Spending eighteen months in seacoast New Hampshire was an enriching experience. Not only did I spend time with my lovely family, I came to a new awareness.
Over the next year I will share some of what I learned with you, my loyal readers. I can begin by telling you I was completely out of my element in New Hampshire. I do this often.
Many of you know I trained as a gerontologist. In this vein, I spent my time in New Hampshire living in a fifty plus community. The reality of this was that most of the folks were in their mid seventies and beyond. The complex is advertised as an "active adult community."
The immediate loss of privacy took me by surprise. Many of these folks are retired, ill or with some kind of disability, most of which was induced by age or lifestyle. After living on a mountain for so many years, with self, I found the loss of privacy unacceptable. The almost daily visit by the ambulance didn't help with any peace of mind.
The reality is that peace of mind comes within. Even though I lost a few friends to death, over time I made some delightful friends. I still keep up with them. I cherish the friendships.
Life is fragile as are living things. Perhaps the best thing I learned is to be where you are. I had been on the path there before I left. I am definitely mid road now. And, I suspect, I will re-start and re-start the path as we all do.
It is indeed good to be home!
No comments:
Post a Comment