Here’s the category that holds together some disparate elements of life in one’s later years. Problems and their resolutions, pain and its consequences–but also the down-to-earth pleasures that can grace the days of an older person. Pleasure and pain may exist side-by-side, here and in life!
When asked to characterize my well-being on surveys, I used to check the EXCELLENT box automatically. These days I’ve moved down one frame to the GOOD descriptor. And I’m happy to do so, rejoicing about being just okay. GOOD is also a strong adjective to be glad about. Let me explain…. Perhaps like you, over the years I’ve faced my share of ill health and physical deterioration. Without gettingMORE...
Today’s entry is a tale that fits within the general category, “I’m happy to be alive.” No metaphor, moral teaching or invitation to action. Sometimes it’s enough just to tell a story. For my previous birthday, I received a yellow ceramic bird bath (with stand) and a solar-powered mini-fountain. It sits in a safe place in our back yard, attracting a good number of birds for drinking and bathingMORE...
Easter has come, but it’s not gone! The meaning of this incredible event includes a life-renewing invitation, perhaps directed at those of us who are fully vaccinated: “Can you come out to play?” Given all that we’ve been through this past year, “play” may seem like too strong a word for how we might live now. Fun and frivolity may feel like empty-headed avoidance of reality. Over thisMORE...
As I’ve been writing a manual about our household—in printed and digital formats—I’ve also realized the benefits of this effort. Perhaps you could find similar blessings writing your own descriptions and instructions. While engaged in details-sleuthing and writing, I’ve realized that I can at the same time organize household files, simplify processes, discard unused items and remember what thisMORE...
Here’s an idea that might be helpful…. Like me, you may have experienced what happens when an executor or adult child has to pick up the pieces of a legacy or estate when a loved one has died. Those who remain must sort through perhaps-confusing elements of normal household functioning. In too many cases, that information is scattered, hidden or non-existent. Your loss creates chaos and begs forMORE...
I’m an avid reader of obituaries—a habit that keeps me grounded and grateful. Through the past months, I’ve noticed that, “due to COVID-19 complications,” most memorial services for loved ones are being delayed until unknown future times. Sooner or later, a multitude of these events could fill our calendars. A good thing! I can envision these soon-to-come memorials as distinctly different fromMORE...
I’m starting to anticipate that these long months of hermitage will be coming to an end. There will be a day—I’m thinking that it’ll be sunny and warm—when I can put my collection of face masks into the back of a drawer, and come out into the world without worrying about the dangers of hidden viruses being spread just by my breathing. That will be a good day, whenever and however it comes—perhapsMORE...
In a few days, we will join together across the country to give thanks. We will remind ourselves and each other about all our reasons for gratitude. We will remember that all of life is a gift, undeserved and free. We will thank God, and be glad that we did. Sometimes it feels like that experience of gratitude doesn’t have a physical or emotional place to call home, a way to stick to my soulMORE...
As a member of the daily newspaper puzzle cult, I enjoy the challenges of solving a variety of word-related brainteasers. And because of this daily routine, I also see puzzle comparisons everywhere I go and in everything I do. The obvious ones stand out like gold nuggets in a streambed: I am improving my older adult cognition. I surmount mental challenges that are involved in choosing the rightMORE...
Today I just want to share a sad part of growing older: Dealing with the loss of those near and dear. Specifically, those beloved elders from my past who seem to disappear suddenly, like twinkling stars that wink out without much of a trace. This has occurred to me earlier in life—teachers, friends and mentors who have died or descended into illnesses that prohibit communication with them. As IMORE...
BOB SITZE has filled the many years of his lifework in diverse settings around the United States. His calling has included careers as a teacher/principal, church musician, writer/author, denominational executive staff member and meat worker. Bob lives in Wheaton, IL.