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| I've been reading this thread with interest also. I'm 78 and at the end of the week, I am going to pack up and head from the north coast of BC back down to the farm to run the combine for my brother. I am fully aware of the limitations I have now compared to years back. I've always been very curious about how my brain worked, and I have studied it now for many years. I also will drive my pickup and 34' fifth wheel the 1800 miles back to our house in the Black Hills before continuing on to the farm.
I'm wanting to write this, as I think it might help others who are forced to make this decision.
I am lucky, I think, as I grew up driving the big cattle trucks when I was still in high school. So, pulling a 34' trailer isn't something that I don't have a background for. But - there is no doubt that my brain is not working as well as it was even a few years ago. I have learned that my brain will no longer multi-task like it used to, so I have to concentrate hard on just doing one thing. I cannot afford to be distracted. This even applies to walking down (over sizable rocks) the riverbank while trying to control a big fish with my spey (fly) rod. When I'm walking, I need to be concentrating on the walking - not the big fish! With regard to the combine, I have to concentrate on one thing - and, if I find myself confused at all, I need to stop what I'm doing immediately and get focused on one thing. As of yet, I do not think I am dangerous in that machine - but I always am evaluating to see if I need to change my mind.
I also think this is connected to old people falling down. Balance takes quite a lot of brain power, IMHO, and our aging brains just will not multi-task anymore. I used to be able to drive in big city traffic - and hold a conversation with someone in the car. Or, listen to the radio. Or, just look at the sights. No more. Now, I know that I need to concentrate only on the driving. My brain is aging, and I feel that i need to be vigilant in looking at myself in the third person to try to self-limit what I do before it gets dangerous. The stakes can simply be too high not to do this. And, if anyone tells me it's time to quit, I'll quit right there.
On a side note - IMHO, this is connected to the feeling of time going faster and faster as I age. I've thought about this from time to time, and I am sure that this is due to the brain not functioning on the leven it did when I was young. If we think about our sense of time, isn't it simply stored memories? We store a whole lot fewer memories than we did when we were younger. So, time really does go faster when we get old.
Anyway, good luck. When discussing this, emphasize the dangers of ignoring this natural progression as we age. I find myself regularly asking myself if it's time to make a change. I always worry about making the change just a little to late. | |
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How do you tell your dad it's time to stop driving tractor
