It ought to be evident that my aging is a non-problem to me. I’m thrilled to be my age, and each day is its own with no concern for the morrow. If I make it to tomorrow, that’s a good thing, but this day is my blessing, so I live it as best I can. But this is me.
Some aging people live in a state of frustration because they are unable (or have great difficulty) to do today what they could do yesterday. Being able and then suddenly unable must be painful both emotionally and mentally. Yet, getting older is unavoidable, nevertheless.
All of us had to live our life as it came to us. Some were and are more successful and achieving than others but live our lives we did. As we did, success and failure came our way. Look back on your experiences, and they tell the story. The story also is about our relationships. Whether we enjoyed and grew from them, or if they merely came and went leaving little or no impact on us.
My history was full of people, and I know, without question, that their influence on me changed me and added much to the person I was constantly becoming. As I’ve previously written, my Japanese prisoners taught me much about communication and relationships. We cared for each other as family, and we were.
The captain of our company on Okinawa influenced the rest of my life. In just a few hours, he made it apparent that I was capable of much more than I believed before our brief interaction. To this day, those experiences still resonate within me.
Some of the aging population may have placed too much on what they were. The expectation that the past will continue to be is a false road to follow. My wish for them is that they would look down at the steps they are taking forward—instead of always looking backward to what lies behind them. I see my foot in front of me and look forward to unknown horizons.
Sy
