Aging & Retirement

Aging is happening even as I type these words. I am ever so slowly, and sometimes more quickly, evolving into the “older” generation. These words, in print, sicken me. I am sixteen on the inside of my brain, but the rest of my body is screaming otherwise!

Now that the decks are clearer and the obstacles fewer, do we have the self confidence and courage to move forward and concretize those aspirations? Do we have the guts to zero in on the objectives and work toward their achievement?

Do I look older? Do I look old? I don’t feel old, but I’m actually not sure what old feels like . . .

The seniors at the home had amazing stories to tell about their lives and their families. Some were survivors and others were lonely and just wanted a visitor...

I will walk with you through many doors. Though your pace is slower, I will take smaller steps, For your dignity is as vital as the air we breathe...

There are moments when she is very happy. She is happy in her spacious rooms, happy for the companionship. She calls me Mother now...

Daddy, where are you from? I prod gently, a brilliant mind that is quickly fading, being eaten by a disease called Alzheimer's. An amazing physician my father was, cutting into newborn's hearts to save them...

She had kept her age from me all this time and unexpectedly revealed a part of herself which was no longer a taboo subject. It's as if she wanted me to know that she was old and vulnerable now...

I see little children dressed up like adults, and made to sit quiet for way too long. I watch people risk their lives by walking against a red light to save a whole minute. And I ask myself, "Where are we rushing to?"

During those many years, when asked who I was, or when being introduced to others, there was that long list of roles from which to select and identify the woman I had become. As a widow now, the list of the roles I play has become shorter and shorter...