbeat.
In spite of these complications of becoming older, we are both happier than we have ever been. We have a complimentary, close and very complete marriage, based on love. We talk about everything and share everything. We try to live in the now, because we never know what tomorrow may bring.. We have discovered that life after fifty is a blast. Much of the angst and insecurities of being younger have just disappeared by becoming irrelevant. .
That doesn't mean we don't fall off the wagon from time to time. When Anxiety Girl and Obnoxious Man rear their ugly heads, neither of us cope well! Fortunately, our alter egos are usually short lived and leave us feeling only slightly embarrassed and somewhat ridiculous.
That doesn't mean we don't fall off the wagon from time to time. When Anxiety Girl and Obnoxious Man rear their ugly heads, neither of us cope well! Fortunately, our alter egos are usually short lived and leave us feeling only slightly embarrassed and somewhat ridiculous.
Our lives in Heavenly Beverley are pretty good. We have each other, the Three Stooges, the cat, the pirate parrot, the House that Rocks, our garden and the shops. Every now and then, the ogre of Lack of Money rears its ugly head, but somehow, we always muddle through.We have decided that working for ourselves, in our gallery, even if we earn nothing, will be bring its own rewards.
We have discovered that life after fifty is to be savoured, experienced, enjoyed and definitely not to be taken seriously. Life in Heavenly Beverley continues to be an adventure, And we're just the people to do it.
Our family, warts and all. Michael's and my wedding day 2.1.2012.
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