人老了，水冷了 (When the Water Ran Cold)

I stepped out of the backyard door, blanketed myself and sat in a chair with Reader’s Digest in my hand. It has been one of my favorite magazines since college. The only difference is that I am reading a large-print version borrowed from the library.

The morning breeze was crispy and cool as I leafed through pages of jokes and laughs in March 2017 issue.  Then I stopped at an article titled “When the water Ran Cold” and read carefully from the beginning to the end. It’s a short story about a grandson asking his 91 years old grandpa what it feels like to grow old.  Below are some excerpts:

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“Have you ever been in a hot shower when the water ran cold?’ The grandpa asked.

“That’s what aging feel like,” he says. “In the beginning of your life, it’s like you’re taking a hot shower. At first the water is too warm, but you get used to the heat and begin enjoying it. When you’re young, you think it’s going to be this way forever. Life goes on like this for a while.”

Grandpa gives me a mischievous grin and leans toward me. “And if you are lucky,” he whispers, just out of Grandma’s earshot, “a few good-looking women will join you in the shower until you decide to settle down.”

We both laugh. He leans back in his chair, looks out the window, and continues on.

“But you begin to feel it somewhere between your 40s and 50s. The water temperature drops just the slightest bit. It’s almost imperceptible, but you know it happened, and you know what it means. You try to pretend like you didn’t feel it, but you still turn the faucet up to stay warm. But the water keeps going lukewarm. One day you realize the faucet can’t go any farther, and from here on out the temperature begins to drop—you gradually feel the warmth leaving your body.

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“It’s a rather helpless feeling, truth told.’ He continues. “The water is still pleasant, but you know it’ll soon become cold and there’s nothing you can do. I knew a few people who decide to leave the shower on their own terms. They knew it was never going to get warmer, so why prolong the inevitable? I was able to stay in because I contented myself recalling the showers of my youth. I lived a good life but still wish I hadn’t taken my younger years for granted. It’s too late now, and no matter how hard I try, I'll never get the hot water on again.”

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As a middle-aged woman, I do feel like living in a lukewarm water, and am reminiscent of the young and old days. But isn't the time like the water and flows away in one direction? Can we hold on tight to the youth and not let it go?  Can we clench our fingers tight enough not to let the water slip through the slits of our fingers?  Aging is inevitable, and if we can prolong in any way, it is to keep a young heart, live positively and forwardly.  One day when we are really old, we will be content that we “dream our dream of our youth, remembering the warmth of days gone by, the days before the water ran cold.”

Water will eventually run cold. But let's try to let it run still and deep.