One of the joys of being an old-geezer

One of the joys of being an old-geezer is that I can pop-in to a situation, do-my-thing and then pop out. Nobody expects me to work 60 hours a week.

My mental image is of a sprite who flits about with an oil-can. An axle that squeaks calls the sprite who administers a drop or two of oil. Then a hinge that moans when the door is opened. Then a motor that screams under load...

The amount of work and the volume of oil that is applied is microscopic. The benefits are enormous.

Sometimes simply having another set of eyes to watch the bubble in the level's sight-glass and hands to hold two-by-fours in-place while the young-dude shoots the screws is priceless.

Or to have somebody at the electric fence energizer to turn it on-and-off while somebody else walks the fence clearing trash that is shorting it out can save miles-and-miles of walking. God bless cellphones!

Rust, rot and depreciation never sleep. There is always work that needs to be done. Piles of lumber to be restacked. Pallets to be moved. Brush to be cut. Weeds to be sprayed. Items to be cleaned. The tops of tall furniture to be dusted. Trash to be picked up. Items to be picked up at the grocery store or pharmacy. Dogs to be walked. Drywall to be patched. Chickens to be let-out in the morning and locked up at night. Older people in need of company to make going for a walk doable.

Most of that work does not require the stamina of a marathon runner or the strength of a weight-lifter. An accountant has a hard time putting a value on the benefits of that kind of work, consequently much of it goes undone for want for somebody to do it.

We all have our special gifts. There are many tasks that are not-my-thing but you will be hard pressed to find a better person to walk a fence-row and graft the volunteer apple and pear seedlings to more desirable varieties. I am also fair hand at listening to somebody who needs a sympathetic ear and digging holes in the ground.

There are others who are gifted at organizing and cleaning. Some have the gift-of-gab or who have instant rapport with children and animals. There is plenty of work for all of us.

I have been on the receiving end of the generous old-geezer network. Mrs ERJ flew down to visit her sister during peak-Covid. There were absolutely no rental cars to be had. I reached out to another old-geezer who owed me absolutely nothing and he drove to the airport and transported her to her sister's house. That doesn't sound like much except for the fact that it was a 180 mile round trip. There are some things that cannot be purchased with money.

For the record, I have a gig lined up for tomorrow. I will be helping a young guy get his farm in apple-pie order for winter. Even though I am old and feeble, I still have more upper-body strength than his petite wife. Also, if he hits his thumb with a hammer and a bad word slips out...I am hard of hearing when that sort of thing happens.

In return I will get the satisfaction of knowing that I am still useful. And if I find myself needing a "real" job I can always list him as a reference.