When I was in my thirties working full time and raising four sons, it was all I could do to occasionally gulp down a multi-vitamin.
There was little time to keep up with the glasses of water I drank, or the overabundance of caffeine I was inhaling to keep moving. I did not count my daily portions of vegetables and grains. And I certainly did not add into my diet any protein supplements. I ate what I could grab at the ballpark, or the fast-food window, or anything microwavable.
In the meantime, my mother-in-law who was in her mid to late 50's was constantly handing me the latest bottle of something she had seen on television to lower any of the bad stuff that we need to lower to live a long and healthy life. She would give me things like supplements that derived from a honeycomb or fish oil or calcium builders. She was always telling me things she had heard about staying hydrated, and taking vitamins, and making sure our bones didn't get brittle. And I would nod and say, "uh-huh," and keep going.
All of this just came rushing back to me when I was on the phone with my son. As often is the case now that I have grown sons who remind me of my once busy self trying to make ends meet, get ahead in life, get enough sleep, and still enjoy a quick jog to the gym. That me who once had an abundance of energy on reserve to pull from when I got tired running behind rug rats. That energy that no longer sits in reserve when I get up out of bed and must stand for a solid 30 seconds to get my joints to wake up with me and my back to completely straighten up before I begin to hobble.
My son called to tell me he was bringing Liam out to play. I let him know I had a head cold but no fever if that was ok. I told him I had gone into town to get a vitamin infusion to beef up my immunity and doubted I was still contagious. He started laughing and wanted to know how much I had spent on that when I should be putting that money aside for retirement. He told me water and an orange would have probably done the same thing. He told me it was a fad that probably gave me some placebo effect, and who had talked me into something so ridiculous.
Well, Father Time had talked me into it. And now that I have arrived beyond the half a century mark, whatever it takes to keep the vitality and energy coming is what his dad and I will try because my mother-in-law was a pretty smart lady back then. It was my husband who brought to my attention that we were beginning to have way too many bottles of vitamins and supplements laying out around the grandchildren. So, I bought a tall narrow cabinet to put in our bathroom holding our hidden candy store.
That's right, it is basically a candy store because at this age swallowing pills gives us indigestion, so we have chewable. Between the two of us we have Vitamin C, E, D3, CoQ10, Magnesium, B12, Apple Cider Vinegar, Cold Eaze, Beet Root, Potassium, and Turmeric. Do they make a difference? I don't know. But things now don't heal as fast as they used to, and a head cold even without fever can turn into a big setback while still trying to work, run after grandkids, and keep up a house and yard.
It's not like we are shooting up Botox to stay young. We are literally trying to keep our joints moving and our spines straight. And yes, we could use that money for our retirement plan, but how great is retirement if we aren't mobile enough to enjoy it? So, it is 8 glasses of water a day, protein bars disguised as sweets, and honey in the coffee. And as far as the judgement? All in good time my son…all in good time.
