Tag: Elders

‘Close to the Line’: Why More Seniors Are Living in Poverty – The New York Times

Benefits extended earlier in the coronavirus pandemic have been rolled back. But many older Americans are not taking advantage of the aid still available.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2023/09/30/health/seniors-poverty-social-security.html

Becoming an Elder

BECOMING AN ELDER

Leaving behind my journey of struggling and racing through

the white water of many rivers, I become the river,

creating my own unique way.

Leaving behind my self-imposed role as a tree upon

which others have leaned, I now become the wind,

with the freedom to blow whenever and wherever I choose.

Leaving behind the boxes I’ve created in my life, crammed with

roles, responsibilities, rules and fears,

I become the wild and unpredictable space

within which flowers sprout and grow.

Leaving behind the years of yearning for others

to see me as somebody,

I soften into becoming my future,

with permission from SELF to

continually unfold as I choose, without concern

for how others may see me.

Leaving behind years of telling and teaching,

I become instead a mirror

into which others can peer and

view reflections of themselves to consider.

Leaving behind the urge to provide answers for others,

I become – in the silence of this forest retreat

– the question.

Leaving behind the rigor of my intellect,

I become a single candle in the

darkness, offering myself as a beacon for others

to create their own path.

I become an elder.

~Cathy Carmody~

I found out that Cathy Carmody passed in 2017, but before she passed she allowed her poem to be shared as long as she is credited as the author. What a treasure~~~

Photo: Art by Suzanne DeVeuve

Archaeology for the Woman’s Soul

Elder years

I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 60 years later. I don’t have to go to school or work. I get an allowance every month. I have my own pad. I don’t have a curfew. I have a driver’s license and my own car. The people I hang around with are not scared of getting pregnant and I don’t have acne. Life is great. I changed my car horn to gunshot sounds. People get out of the way much faster now.

Gone are the days when girls used to cook like their mothers. Now they drink like their fathers.

I didn’t make it to the gym today. That makes five years in a row. I decided to stop calling the bathroom “John” and renamed it the “Jim”. I feel so much better saying I went to the Jim this morning.

Old age is coming at a really bad time.

When I was a child I thought “nap time” was a punishment. Now it feels like a small vacation.

The biggest lie I tell myself is… ” I don’t have to write that down, I’ll remember it”.

I don’t have gray hair… I have “wisdom highlights”! I’m just very wise.

If God wanted me to touch my toes, He would’ve put them on my knees.

Last year I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven’t met yet.

Why do I have to press one for English when you’re just going to transfer me to someone I can’t understand anyway?

Of course, I talk to myself. Sometimes I need expert advice.

At my age “Getting Lucky” means walking into a room and remembering what I came In there for.

I have more friends I should send this to, but right now I can’t remember their names.

Now, I’m wondering… did I steal this meme from you, or did you steal it from me?

Wisdoms from an elder

“I asked a friend who has crossed 70 & is heading towards 80 what sort of changes he is feeling in himself? He sent me the following:

  1. After loving my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children and my friends, I have now started loving myself.
  2. I have realized that I am not “Atlas”. The world does not rest on my shoulders.
  3. I have stopped bargaining with vegetable & fruit vendors. A few pennies more is not going to break me, but it might help the poor fellow save for his daughter’s school fees.
  4. I leave my waitress a big tip. The extra money might bring a smile to her face. She is toiling much harder for a living than I am.
  5. I stopped telling the elderly that they’ve already told that story many times. The story makes them walk down memory lane & relive their past.
  6. I have learned not to correct people even when I know they are wrong. The onus of making everyone perfect is not on me. Peace is more precious than perfection.
  7. I give compliments freely & generously. Compliments are a mood enhancer not only for the recipient, but also for me. And a small tip for the recipient of a compliment, never, NEVER turn it down, just say “Thank You.”
  8. I have learned not to bother about a crease or a spot on my shirt. Personality speaks louder than appearances.
  9. I walk away from people who don’t value me. They might not know my worth, but I do.
  10. I remain cool when someone plays dirty to outrun me in the rat race. I am not a rat & neither am I in any race.
  11. I am learning not to be embarrassed by my emotions. It’s my emotions that make me human.
  12. I have learned that it’s better to drop the ego than to break a relationship. My ego will keep me aloof, whereas with relationships, I will never be alone.
  13. I have learned to live each day as if it’s the last. After all, it might be the last.
  14. I am doing what makes me happy. I am responsible for my happiness, and I owe it to myself. Happiness is a choice. You can be happy at any time, just choose to be!
    Why do we have to wait to be 60 or 70 or 80, why can’t we practice this at any stage and age?”

Let them – Elders Parents message to their children

When Parents Grow Old!

Let them grow old with the same love that they let you grow… Let them speak and tell repeated stories with the same patience and interest that they heard yours as a child… Let them overcome, like so many times when they let you win… Let them enjoy their friends just as they let you… Let them enjoy the talks with their grandchildren, because they see you in them… Let them enjoy living among the objects that have accompanied them for a long time, because they suffer when they feel that you tear pieces of this life away… Let them be wrong, like so many times you have been wrong and they didn’t embarrass you by correcting you…

LET THEM LIVE and try to make them happy the last stretch of the path they have left to go; give them your hand, just like they gave you their hand when you started your path!

How Hospice Became a For-Profit Hustle | The New Yorker

It began as a visionary notion—that patients could die with dignity at home. Now it’s a twenty-two-billion-dollar industry plagued by exploitation, Ava Kofman writes.
— Read on www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/12/05/how-hospice-became-a-for-profit-hustle

Do Not Pass Go – New Considerations for Agents and Family – Hammerle Finley Law Firm

We should have this in every state , I’m going to check within my state .

It should addresses my experience, and the office that ignored this reality .

If you have any dealings with a person aged 65 or older, it is important that you memorize the new Section 32.55 of the Texas Penal Code.
— Read on legaltalktexas.hammerle.com/estate-planning/do-not-pass-go-new-considerations-for-agents-and-family/

David Brooks: The New Old Age – The Atlantic

Yes yes , reverence for the wisdom of elders instead of what we have come to be in regard to our older generation.. Drs treated me old in my late 30s … I watched and listened to my elders.. It’s way past time to do better 👍😘

What a new life stage can teach the rest of us about how to find meaning and purpose—before it’s too late
— Read on www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/08/career-retirement-transition-academic-programs/675085/