Specifically, who’s afraid of driving after dark? We are and most of our friends are, which means that most boomers are now reluctant to drive once the sun goes down. We used to think our parents and their friends were joking when they said they didn’t like to drive after dark, and now it’s us. When did it start? How has it affected our lives?
As we age our eyesight craps out. The first signs are when we finally acknowledge and accept that we need bifocals around the age of fifty. Fortunately, technology came up with ‘progressive’ lenses which eliminated that nasty, annoying line across the bottom third of the lenses in our eyeglasses which immediately identified us as old.
Over the years, technology has also given boomers laser eye surgery and cataract surgery. I’m always amazed to see people in their seventies and eighties walking around without glasses because they’ve had cataract surgery. I’ve been waiting more than a year for my own cataract surgery and look forward to finally getting the procedure done in the spring.
I really do not mind wearing glasses and rather like the assortment of colourful statement glasses I’ve accumulated. But, nothing yet has been able to improve my night vision. I’ve tried those yellow lenses which offered minimal improvement but it’s never a good idea to take a chance on less-than-perfect vision when driving, particularly at night.
Not only do we now need to curb our drinking and driving to keep the world safe, but we also need to restrict our hours of driving. That means dinners out have been replaced by lunches, preferably with take-home doggie bags so we can squeeze an extra meal from our big outing. We’ve had friends decline dinner at our house because it meant driving home after dark with a glass of wine under their belts. We’ve come a long way from the days of partying all night and going to work with minimal or no sleep.
To be honest, no longer having to host labour-intensive dinner parties is not a bad thing. Opting for a mid-day meal at a nice restaurant with friends has turned out to be far more agreeable than spending all day in the kitchen cooking, or lining up at happy hour and waiting forever for a restaurant table. We decided a long time ago to forgo movie nights for more convenient matineés. That also means that our fountain Diet Coke and a pail of popcorn qualify as lunch. Another bonus.
Now that boomers are night-blind we’re enjoying benefits we could never have imagined when we were making fun of our parents and their friends all those years ago. Mr. Magoo and his missus were onto something. And, if we can manage those movies and lunches out on Seniors’ Discount Day, well, life doesn’t get any better. Cheap, easy, safe, and convenient all rolled into one outing. Another reason to be glad we’re old. Being a boomer just keeps getting better and better. Do you see what I mean?
