During my first three days in Wisconsin, Heidi and I drove through the early summer countryside. Under clear skies, the trees bloomed, the temperatures reached into the 60’s, and the breeze blew gently.

“Oh, it’s a perfect day,” Heidi exclaimed. “for all the farmers to spread manure all over their fields! The smell! Can you smell it? Whoo-whee It’s pungent today!”

I powered down the window to breathe deeply of ripe cow dung. I wanted to match those fresh smells with my 70-year-old memories of living on my aunt’s Sierra Nevada black angus ranch.

But no. Sniff as deeply as I could, I smelled nothing out of the ordinary.

Disappointed, I put the window up, and said, “Well, Heidi, you’re going to have to smell for the two of us because I can’t. My sense of smell must be at least half of what it used to be—-not so long ago.”

Oh hum! Loss of smell is just one of many losses that surprise, befuddle, and depress anyone over 40. In our youth, we know about geriatric losses in general and that eventually we will experience some of them. Yet, when they actually come to us, they come unexpectedly and fast.

Adjusting to them requires accurate information, courage, and acceptance. That’s why humor is like oil to the wound of age. As the proverb goes, “Aging is not for sissies.”