MY Window Into Time

Today, I am sitting in my favorite chair in an upstairs room we call “the loft.” I am looking out the north window viewing the Oak trees and Mother Nature’s creativity.

The stand of oak trees is my window to the passing seasons and indicator of the passing time. Once again, I witnessed the buds bursting forth, the leaves unfurling and now I see the bright waxy shine of the new leaf as they move this way and that way as the wind moves through them. It seems like yesterday I was watching the oak trees lose their browned and dried up leaves and drop to the ground. The winter months seemed longer this year but in a weird way went quickly. Probably, staying warm was my main focus.

Is It Time We Morn OR Loss of Schedule

I thought I was mourning the loss of time but realized that it is not really time that I am missing. It is the daily markers that make up our lives. You know, living by the calendar: tomorrow’s meeting, your youngest birthday, holidays, doctors’ appointments, etc. As you age the daily markers become fewer and farther between. The holidays are not as special as they once were. Now, they seem like regular days of the week.

After you retire, structured time becomes less apparent. Though you have enough time to do anything you want to do, your body, your mind and physical capabilities conspire against you.

I am by nature a morning person, I prefer to wake up around 7:30-8:00 am. So I stay up late and do not rise until around 10:00 am. So, my day is shorter, and I am slower. Things that used to take less than an hour to complete, now take me a couple of hours to finish. So, with a shortened day, not much is accomplished.

I mention these things to highlight that your loved ones are more likely to experience them also.

Busier Times

We lead busier lives during our childbearing and working years. There seems to be little time for your day-to-day events let alone for your aging loved ones or family. But it is extremely necessary to make time for them. Conditioned to rise early during their working years, and with little structure or events in their retirement years, the day can stretch out before them with little to do but worry.

The Quirks We Acquire

I laugh at my husband wondering why he has turned into the busybody of the neighborhood and daily self-proclaimed doom and gloom orator of weather. Hint: He does not have hobbies or a lot to do every day but to worry about things. My quirk is reverting to a 5 year olds mentality–If I have to do it I don’t want to. I find myself fighting that mentality more and more.

Also, with each passing year I have more aches and pains, so I no longer want to go out to do things and see people. As the days drift into one another, I have to mentally repeat what month/day it is. I found myself getting a tinge of depression during the fall and winter months. Thank goodness for Spring/Summer they offer some respite.

Our Golden Years

Though I have to say, seniors these days have more options than the previous generation did. They are more centers with activities available; they are fitter and more mobile than the previous generation. But what stays the same is the mental hurdles the aged have to leap over. According to National Institute of Aging: Depression in Older Adults at this website:  https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/mental-and-emotional-health/depression-and-older-adults

Though this site focused on exercising, I think the criteria can also relate to indifference in experiencing life in general. The site is called: NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SPORTS MEDICINE

https://blog.nasm.org/uncategorized/are-older-adults-indifferent-scared-and-reluctant-to-exercise

1_confidence—navigating unfamiliar places, meeting new people, going to unfamiliar places

2_Fear of Injury—falling as you travel in new places, feeling unsafe in crowds

3_Inertia—simply not wanting to move around any longer, loss of interest to engage in activities

4_Mental Acuity/changes in body competency and loss of loved ones—fear of quickly recalling names/events/people’s names, incontinence, sadness/depression due to the loss of a loved one.

5_Self Conscious—Not feeling worthy, dressing appropriate for activities (tights-bathing suit), unsure of the ability to hold a conversation

6_Health Problems—Inability to eat restaurant food, rashes/psoriasis, bladder, or bowel problems

7_ Lack of Support—No way to get places, lack of companionship to do te has information regarding the signs of older depression and suggestions on how to handle it.