Lisa Boston Frye

 

on "The Journey of Life,"  by Thomas R. Cole

"Will you still be sending me a Valentine, birthday greeting, bottle of wine? "

 

                                                                                                                                                (from the Beatles)

                  What does it mean to grow old?  Does life spiral downwards into a dizzying whirl of doctor’s appointments as social calendar, loss of physical and mental function, degenerating limbs and a sense of limbo?  In what place does the aged American fit into society today, and is life meaningful when the children are grown and the work day is ended? 

                  Growing old should be a culmination of the human life experience.  People should look forward to aging like they anticipate retirement.  The idea of aging is more attractive than the actuality of it.

                  I sometimes think ahead to that day in the future when I can pack up the Winnebago and head southwest to Arizona, joining the masses of white haired snowbirds who follow the weather and their hearts to cowboy country, to days of rest, relaxation, shopping, spending time with friends, of going places and seeing things.  This time will be free of financial burdens.   I look forward to retirement days with relish.   That idea dissolves when I think old age will find me poor, unhealthy, or depressed.

                    I believe the solution to old age is the solution to life at any age.  Take care of yourself.  Sure, keep those doctor’s and dentist’s appointments.  Take your daily vitamin and walk as a rule.  Keep  your friendships and your family ties strong.  Sing.  Play.  Keep learning until you die.  Live beneath your means and save for the future.  Plan ahead.  "How you live your days is how you live your life." (quoted from Women's World)

Please, no "awful rowing toward God" for me, slay the "depressed acceptance" and keep me from  chronic disease as I linger in "the long, late afternoon of life."  "I want to live.  I want to live!"  (George Baily in "It's a Wonderful Life")  But I don't want to live like that.