An old man complained to his doctor, "My back aches."
"That comes from old age," said the doctor.
"And my vision is blurry."
"That also sounds like old age," replied the doctor.
The old man continued, "I've lost my appetite."
"That often happens to old people," the doctor observed.
The old man wheezed. "And I have trouble breathing."
The doctor sighed. "That's a common complaint among the elderly."
"Is that all you have to say?" shouted the old man. "You sound like a donkey, not like a doctor."
"Old people are prone to lose their temper too," replied the doctor.
Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 56 in the book. For Rumi, the old man is the seeker ("outwardly he is old, but inwardly he is youthful").
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