Old Age

Although the alternative is probably worse, old age sucks (not a very nice way for a “ lady” to talk).

Watching us old people walk and sit and stand and do just about everything slower and more laborious is downright depressing.   The joints hurt, the muscles weaken,  teeth, eyes and ears need all the help they can get. The Medicare depression survey is all too real to me now. I’m not really sure why these questions are asked when there isn’t anything they do to correct the reality or solve the problem.  

Basically it is a time of downward spiraling and stories of sickness and death fill the conversations all around me. This one’s got cancer, that one’s spouse has Alzheimer’s, and on and on and on.  Too many wakes and funerals and “celebrations of life”.  All this is happening at a time when I’m not even sure what exactly I believe in anymore.  Who is this God? What awaits us after we take our final breath and our heart stops beating?  Does anyone really know? 

The reality is that our time is running out and we’re moving more and more to the periphery. 

I’m told to live in the moment, count my blessings and I’d like to be able to do that but oftentimes it’s not that easy to do.  

Are you ever feeling this way? 

Or are you better at being happy than I am?

Buyer Beware!

Dead fish 🐟 as a result of this red tide.  I’m not very knowledgeable about this algae but it is certainly destructive. Does it have to do with a damaged environment? Some say yes, some say no. It seems to me that we are not taking proper care of our environment.

“Low salinity, a high nutrient content in the water and warmer-than-usual surface water temperatures are usually cited as contributing to a red tide's formation.”

“Scientists generally believe that coastal pollution from human sewage, agricultural runoff, and other sources contributes to red tides,…”

“Data from Mote has suggested that nutrients that runoff the land into the sea may contribute to red tide. These nutrients can include natural (animal waste) and human-contributed (fertilizer) sources. These sources can runoff in stormwater into storm drains, rivers, and ponds and ultimately the Gulf.”

“Red tides are naturally occurring, but there is ample evidence that shows nutrient pollution can fuel blooms, making them larger and longer lasting. Learn more about this here. Worse still, warming waters associated with climate change appear to be helping these blooms thrive in areas that haven't been affected by algae blooms historically. 

The nutrient pollution that fuels algal blooms comes from many different sources- runoff from agriculture and landscaping fertilizers, leaky septic tanks and aging sewage infrastructure, and stormwater and urban runoff. And we all can take steps to curb these sources of pollution and support clean water at the beach.”

 

The truth of the matter is that currently here at the beautiful beaches in Sarasota, Florida the Red Tide is wickedly debilitating.  

“The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was detected in 91 samples from and offshore of Southwest Florida over the past week. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were present in 25 samples..”

People all around me are coughing continuously with the same sounding cough.  We’ve shut our windows, and are using only recirculated air conditioning. I’m wearing a mask every time I need to step outside our two room rental.  I’ve become a bit of a prisoner in a much too costly prison.  

Interestingly, this problem is not widely publicized. Could it have to do with 💰 money? How can builders and realtors continue to sell $5 million dollar condominiums at the beach 🏖️ or charge outrageous seasonal rental fees if this truth becomes public knowledge?