While our parents go mad
Ran into a friend whose mother has Alzheimer’s – she said she is going to paint her car so her mom doesn’t think it is hers anymore. She had taken to putting her mother’s purse by the door with nothing in it since her mother was in the habit of grabbing it and running out the door to wander the neighborhood.
My mother told me tonight that she has sunk to the lowest low of self-esteem and knows the world doesn’t need her and that no one has any use for her. I told her that was simply not the truth – that she has all the wisdom and experience of a lifetime to offer – there are people who are terminally ill who could use her bedside manner.
Why is getting old so sad? What about the golden years? Where’s the fun to have when you finally don’t have to adhere to other’s schedule?