At 58, I encountered illness with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. You notice I didn’t say I encountered “aging.”
For first 10 years, it was a slippery slope of jogging less and less, tennis less and less, starting to use a cane, taking two walking sticks on a pilgrimage to Greece, a back collapse with scoliosis, keeping a walker permanently in the trunk of my car, always seeking the handicapped parking, and eventually installing hand controls in my Honda Civic.
At 71, I self-published 2 books of poetry (Musing Along the Way-both republished in 2022) sharing my journey losing the active life that I loved, and creating a new version of what was possible. The notion of “aging” was never mentioned in those volumes!
Neither my mother nor my father, active until the end, had modeled for me any concerns about “aging.” My goal along the way had been to heal. WHOOPS! One day, I realized that I had been “aging” under the guise of illness. My consciousness about my own aging had been slow to come.
More recently, during the last 10 years, friends have been dying. I’ve been losing my sense of taste. Then my hearing required aids. More recently I’ve noticed my memory faltering daily in small ways. Yesterday, however, my awareness surfaced in a not-so-small way. I had driven to physical therapy, and parked at the front door for my hour long appointment. When I returned to my car, I realized the keys were in the ignition and the car was still running. I was shocked.
So my probable next book, percolating for a while, is now getting some serious attention. For the last 10 years, I will admit I have been Encountering AGE little by little…Without a Map and doing my best. As I enter this next stage of life, this time a bit more consciously, I’m more willing to notice and address the encounters and the declines and to make sense of it all.
Yes, now 84, I am definitely aging. Or rather, actually I am unapologetically getting “old.”
And, there is still life to be lived, as we learn to cope with the changes. For me, the aging process is now conscious. I do less, and I gain positive new perspectives. I talk about the process with others. Some of our local discussion leaders call the stages which we need to accommodate all at once as Living Fully, Aging Gracefully, and Befriending Death.
It’s good to have a positive approach to this journey we all will share.
Blessings along the way.