Oh! And then the painful recognition

Primus inter Pares ... uh, oh! and then the painful recognition that the Last Quarter brings that one is no longer Primus ... in one's Prime, if you prefer ... at all. Went to see a wonderful play, yesterday, by Annie Baker ... something about body image. It hit home on many levels. An older-younger couple ... one of their sons, an odd -- according to story line -- Asperger's 21 year old and a visiting photographer-in-residence for Body Awareness week at the local crunchy Vermont College where the younger of the couple works. The photographer was White and Male and Older and Greek and travelled about taking pictures of naked women of all ages. The younger of the women was in charge of body awareness week and prepared to disembowel the photographer and his male gaze. The older woman, the mother of the porn-loving Aspergery fellow, was ready to experience disrobing. That same younger woman spoke disparagingly about the older woman who only taught high school. It was still more complex. The Greek photographer turned a Tuesday night into a Jewish Wine-and-Candles Sabbath. A farce with serious undertones.

Any case, I thoroughly enjoyed it and afterwards Marsha, I and our 70+ year old forever friends went out to a tony sort of Italian restaurant. That was good, too, even if the husband was on the verge of zinging his wife of 49 years. At 46 years married, Marsha and I must be newlyweds for we haven't given up our need to "zing" each other only in private. Any case, all was well with the four who had met in 1968 ... It was a great day and, before the play, Marsha and I got to see our oldest's project ... a cafe ... come alive for the first time. I talked to his young customers and friends (he's 45 and still on the cusp of the 2nd to 3rd Quarters) and this business could keep him from travelling 150,000 miles a year in his other business.

Well ... all was well, indeed,  till I spontaneously went into atrial-fib, just as the waiter was asking about dessert. .... chances are a bit too much fatty food ... but frankly, I'm not certain I have a clue. Whatever! or Primus? My Ass, I could say. Suddenly even walking up the ramp to the parking lot was difficult. How the Young have grown Old! By the top of the ramp, my heart rate was 4+ times what it typically is under such circumstances ... pushing 190. A patient had called during the play .... I needed to wait to call them back, at least till my heart rate went down nearer 100. It was all I could do to glance occasionally at Eli Manning and the Giants outplay the New England Patriots.

Ach du lieber ... My task for my remaining years will be, at least in part, to vicariously enjoy those who can maintain the notion of being first ... of Primus. And not Primus in the Land of the Senex , as maybe I can convince myself at moments that I am .... Primus amongst my senile, senescent and sunsetting peers.

Janis Joplin said: "Get it while you can." She didn't stick around long enough to offer her youthful wisdom on the question of "Whaddya'do when you can't!"