Life As A Senior

I knew that getting older meant that we slow down, have aches and pains but I never realized that I had to discuss every ache in great detail!  I live in a Seniors Building call a Manor and every activity leads to discussions of aches, sore knees, diabetes,even how their bowels are today.  Ugh!!!
Most of the tenants walk next door to a grocery store or take a bus and go a shopping mall, but many hardly leave their apartments.  We have dances for occasions like Halloween, barbeques in the summer but mostly the same people come and leave quickly after the food is served.  No socializing, or very little.
When we first moved in, I wanted to start a craft group, but it turned out to be a couple of hours of talking and very little crafts. I suggested that we make finger puppets for the Childrens Hospital and was told that we could not do that because it had never been done.  Nope!  We must never change ANYTHING!  In 10 years some things have changed, but very little.

Next blog: Changes at the Manor.

Am I THAT Old!!!

This has been a day of reflection!  My wonderful husband, Harold, turned 72 today and that reminded me that in less four months, I will 68!!!  Looking back, I realize that all I did was raise 4 unique young people, 3 boys and one girl, as a single mom.  Then in the fall of 1993, after a terribly sad year, I started college.  The sadness was that my 25 year old son, Kevin, died because of HIV. I will always miss him, but I promised him that I would still go to college.  So in September I started my course in Library Information and Technology.  We are called Library Techs.  I loved every moment of my three years in college.  In June, 1996, I graduated and started job hunting.  At 53, it was hard to find work, but i did, just not in a library, but in an office using my computer skills.  It was interesting and I learned more about computers.  In 1998, our family was hit by sorrow once again when my oldest son overdosed and was gone.  I nearly had a breakdown, but my family, church family and my faith helped me to hold on and go on living. 
That fall, while using a chat site online called ICQ I met a funny guy from Nova Scotia and we talked nearly every day till 2000.  By the way, I lived on the west coast, in British Columbia.  On Feb. 2, 2000, he asked me to marry him and after a few days of thought and prayer, I said yes.  By the 7th of April I was in Halifax!  We got married 2 years and 20 days later and are very happy.

Next installment:  More about being a Senior!