Monday, June 4, 2012

Seniors, What Are You Expecting?


I love to tell stories I’ve told before, (so if I’ve told this in another blog, don’t worry, I know it.)  An elderly small farm owner named Joe had always been a hard worker and didn’t show signs of slowing down as he got older. One day a friend of his stopped by and Joe invited him to sit a spell on his front porch. After a bit of conversation the friend said to him, “Joe, this is really good. Why don’t you get someone else to do the work and sit here all day enjoying yourself?” Joe thought a minute and said, “Well, I suppose I could do that, but I never did see much sense in dying before my time had come.”

In my own case, I still keep house, manage my own affairs, and carry on as I did when I became an empty nester with kids grown and gone, no husband to watch out for and no outside job. If I were to sell everything and move to a senior living place I could not complain about housework. I’d not have to prepare my own meals. I’d have lots of company and a bus to take me places. Kinda cushy, but the thought of it reminds me of old Joe. I’d be exchanging the few complaints I have for just another set and I’d rather complain about little snags like cleaning house than thinking up other kinds of complaints.
  
Here at home a singing canary and a little Chihuahua keep me company and the housework is not a burden when I remember to be grateful for my home and the fact that I’m able to keep doing what is expected of it. Best of all, I’m my own boss and can do everything on my own initiative and at my own pace. I expect this of myself. What I don’t expect of myself is excellence in the use of my talents. I should be ashamed to admit it, but I rarely expect my work to be 100% perfect. I’m not like some I've seen, perfectionists who deliberately make some slight flaw in their work “so not to compete with angels.” I just let good enough be good enough after I’ve run out of interest in a project. No one is grading me. I’m in a kind of senior free-study-audit-any-class-you-want school. I’m expecting only to enjoy it. Yes, things can get better when you get older, if you expect them to. Believe me.

1 comment:

  1. Nice post, Mom! You didn't just arrive at this point of having freedom and choice by virtue of your seniority, though. You did it the old fashioned way, YOU EARNED IT!
    Love you!--WK

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