Why I Serve Older Adults
When I first became really, really aware of my grandmothers, I was around 4 or 5. One grandmother was 55 years old and the other was 51, although you would have thought that the younger was the elder! They knew each other, even though they were in-laws, and over the many years they became very close to one another.
They both were lifelong learners. One of them was a student of philosophy and all kinds of literature. She gave me my first book of poetry when I was 12 years old entitled, The Love Poems of Shakespeare. My mother would have been scandalized had she opened the book and seen the illustrations, which were line drawings of nudes, mostly in the Greco-Roman style. One of her favorite authors was Epictetus, and she lived one of his teachings to maintain calm in the midst of hardship. She continued until her last days to discuss both popular fiction and philosophy with me and challenged me to continuously learn. She read 4-5 books per week and it was hard to keep up with her. She was hilarious and I frequently tell stories about her.
The other grandmother taught me so much about adulting – life skills like, sewing, cooking, cleaning, and about letting my thinking guide my behavior and not the other way around. Born in Springfield, Missouri, she was an expert cook for either 4 or 94 (as my uncle liked to say) and could make a meal out of anything you had in the refrigerator and cupboard, even when they were nearly bare. She was a divine seamstress and could tailor her own clothes so expertly that people would think they were made for her and not by her. She was also a metaphysical adventurer, learning about many different spiritual traditions and while she favored the one with which she grew up, she picked up a few principles that worked for her and added them in.
I loved both of them so much and learned a lot about overcoming adversity. Each of them had different types of issues, but both of them were stoic in the philosophical sense and not in the modern sense of the word. They kept learning, kept adding to their life toolbox. They were both inspiring. I never heard either of them “hating” being old. They were both accepting of whatever age they were. They saw every day as a gift and another chance to have a day of growth.
These approaches taught me so much about aging with grace and dignity. In addition to the two great aunts I had, the four of them were dynamic influences in my life and in the life of others. They all informally taught me to approach aging as a gift and as an opportunity and today, as I am officially in the older adult category, I choose to face every day with that attitude.
Would you like to join me? Do you have any questions about aging, health, or just something you may be curious about? Click on our “Ask a Question” box and submit your question, which can be asked in such a way that others will not see it. I’ll reach out to an expert and publish the answer.