Back in the day when I was a young woman I would chuckle at the things my Mother-In-Law would say. She was living in a nursing home near us. My husband and I would go for a social visit on Sunday evenings and she would tell us about her week.
The stories were often about table mates or being excluded or the "crazy lady across the hall." Once she told about going to a birthday party in the big dining room where everywhere she look she saw gray hair, gray hair, gray hair.
That seems so long ago and I often puzzle about my attitude toward her life.
Today my husband told me we are seeing the enemy [aging] and he is us. NOW I get what my mother-in-law was talking about. Living in a community that resembles a college dorm more that anything is strange. We experience the same angst about friends and fitting in that we did back then. There are cliques. And finding a group to fit with takes time.
It is hard to make friends and it is very easy to lose them. They are more precious than ever these days. And to say that I treasure them is a great understatement.
Our life is progressing, changing, and coming full circle I suppose.
There is a tightrope we walk between keeping our little world happy and protecting ourselves. I am cranky sometimes so that is not good. It takes a lot of forgiveness and being deaf helps a lot too. I'm just saying!
I love my life here. These people are like my family...we may not always agree and we can talk about each other but we don't want anyone else to say anything bad about our community. After all, it is our "family"!
I have two thoughts for you to take away from this:
- You just have to laugh...it is a lot less painful than crying.
- Remember to watch for the enemy...it might be you!
Have a wonderful day.
b+
Thanks for this important reminder about life. I guess people are people, whether they're in high school or an over-55 community.
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DeleteYes they are. I will say though that when we have children at home and a job to keep, the minor things that seniors stew about do not matter. I guess the lack of distractions is not a good thing sometimes.
DeleteThank you for stopping by Tom.
Another insightful post Barbara. Perspective is an incredible thing.
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I read your blog yesterday. If I were to rate it I would give it a 10. Absolutely wonderful.
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