Hey Singles,
This is something I've thought about for a long time.
What do you see when you look at your parents and grandparents? Do you see them in a stage of life you look forward to getting reaching? Or do you look at their situation with dread, and how does it affect the way you live and feel about the years passing by?
I do realize that a person's current age will probably have the biggest influence over his/her answer. The reason I ask is because when I was younger, people who WERE older than me (my Grandma, for instance) told me to "Never get old!" because "It's a terrible thing!" (as if any of us have a choice.)
As I find myself in my 40's... I hear people all around me complaining about their lives and how bad it is "to get old"--they passionately give every detail of their aches and pains, their loneliness, their responsibilities and family drama--and the thing is, these people are in their mid-to-late 40's. In other words... they're right around MY age, telling me how good it must be to "still be young" as if I'm still a teenager with no experience in life.
I've had people even just 2 years older than me telling me these kinds of things, and they know very well how old I am (they just seem to forget when they look at me, I guess.) It's funny to me because I have a deeply beloved grandparent who is well on the way to becoming a centurion and yet does not talk down to me (or anyone else) like that, but I have people who are 43 speak down to me as if I'm a child.
Is there not anything to look forward to in life after, let's say, age 45???!!! A childhood friend and I were talking about all the milestones we went through together--moving from grade school to high school and then from high school to college; first time at summer camp; driver's ed and getting our licenses; first cars, prom, and relationships; turning 18 and then 21; first apartment and then house, and later for her, marriage and children. We joke now that all we have to look forward to is medicare, social security, and for her, someday becoming a grandparent.
It also makes me sad that so many people don't take care of their health. I've worked in stores all my life, and nowadays, I see people waiting in line--and fighting over--motorized chairs that the stores provide. They go to the pharmacy to pick up bags full of medicine... and then fill the shopping basket in front of their cart with soda, candy, frozen pizza, and ice cream. I'm not saying this in judgment, but in fact, because I see what they buy every week with my own eyes. I always silently pray for them, that they will make healthier choices and prepare for the bright future I want to believe they have ahead of them.
A few days ago I saw a mother and daughter riding in single file through the grocery store, each of them in a separate motorized cart because they could not walk very far on their own. The mother was probably my age or younger (let's say around age 36), and the daughter was probably no more than 16, and they were both poring over the candy section, filling both carts to the brim. I felt so sad for both of them. I want to believe they're going to have a strong and healthy future, not one of immobility and sickness.
I often pray for people I see throughout the day, and also for myself... that God will help me to have the discipline to stay healthy (and I need a lot of help, seeing as writing this thread is my way of putting off going to the gym!) and that I will be able to tell younger people, "It's not so bad to get old(er). God can use you in ways you've never even imagined when you were 17." I want to somehow offer them hope, and not make them terrified of getting older as others have instilled in me.
How about yourself? What has your experience been with older people in your life?
* Do you look forward to getting older, or are you afraid?
* What kinds of things are you looking forward to?
* What do others tell you about getting older, and what it's like?
* How do you feel we should look at our older populations?
People to be pitied and looked after... or role models we are striving to become?
This is something I've thought about for a long time.
What do you see when you look at your parents and grandparents? Do you see them in a stage of life you look forward to getting reaching? Or do you look at their situation with dread, and how does it affect the way you live and feel about the years passing by?
I do realize that a person's current age will probably have the biggest influence over his/her answer. The reason I ask is because when I was younger, people who WERE older than me (my Grandma, for instance) told me to "Never get old!" because "It's a terrible thing!" (as if any of us have a choice.)
As I find myself in my 40's... I hear people all around me complaining about their lives and how bad it is "to get old"--they passionately give every detail of their aches and pains, their loneliness, their responsibilities and family drama--and the thing is, these people are in their mid-to-late 40's. In other words... they're right around MY age, telling me how good it must be to "still be young" as if I'm still a teenager with no experience in life.
I've had people even just 2 years older than me telling me these kinds of things, and they know very well how old I am (they just seem to forget when they look at me, I guess.) It's funny to me because I have a deeply beloved grandparent who is well on the way to becoming a centurion and yet does not talk down to me (or anyone else) like that, but I have people who are 43 speak down to me as if I'm a child.
Is there not anything to look forward to in life after, let's say, age 45???!!! A childhood friend and I were talking about all the milestones we went through together--moving from grade school to high school and then from high school to college; first time at summer camp; driver's ed and getting our licenses; first cars, prom, and relationships; turning 18 and then 21; first apartment and then house, and later for her, marriage and children. We joke now that all we have to look forward to is medicare, social security, and for her, someday becoming a grandparent.
It also makes me sad that so many people don't take care of their health. I've worked in stores all my life, and nowadays, I see people waiting in line--and fighting over--motorized chairs that the stores provide. They go to the pharmacy to pick up bags full of medicine... and then fill the shopping basket in front of their cart with soda, candy, frozen pizza, and ice cream. I'm not saying this in judgment, but in fact, because I see what they buy every week with my own eyes. I always silently pray for them, that they will make healthier choices and prepare for the bright future I want to believe they have ahead of them.
A few days ago I saw a mother and daughter riding in single file through the grocery store, each of them in a separate motorized cart because they could not walk very far on their own. The mother was probably my age or younger (let's say around age 36), and the daughter was probably no more than 16, and they were both poring over the candy section, filling both carts to the brim. I felt so sad for both of them. I want to believe they're going to have a strong and healthy future, not one of immobility and sickness.
I often pray for people I see throughout the day, and also for myself... that God will help me to have the discipline to stay healthy (and I need a lot of help, seeing as writing this thread is my way of putting off going to the gym!) and that I will be able to tell younger people, "It's not so bad to get old(er). God can use you in ways you've never even imagined when you were 17." I want to somehow offer them hope, and not make them terrified of getting older as others have instilled in me.
How about yourself? What has your experience been with older people in your life?
* Do you look forward to getting older, or are you afraid?
* What kinds of things are you looking forward to?
* What do others tell you about getting older, and what it's like?
* How do you feel we should look at our older populations?
People to be pitied and looked after... or role models we are striving to become?