- For me it’s coming to grips with the impermanence of the moment. I feel like we’re hard wired to operate under the assumption that we always have more time. But windows of opportunity do close, permanently. People you neglect will leave, never to return. Everybody you know will leave, one way or another. The good times never last (nor do the bad times) but the impermanence of my life and the things I cherish have really been kicking me in the dick lately.
- My grandmother is 98 this year. Everyone from her generation is now dead in her corner of the world. She told me it’s the most incredible loneliness. Before the neighbor died, she could talk about Kennedy, or MLK or Elvis, now she can’t because when she tries there is no “shared experience”, just a literal textbook response because anyone she talks to has never lived through those things.
She told me last visit, she’s just waiting out the clock. Marking time.
- Seeing my parents getting significantly older and losing elder family members 😞
- Watching your parents and family members age, and losing them, is definitely the most difficult thing to deal with as you get older. We lost my dad in December, and losing a parent leaves you feeling untethered, in a very real way.
Growing older can be a bit of a challenge as several issues come up in life.