FolkGuitar

Life is good in my old age! My goal is to be still riding motorcycles at 85. I'm 78 now and ride every day, but I do feel the difference in mental agility and reaction time. I'm still active in my sports 3-4 times a week but can see the writing on the wall. My health took a big hit two years ago, and my body still feels it. Because of that, I no longer feel 'young.' I've lived a life rich enough for 5 men. If I die tomorrow there will be none who can say I haven't lived. That said, I do NOT intend to put up with any long-drawn-out lingering slow deaths. My father got sick at 65, bedridden by 70, but hung on for another 12 years draining money and life energy from my mother trying to care for him. I've already made my plans for a quick and easy departure when needed. I don't want to put my wife and son through what my mother and so many others have had to deal with. For that matter, I don't want to deal with what so many others have had to deal with... When it's time, it's time.

It's a step in the right direction, but a few cops on the road every day of the week might actually show some real positive results. Other than around the biggest Thai cities, when have you ever seen a cop writing out a ticket for a moving violation? Unsafe vehicle operation? Overloaded vehicle? Underaged drivers? But let's check to see that the buses are OK...

What's the point? Winning an argument in AN is equal to sitting at the cool kid's table in a mental hospital! Hell, STARTING one is even more foolish!

We live on a very low (compared to most ex-pats here) retirement fixed income. But it's still a lot more than the staff in my building make each month working. We give the cleaning staff and security staff a Christmas envelope with a 500 baht note each. I wish I could give them more as they really do make my life in this building much easier, but I can't afford it. The security staff stay awake and are very helpful, often running to open elevator doors for us if our arms are full! The cleaning staff are always right there when you need them, and unobtrusive when you don't! Although American, I don't believe in the American style of tipping everywhere I go. But I do eat in the same restaurants every week and so leave the staff a small tip. Most are married with young kids and need the money more than I need another cup of tea.

Defend your limitations, and sure enough, you own them. Certainly... but that doesn't mean it's going to make you happy.

If your contentment and satisfaction with life are based on anything other than yourself you're in for constant and repeated problems.

It's not as if we haven't discussed this before... If you want to fix your heart, fix your body. No meds needed. Stop eating foods that are bad for your heart. No... it's not easy. It requires self-discipline. But the difference might just save your life.

It's true! I heard that they are going to add more than 10 policemen nationwide, perhaps even 12 of them, to reduce road fatalities. After all, it's a very serious matter.

With all the road construction going on around the Old City, the traffic congestion could become a real nightmare! Entire sections are blocked off, exits closed, unpassable surfaces, etc. But thankfully... ... we can turn on the radio or read the local newspaper to find out which roads are blocked off today so we can avoid adding to the crush by taking alternative routes and not creating traffic jams! Oh... wait...

I used to think that the Japanese were the professionals at creating 'visual policing without creating change.' I was wrong. Thailand has so many different 'programs' that ostensibly improve the safety of its citizens without making any real difference! New programs are announced often but are greeted with rolling eyes. Put some cops on the streets.

Relaxation all around me, rather than the rush and hurry I've lived through before. Incredible variety of ethnic foods at very low cost. Ease of daily routines. Friendly neighbors, smiling people on the streets. Plenty of good weather to enjoy the recreational facilities year-round.

I enjoy both cash and cashless, depending on the venue. I don't live in fear of the government having my data. There really isn't much hidden now from those who wish to know. The government already knows how much money I have, where I travel, and even who I meet. I don't need to hide myself for any other reason than to avoid spam email... and my email client removes most of that!

Perhaps not 'deny' them, but certainly put them at the end of the treatment timeline. All self-abuse should be identified as such, and be far more costly to treat, maybe even help subsidize costs for those whose health problems were not of their own making.

Unless you have a vagina, you have no say in the matter. Men do not control women's bodies. Women do not need men's 'approval' to do anything.

I won't ride without a helmet, a GOOD full-face helmet with the strap fastened! We see too many chalk marks on the roads. I can replace a leg, or replace a hand. I can't replace a head.

... and then he woke up.

If Thailand really cared about preventing road accidents, it would put some police on the roads where the problems are. We all know of these locations in our areas. It's not a surprise. Yes... it is that simple.

I used to be bothered by seeing 75-year-old men pushing a baby carriage with their 18-year-old bride, thinking the baby would not grow up with a father, the mother dealing with raising the child alone... ... Then I remembered 'This is Thailand.' The whole family does the child-rearing, with the parents often away working. That's the norm here, quite different from the US or UK. I'm not suggesting it's better or worse, just that this is Thai culture.

Find a girlfriend more your age. It will save on buying toys at Christmas.

I can't imagine trying to do our grocery shopping for the week! Who knows what we'll feel like eating for dinner on Thursday?!? I enjoy shopping for fresh food every day. Our freezer holds ice cream, ice cubes, a couple of packages of vacuum-packed steaks and chops for emergencies, and perhaps a bag of frozen raspberries. The fridge is half empty. All the rest of our food is bought fresh daily. Veggies fresh from the talat, meats and seafood from the talat, Makro, and Rimping. I pick up the occasional item at Kasem's Mkt too.

Often on international sales or banking, waiting for a one-time passcode by phone is sometimes a losing proposition! My bank in the US takes about 45 seconds from the time I answer until the voice begins to dictate the code.

Just to cover all bets... Are you a smoker? Cigarettes, pipe, marijuana? When I was a cigarette smoker, I would get bronchitis once or twice every year. That stopped when I stopped smoking.

A spoonful of chia seeds and freshly ground flax seeds soaked for 10 minutes in a glass of water every morning solves the problem for me. When I was in my early 70s, constipation became a problem. Someone suggested chia and flax seeds, so I tried them. By the third day, my body was back to 'proper' function! We've been taking them every morning since! 78 now and comfortable.

Wow! No. I'm interested in making friends with people who have the same interests as myself. I never suggested it was a requirement for simply meeting.

Over the years I've met with 6-8 forum members, for lunch or coffee. To a man (and two women,) all were nice, very pleasant people. Lunch conversation was enjoyable, interesting, and lively, and the lunch hour usually became two. But in fact, common interests were few so most of us slipped back into remaining 'forum friends' while friendships grew with a few.