In the past 5 days, four of my neighbors have made trips to the hospital. Last Friday, which was above freezing, Ellen was walking into her garage when the snow on the roof let loose and avalanched down on her. Her hip broke. Luckily her husband had not yet left, though he was in the house. She screamed. He took her to the hospital, and she got a brand new hip later that day.

On Monday, Ann, who celebrated her 65th birthday on the weekend, went to the DMV to get a new driver’s license. She slipped on some ice and had to be taken to the emergency room. Nothing was broken, but something was sprained.

Today, two neighbors went to outpatient surgery to have their kidney stones zapped. They’ve both done this before, so they knew what to expect.

Some years ago, a 74-year-old told me that aging is like standing on a battlefield. All around you, people are dropping, and you don’t know why you are still standing.

Today, i happen to be still standing, though i had a slide on the ice this afternoon. My hips were not prepared to go into the splits, and i caught myself before making it all the way to the floor. Whew!

The aging body is fascinating. Each one going in a different direction, and yet, somehow, we are all headed to the same place.