I was shopping for a birthday card for an old high school friend of mine and saw it in a craft store window. An artist had drawn a very happy looking glass of red wine beside a very happy looking chunk of cheese and underneath them were written the words “Aged to Perfection!” It was the perfect card for my wine and cheese loving friend and, I like to think, a perfect one for we older generation who are lucky enough to be alive today. But it also reminded me of how old I am now and how many of my loved ones are no longer with me. My parents are gone, my brother and sister-in-law are gone and my husband is gone. I know I am not alone in this reality, others among us are suffering heartbreaking losses of their own. How does one have the spirit to keep going on?
Letting go is a very, very hard thing to do (and I had help in learning how from a very wise grief therapist who had a decidedly Buddhist tinge) and so very slowly over time I had to learn to let go of those I loved. And now, battered and bruised by life as I am at this age, I am still standing, and more importantly, still walking with my TPW friends to the finish line wherever that may be. I hope we will all be so fortunate to age to perfection as we walk there together.
Absolutely. Well said.😊