All of life’s activities have challenging expiration dates

What if you knew your expiration date? What would you do differently?

As seniors, we are challenged by expiration dates. We look in our medicine cabinet and find medications and ointments that have expired. We look in the refrigerator or cupboard and find expired foods. You take your automobile to the dealership for repair work and find the warranty has expired.

All of life’s activities have expiration dates. When I studied risk management as a college student, we computed mortality tables to set premiums for life insurance policies. Back then, I determined I would live to age 78 years. Now, my longevity has beat the tables and I’m in my fourth quarter of life. My life has been extended due to my lifestyle, preventive medical care and mental fitness.

Our possessions have expiration dates as noted in “Limited Warranties” and “extended guarantees.” There is no date for obsolescence. Stuff just does not last as long. My parents received a Toastmaster toaster for a wedding present in 1936. My father as a handyman kept it operating for more than 50 years. Mother wrote a letter to the company about the 50-year-old toaster “expecting them to mail her a new one for an anniversary gift.” The company rep wrote “Congratulations on your 50 years of marriage. We are pleased your Toastmaster served you so well.” How many toasters have you had in 50 years?

My 2012 desktop computer recently developed problems. The Geek Squad worked endlessly to keep it operating. Vendors warned “We no longer

Challenges of Living to Age 100

Ed Baranowski

support the software.” Appliances, air conditioners, smartphones, and many electronic devices are built more for the short term with planned future innovations. We want what is the newest and best before it expires. Think about food again. On every container there is an expiration date. Does it mean “best used by” or “sold by”? Yes, there are required health warnings, but are you challenged to throw out the cheese before you can cut off the mold? Dry products may not taste as good, dairy may pose problems, but marketers love that you toss it when the expiration date comes to your attention.

Add to the expired challenge your magazine subscriptions, club memberships, service agreements, financial certificate of deposit terms, passports, credit cards, voter registrations and driver’s license. What about the hereafter? Keep checking!

Ed Baranowski is an awardwinning writer, artist, speaker, and seminar leader. He lives in Melbourne and can be contacted at fast75sr@ gmail.com