As Bette Davis famously said: “old age ain’t no place for sissies!” No – it’s not all happy moments with smiles and laughter. There are tough decisions to be made at every step in the aging process. I’m making an effort to educate myself (and you, as I learn) on our choices so I’ll be better prepared each time a hard decision needs to be made.
In our own extended family, we are currently facing one person going into a memory care facility and the spouse facing stage 4 kidney cancer. So, no – things aren’t always all smiles and laughter, but even in the process of facing bad news and difficult times, there are choices to be made.
And, there can be some good times as well
I learned this many years ago from a dear friend who was going through a very emotionally painful and difficult time. One evening, she got dressed up, hired a limo and went out to dinner and a play with a friend. She had a wonderful time! She put all the difficulties aside for a few hours and really enjoyed herself. Wow!
That night, I learned about having good times in the midst of bad times. I can’t always do it myself, but my life is a little better when I remember and do something nice for myself or for the person going through the hard time.