5.27.2023 Attention!
If you were to see the bookshelf by my desk, you might think I’m obsessed with aging. And you might be right. The other day, I was feeling overwhelmed by life in general and started looking at it, thinking maybe one of those books would offer me some help. Life, Part Two by David Chernikoff caught my eye because it was colorful; I yanked it off the shelf and opened to the table of contents. Because of my feelings at that moment, I flipped to the chapter titled ‘Suffering Effectively.’ Here, Chernikoff proposes that what we call ‘aging’ is essentially, “an increased awareness of changes that are taking place.”
Chernikoff goes on to specify these changes as physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The main point of the book is that the way we relate to all this change has a profound effect on our quality of life as we age. This got me thinking, how does this seventy-seven-year-old woman relate to all these changes?
Two weeks ago, I had an appointment at Des Moines University Osteopathic Manual Medicine Clinic for a postural adjustment. I left with not one, but two referrals: one for a bone density scan and the other for a dermatologist, because of some dark spots on my back. I tried to take both referrals in stride. But inside I was screaming, thinking of all the time this was going to take away from my writing and the hassles both would inevitably involve. Then there was the worry about what I might find out from each of the referrals. At the same time, I felt grateful that I could afford to follow through on both.
Then Tuesday, I received an email from our high school class contact, letting us know that another classmate had died last Friday. I didn’t know Norman very well but felt stirred up because his obituary indicated he had died in a nursing home. I hoped his last days weren’t painful. He was part of my small seven-member Melbourne class that consolidated with several other small schools to make West Marshall Community School. My new class consisted of seventy-three students; our 60th class reunion will be Memorial Day. I grieved that I would never see Norman again.
Whether you agree with calling aging increased awareness or simply think about paying attention, how do you relate to change? Where do you notice changes most: on the physical, mental, emotional or spiritual level? I’d love to know.
IMAGE: I was paying attention and saw geese in our backyard.
