Age has an awful way of surprising even the most self-aware person.
It creeps up on you slowly, like trickling droplets of water, and then, all at once. All of a sudden we find ourselves deciding where to send our kids to school, what businesses to invest in for the future, and thinking about retirement when we still have vivid memories of childhood.
And age doesn’t affect just us. It happens to all of us – watching children grow and seeing our parents as the shadows of what they once were.
A blog post narrated such a reality.
Amy Rees Anderson shared her insights on her blog because the realization of age hit her like a ton of bricks.
She shared that her parents came to visit her one day for her birthday. Then, when all the festivities were done, she walked them to the door. As she watched them walk to their car, she realized how “old” they were.
It got her thinking about why she missed it.
Aging is as natural as breathing so why did it surprise her? She admitted that she, and all of us, are caught up with our own transitions. We as college students, then young professionals, then as parents.
We are so focused on our own aging that we fail to see that others are going through the same journey as well.
She shared that she has always seen her father as this strong protector and her mom as this nurturing guardian. And this image was frozen in her head and it stopped her from seeing how much her parents changed through the years.
It made her realize how fleeting everything is.
While she could still see them in their younger selves, the fact is the time will come that they will no longer be with her.
She shared that it was difficult to make peace with the inevitable – that one day, they will no longer be available to answer the door or the phone at times when she needed it the most.
She emphasized the importance of always remembering this fact so that she, and all of us, won’t take one moment for granted.
With this, she reminded her readers of what they should do with the time that was given.
She said that she will be spending more quality time with her parents. That she will take their advice to heart and eagerly learn from them so that the lessons will stay with her even if they pass on.
She will make sure to ask them for their stories and to always tell them how much they mean to her, especially while they are still there to hear the words in person.
She left her readers with a piece of advice to close off her reflection.
“Every one of you reading this blog has parents that are aging if you are still blessed enough to have them on this earth,” she said, “ No matter how old your parents are the reality is that any of us could lose our parents at any time. Let’s all make an effort to make more time for them, express more love for them, and make sure they feel appreciated while we still have them with us.”
What would you do to make the most out of your parents’ remaining decades with you?
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