Everyone knows the glass half full story. It’s a great thought, but it gets harder to swallow as the years roll by. It relates though, depending on how you look at that glass.
Senior friends tend to be happy to be alive and reasonably well, but that doesn’t mean they don’t complain about the “side effects” of aging. We all vowed, back in the day, that we would not talk incessantly about our ailments, but it is happening. We have reached an age where symptoms, surgeries, and doctor appointments fill our calendars. Of course we talk about them, it’s hard not to, because fellow seniors are the only ones who understand. It is like belonging to a club.
So, as club members we grin and bear it, but we sometimes wonder what happened to the rest of that glass? We try to avoid the “D” (depression) word because we love life and are happy that we are still able to enjoy it.
Aging happens. It is disconcerting. It sneaked up on us when we weren’t looking. We didn’t plan. We didn’t know. We saw it happening to other people, but we never thought it would happen to us.
Learning how to cope is a full-time job. Complaining is just problem solving, right? We can even look at the bright side, but only because we have each other.
Problem solving and laughter are paramount. Researchers agree, and studies conclude that older people, that’s us, are happier than we were before all this happened. Go figure. Perhaps finding out that half a glass is “good enough” is the answer, or it could be that we now have time to “find ourselves,” whatever that means.
Everyone wants to “find themselves,” but how to do that remains a mystery. The words meditation, prayer, and socialization are stressed, but they are hard to do alone. This is where “the club” fits in.
Throw away unrealistic expectations but by all means talk about your surgeries, symptoms, and other issues, but be positive. Nobody wants to hear the woe-is-me saga, but there is nothing wrong with seeking understanding.
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