So my father's been visiting me the past few weeks, and as he was showing me his tablet, he made a comment about how he made sure to buy one with a lot of memory and what not as he figured it might be the last device of the sort he would ever purchase. A few days later I was reading an article about how the latest line of the subway had been approved for construction in the city where I live, and that the project would take about ten years to complete. Considering where this new line is slated to head, it would be very useful for my folks and I to ride, but I then came to the realization that in ten years time, my father will be about eighty years old.
I don't like the physical ailments that I have experienced from getting older, but these are issues I have (and in some cases have to) come to terms with, i.e. we sometimes just have to deal with aches and pains from injuries long gone by; however, the thing that scares me the most about aging is watching my parents age, knowing the inevitable loss that will somehow strike. Then there's an added complication on top of that, i.e. living literally on the other side of the world from my folks, though at least I'm now a permanent resident and can come and go as I please, allowing me the freedom to visit my family more often.
Obviously if you aren't close with your family or were abused by them or something, this might not be the thread for you, but for everyone else: how do you cope with the mental fuck that is watching your parents age and become elderly? I know I might come across as juvenile but I just find the whole thing totally frightening to think about, especially as my folks are definitely not the most health-conscientious people on the planet, something that just is what it is.