Thoughts on Aging

This morning I looked out my kitchen window and saw the remnants of Hurricane Rick blowing through our neighborhood. Orange and yellow leaves were floating to the ground. I was reminded that fall is here and summer has gone. It caused me to reflect on my life. I am in the fall of my life, but I am NOT old. I have worked in two nursing homes as recreation director (Del Rosa in San Bernardino, CA and San Francisco Nursing Facility in downtown San Francisco). I have looked back on those experiences and asked myself what made the difference in the patients that I came to know well. In most cases, it was the family that made a difference in the attitudes and spirits of the people. Some spouses and children were so condescending. They made the patient feel stupid and old. I have to admit that it would upset me to hear spouses make such remarks as, "Didn't you hear me??" "Didn't you see that??" "How many times do I have to tell you ....." and on and on. On the other hand, there were families who would just smile and be helpful. They knew that you don't have to be "old" to have a physical problem.

I notice that I tend to look right through people's physical appearances, and focus on their personalities. I appreciate the people in my life who see me as the same person I was 20 or 30 years ago. I love it when my family tells me how young I look. I hope that I have more wisdom now and have learned a few things along the way. My mother and her friends have taught me that the purpose of life is to love God and show Him by serving others. That keeps them young! St. Paul wrote that his body was getting older, but his spirit was getting younger each day. A young spirit will show on one's face.