Reflections from the Slippery Slope
Will you merely wait on the Slope or will you find a way to help?
Things to do with your hands and some brains while waiting on the Slippery Slope:
Waiting for what? To be Dead.
My mom circled words. Dunkle colors. Mrs. Mawby knitted. Gail watches TV. Rob drinks Pinot. My dad just sat. Liz plays cards. I write.
Filling the time between waking up and going to bed. Waiting to be dead.
(Caveat: What I write below assumes economic privilege. I am quite aware this is not the case for quite a few elderly).
When you’ve left the land of buying and selling, that is, obtaining money for your basic necessities for survival plus luxuries—maybe a big house and lots of groovy clothes, you will finally exit the long tunnel of working to Acquire.
Retirement.
Then what?
You get to spend lots of free time to pursue hobbies, travel to exotic places, buy a little condo in a warm climate, eat and drink with reckless abandon.
Then what?
Stark, raving boredom.
Then what?
Realizing finally, to lend a hand to someone, anyone, might be the key to overcoming boredom. To forget your own precious self in service to another. To finally live the remaining piece of your life fully. What does it mean to live Fully?
To take all the “stuff” you have accumulated, get rid of it, and then to take your worn out self with all its wrinkles and trouble walking, see what needs to be done and then do it, is what living fully means. For an old fart, sitting is sometimes necessary, but raising a voice against injustice and to give a leg up to those who need it, will help being dead to be OK. Because you were able to cast off the expectations of retirement as a perk for yourself, and invented a new paradigm. The crucial last decade of your life could be the best of all as you become a beacon of light to the down and out human beings of our sorry world. To be a Bill Gates with whatever wealth you own instead of a Jeff Bezos, instead of waiting to die as you do your 50th jigsaw of the month.
Then what?
How ?
Help…………………………………………..
Of course, Diane, you are correct. You do not mince words, sugar-coat, etc. Thank you for your honesty. On Mother's Day, we were having lunch in the restaurant in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. An older man walked by with a pastel-y T-shirt (not really expected wear in this place, I guess, so I noticed) that said Radical Happiness. I take "signs" from wherever I receive them. So I began Googling when I got home. No T-shirts, but a book on Amazon by Gina Lake. i was able to see the intro and the ?first 3 chapters. In spite of my induced dizziness upon reading, I bought the book. Here are the first words of the Introduction: " Happiness doesn't need to be sought because it isn't hidden. It's like a treasure we have always been in possession of without realizing that. True happiness- radical happiness - is the happiness that is always present and not dependent on circumstances. ... True happiness comes from experiencing our true nature by being present in each moment." You live this. You inspire me. You never give up - just because you see reality. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and your goodness. 'Miss you terribly!
I am trying to HELP you. Do not focus on this world for it is controlled by Satan. He seeks only to divide, to separate, to cause mayhem. Stay focused on the Lord of lords and King of kings….for ONLY through him may we seek to accomplish all good things. So much of life is beyond our control. Seek ONLY what YOU can control. If you cannot control, then let it GO. 😊