And time goes by....(courtesy of Aging Booth and the iphone)
When I was a child, like many
others, the first relationship that I remember having with and old person was with
my grandmothers, Grandma Zima and Nana.
My concept of them being “old” came from the differences that I noticed
from my parents. Grandma Zima
lived in an assisted living apartment.
She had white hair, and smelled funny to me. Her kisses were very loving, but wet. I have only known my Nana to live in a
nursing home. The nursing home
certainly smelled funny, a similarity to Grandma Zima, and it was always a
process to visit her because she was slow moving with her walker.
It is difficult to pinpoint when
I will consider myself old because now, at 29, I still think of myself as
14. Perhaps I will consider myself
old when the inevitable physical changes start to occur during middle age and
biologically, I feel like I am weakening.
As I explained in the previous module, I am making good decisions with
my health now, so that I can do everything in my power to ensure a healthy
future. I do hope that when I am old,
I will enjoy many of the same physical activities that I do now such as
running, and dancing. But, I
believe that my favorite activity
will be spending time with my loved ones, as it is now. One of the biggest challenges in the
future may be mourning the losses that I will inevitably face. I am sure that I will mourn the loss of
certain physical activities, physical health and mental faculties, but the most
challenging will certainly be the loss of a family member or friend.
Family and friends are by far the
most important aspect of my life now, and I am positive they will be the most
important aspect of my life when I am old. My family and circle of friends will surely change, but they
will always remain the highest priority.
My ideas and beliefs of old age
come from not only my personal experience, but from the media as well. We are all exposed to what old may look like, or rather, what old can look like. For example, in the movie The Notebook the main characters who shared an incredible love
story, Noah and Allie, are now aged and living together in a nursing home. Allie has dementia and Noah reads to
her to remember their love story.
The idea of old here, is that time is fleeting and the body breaks down
but love is withstanding. Although this is fiction, chronic illness like
dementia is prevalent. On the
other hand, I enjoy watching the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona,
Hawaii. There are always men and
women in their 80’s that are racing and defying the odds of their age. Old is an idea…a concept. You are as young as you feel. How young are you?
No comments:
Post a Comment