Can I Help you with That?

The ravages of time take their toll and we reluctantly succumb to the aging process.  Recently I was pontificating to a friend or relative....hmm...not sure who (a sure sign of aging), about the fact that there is only so much sand in our clock of life.  I think if you were to empty mine out on the table we could probably count the grains left in a short while.

 And so I fight the process!  Sometimes more successfully than others. I admit that I am slowing down. To use a hoop analogy, I have most certainly lost a step or two, and the number of times I make a move to the hoop and score are fewer and fewer.  Forget the 3 pointer!  I can't see the basket. 

But overall i am doing OK, at least I thought so until today.  Everywhere I traveled I kept hearing these magic words: "Sir, can I help you with that?"  Now there are times when we all need a hand, but lately I seem to need one more and more.  Could it be that I look clumsy at the dinghy dock pulling my rag doll body up out of the dink and almost falling back in.  

     "Do you need a hand there,sir?"; said a nice lady. 

     And once this has been observed, it is easy to understand the big strong guy on the dock saying,                  "How bout I help you lift that bike unto the dock?"

I declined the young lady because I had been clumsy, but you bet i accepted the help lifting the bike!  

Later on John on the boat we are rafted with saw me struggling with my boat hook.  "Can I help you?"; he asked thoughtfully.  I am so glad that boating people are so kind and thoughtful and helpful, but secretly I long for the days when I was on the other end of this equation.   The reality is that I need to utter the magic words more frequently: YES!

On a lighter note, check out the horn on my bike!  It is a high-pitched Tweety-like sound that resembles a tropical bird.  The fun thing about it is when I approach people from behind and give the horn a tweet, everyone looks up!!!