There are the folks I know here in town who may (or may not) be succumbing to dementia. Dementia is a significant part of Parkinsons's and I saw shades of it slipping into Russ' world. "Honey, where are we? Have we ever been here before?" (It was the same road to our Bayfield home we had traveled 1000's of times.)
I turned 70 recently. That means 2 of my siblings are older than me and 3 are younger. Since I used to see this age demographic as old, I'd say we are all coming to a time when we must acclimate to some significant changes, a time when honesty, grace and a humble attitude will hold us in good stead.
With that aging comes the wish to increase connection, share stories, and research our past ancestors. Reflection is only natural. As we peel back the layers of life we are hopefully able to glean our truth.
A few things I have learned about aging in the last few years is that life has an inevitable outcome, our bodies do not last into infinity. Perhaps that will stun you, but believe me, it's the truth. How you live into that truth matters to you, your spouse/care partner, your family and friends. They may or may not adjust to your choices, but make them YOUR choices. They may or may not see that control eventually slips away from each of us in tiny increments, one small good-bye after the next. Sigh...
We must all make sense of our own life story. Where do we tenderly hold meaning? Do we yearn for something and once obtained we don't see the connection to our memory? Can we return to places of long ago or are they better held in our mind? After all, our memories are precious and perhaps chancing 'going back', we forget to include the possibility of change over the years. Perhaps aging brings on a certain restlessness that erupts into the urge to see the long ago.
Whatever your scenario, I prefer to think of Russ' life and my life as layers of time, alternating between the the physical, psychological and spiritual and finally converging into one.
I challenge you to look at the layers of your life; the good, the bad, and ugly. They are all a part of you. In my small group this week, we reflected on a memory that was a learning experience. I have many, but probably the most important of all of them is learning from each experience and having it help me focus on who I wanted to be, how I will feel about my choices at the end of my life. I encourage you to do the same. Life is not all pretty, but each experience directs our humanness. Embrace your humanness. PEACE.