A Reflection of Life and Dreams from an Ole’ Woman

Conversations across generations offer a rare tapestry of wisdom, experience, and reflection. Engaging thoughtfully with someone who has lived through decades of change opens the door to profound insights about life, resilience, and the arc of history.  Since I live alone and today this Prompt caught me in my solitude zone, I decided to generate some questions and answer them myself…

Life

• Looking back, which moments have shaped your life the most?
  I suppose that when I was younger, I would have said my kids’ birth, my wedding and such as that… But at this point the shaping of my life in my recent years has been marked in other ways. The growing up of my grandkids gave me delight and hope. The death of my husband gave me a deeper understanding of grief, love, and survival alone. The loss of my parents made me realize how much of our relationship was grounded in respect and love in later years and how much they told me was actually real. My rise to stability as a widow helped me become stronger than I realized I could be and made me understand how much I miss companionship and how rare having that “one” that understands you really is.
• What challenges have you overcome, and what did they teach you?
  The aging process is a challenge that is an ongoing process. Handling the process of  that will be my focus until the end of my days. I have great health my issues revolve around parts that are worn out due to the disability I have had for half of my life. But I am an evolver, who rarely falls too far that I can’t rise again. A bit hardheaded. But the challenges of my disability have taught me that if you want to do it bad enough, you can find a way to make things happen. It has given me that drive to know if I want to keep going, I must keep moving, growing and learning.
• How has your perspective on life changed as you’ve grown older?
  As I have grown older, I have realized that life is not a race but rather a journey. Yes I know it sounds a bit cliché but as I look back at life, I can see that the journey to get to now, has been filled with trials and lessons, learning and laughing, crying and giving, abs taking too that has built the foundation for the way I see life now, how I live it. The race I always felt I was in to win, to be more, has yielded an idea that sometimes it is okay to just be. I see life as a walk now, down the trail I ramble daily, doing what the mood strikes in me. I have more years behind me than ahead of  me and it is now time to listen to my heart, my soul, and my ole’ body and just ramble onward.
• Are there any traditions or routines that have been meaningful to you over the years?
  Yes there have been. Sunday Dinners with family as the grandkids grew, which was Sunday dinners with my kids and parents before that. Sadly, at this point that has evolved into no one has the time anymore and they are now sporadically enjoyed less often. I miss the Holiday traditions that have since I have grown older the last 5 years, and the kids and grandkids grew. They used to be times of togetherness and now I try to fill the void with new traditions. My sister and I have joined up and travelled a bit for some holidays, that new tradition has been wonderfully fulfilling.
• What advice would you give your younger self?
  I would tell my younger self to just relax and enjoy things more. I would thank her for never giving up, for being strong, for building her foundation on the rock, for growing her faith even when it seemed impossible. I would advise her to use her heart less and her head more but keep going, you are going to make it through and be okay.

Dreams for the World

• What are your hopes for the world in the coming years?
  My hope for the world currently feels a bit lost and I a bit weary. I know that there is change always but the changes I see in the world seem to be alien and full of uncertainty. But I hope for the world that it can find its way back to being caring and see itself as a collection of people that although different are more alike than not.  I hope for enlightenment and for humanity and empathy to become more apparent and normal.  
• What issues or causes are closest to your heart?
  The issues of domestic abuse, homelessness and the incessant need for people to be given better access to healthcare.

Hopes for the Future

What advice would you share about pursuing one’s dreams at any age?
I am a believer in the idea that you are never too old to do something new, to learn, to grow. I do think that society has become a place where agism and disability are seen as limiting factors and that makes me very sad. Pursuing our dreams is what makes life worth stepping on into, never give up, I adhere to the idea that age is just a number not a determining factor!

What dreams do you still hold for yourself?
I still dream of travelling more and seeing things that make me feel deep wonder at the handiwork of God. I also dream of finding a way to give back that makes me feel as if I have made a difference to the causes that are closest to my heart. And to be honest just spending as much time as I can doing what makes my heart happy and my soul smile.