Tag Archives: elders

Not A Death Sentence

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

April 9, 2022- The lady, who looked to be in her early forties, was bemoaning the fact that twentysomethings looked to her like babies. “I’m olllddd!“, she said to her dance partner, who is in his early sixties, and to me, who promptly told her she hasn’t seen old.

George Foreman famously said that forty is not a death sentence. He is two years my senior, and I would not be surprised if he were to add, “and neither is seventy!” I do not feel any worse for the wear, after a long and sometimes taxing jaunt across the southern part of the country. I feel no worse than I have in times past. Mother, a nonagenarian; my octogenarian aunts and older cousins; and a few older friends are all pushing the boundaries of what is elderly well past what we all thought of as old, even a dozen years ago. I chuckled to myself, appreciatively, a few days ago, when the manager of the motel where I stayed in San Antonio told the Uber driver, whom he was engaging to take me to the bus station, that I was an elderly gentleman. It’s a fine thing that people several decades younger will honour those my age, as I continue to honour my own elders.

On a related note, I sat down and did the math, relative to modes of transportation. The cost of a car rental, alone, far outweighs what I would have paid in gas and oil/lube, even at the inflated prices of the past few weeks, had I driven the Saturn. Time was the big factor in this journey just completed, which will not be the case in the still-potential trips of mid-June to mid-July and September-October. I will weigh several factors carefully, but my vehicle and I are joined at the hip. It was enjoyable to have driven a late model vehicle, with all the bells and whistles-food for thought, for the next car, when there is one. (It’ll be an EV, at any rate.)

Today was a full day, with an online gathering and two in-person events. I was told by a few people to rest today, and I did get in a nap this afternoon. Being with the three groups of friends was energizing, though. This evening, at Raven Cafe, was also rejuvenating. It was there that the above-mentioned woman made her plaint. As long as there is music and camaraderie, though, life is good.

Beloveds

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Poetry, Striving

April 9, 2018, Prescott-

Your bright spirits

keep reminding me

of  when my beautiful classmates

and my loyal mates

would bounce in and out

of my consciousness.

That was fifty years ago

and the world just kept

on spinning.

You are inheriting

a world,

in which some

of us elders

will ignore you.

Even older Millennials

in positions of power,

turn a blind eye

and a deaf ear

to your entreaties.

They seek to be

what they think

their elders to be.

You, ladies,

be yourselves,

and take the full measure

of your strengths.

You, gentlemen,

share the limelight,

and see the women

beside you,

as equal allies.

I choose to believe

that you have

the wherewithal

to establish what

we who came before

did not.

Inured to your setbacks,

ready to throw off

the shackles,

you will see the sunlight.

I am close by

and still ready to help.

Ageless

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Posted by on in Family, Poetry, Spiritual, Striving

March 19, 2017, Prescott-

My eldest, and last surviving, paternal uncle has joined his parents, seven of his ten siblings, his soul mate and his daughter, in the Eternal Realm.

I remember the paper airplanes,

for which you won an award,

which you said you needed,

like a hole in the head.

More to your satisfaction,

were the doll houses,

gifts to your own granddaughter,

and to several grandnieces.

They taught the girls to imagine,

to appreciate small detail,

and to know that they were

deeply cherished in a good man’s heart.

The family histories,

so complete, and so informative,

came to us at a time

when too many of your siblings,

and their contemporaries around us,

were winging their flights homeward.

You made your way to Colorado,

and the comfort of your grandchildren,

as a solace for the loss of your beloved Jean.

It was a fine thing to see you there,

in Longmont, and,

later,in Loveland.

It was a blessing,

to see how well

the young folks,

who have dedicated themselves

to the care of their most senior elders,

took you into their hearts,

as you took them into yours.

Farewell, Uncle George,

and may your soul find its rest.

I know my Dad is happy to see you,

as are Grampy, Nana ,

all my beloved paternal aunts, uncles

and Cousin Linda.

The ageless send us

a message of joy,

to soothe our grief.

Blessed Eternity