Getting Old Sucks

Getting old sucks.

There are those who would argue that the alternative is worse. But as I get older and my knees scream in a raging fury of painful protest at either standing or sitting, I’m not sure I want to argue about the value or lack thereof to the alternative of getting old.

Two people of advanced age have been in the news of late, both dealing with the struggles of that advanced age. Former First Lady Barbara Bush, born in 1925,is reportedly in very bad health and has gone on record as refusing any more medical efforts to artificially prolong her life. 

I’ve always admired Mrs. Bush for her wisdom and humor. She may have married into to a political aristocracy but she possessed a down home manner. My mom liked Mrs. Bush.

My favorite quote from Barbara Bush came in response to her husband’s penchant for skydiving. Back in World War II, George H. W. Bush was shot down over the Pacific. He ejected from the craft barely escaping the experience with his life. Afterwards, he would take a skydive to commemorate his survival from being shot down during the war.  Barbara’s response to this was, “Why somebody would want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane is beyond me.”  

As I write this, Barbara Bush is still with us, reportedly in good spirits, surrounded by her family who remains devoted to her.

Yeah, it sucks getting old but if you can go out on your own term surrounded by people who love you, maybe it’s not so bad.

Sadly, this brings us to Stan Lee.

I say “sadly” in that there seems to be a cacophony of voices around Stan Lee that are directing charges against each other that they do not have Stan’s best interests at heart.

Recent reports of Stan Lee’s appearance of a comic book convention describe an old, tired man with little grasp of where he was and being told how to sign “STAN LEE”. Was Stan being pushed beyond his capacity to sign merchandise to keep the gravy train going for those who seeks to benefit from Stan’s continued notoriety? 

Who is looking out for Stan Lee? His wife Joan passed away last year. His only daughter has been described as self-serving and greedy, concerned only with getting what she can out of her dad.

At 95 years old, Stan Lee’s reputation and legend in comic books, with Marvel Comics is unassailable. He has nothing to prove to anyone.  He certainly doesn’t need to sit at a convention table for hours on end signing “STAN LEE” to things. But bereft of a family he can trust, who pray tell is looking out for Stan Lee? The perils of outliving family and friends, why getting old can suck. 

OK, that’s enough for this post. I need to get up from my desk because my knees hurt. 

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AMENDED, 04/17/2018, 8:50 PM 

Sorry to hear of the passing of Barbara Bush. She died Tuesday  surrounded by her family at her home. She was a woman of strength and class beloved by so many.