The last few weeks have been a testament to aging in my family. I have the BBF team which is a gift that keeps on giving. That may be an overused thought, but it truly best describes these amazing people.
It astonishes me when I have to put my name and senior citizen or elderly in the same sentence! I have always thought of that for other people, but certainly not me! Here I am, a senior citizen with a family of senior citizens, each of us challenged with aging. We have Parkinson's, a stroke, ALS, Scoliosis, heart issues, allergies, Bi-polar disorder, a new knee, grief, arthritis, eye issues... to name just a few. We are BFF learning to lean on one another. Each of us has always been independent with an "I can handle this on my own" attitude. But that is generally not how life plays out.
I have always heard that our life is a curve... we need a caregiver when we come into this world to survive and we move back towards that at the end of our life. Even if you can 'do for yourself' as you age, having someone in your life who cares and loves on you brings balance to your day. The hard part of that for me is accepting that love and care.
The last few weeks have forced me to open my eyes. When Russ was living I had an 'I can do this' attitude and it took me a very long time to admit I needed support. And now I find myself in the same place. I have moved from all the places and people I know and my BFF has stepped up.
Once our world becomes a series of challenges, adjustments and change, once it becomes an obstacle course, once there is an intractability of problems... these all become problems or irritations that I must learn to smile through. The situations aren't to be ignored. I need to become witness, but to allow gratitude rise up, adjustment to happen, my soul to settle. I need my faith, hope, and honesty. I need people. I need my BFF, a counselor, friends. I need the energy to get up in the morning, to get dressed and to accept the day placed before me.
Before Russ died, my medical team was paramount in helping me/us get through each day. Now I rely on my BFF and hope for this aging corner of my life.
Peace
Love
Hope
and a gentle and accepting attitude