Aging

      During chol hamoed I visited an elderly friend who is recovering from a broken hip. The saddest part is how she is lamenting the prospect of not being able to walk without a cane or a walker.  As a younger person it is easy to just brush her off. Thats just part of aging. Or is it? What if it was you? It does not really matter how old someone is. The loss of independence can be jarring. It may be expected to lose a little bit of independence with age but its no less distressing. In a way its worse. Imagine being fully independent for 95 years and then suddenly being in an accident and not being able to live alone or need to walk with a cane or walker. Imagine getting a driver's license at 16 in a city without public transportation and being told at 86 you can't drive anymore. Its devastating.  You may be old but you are still you.
      My grandmother accepted extra help with dignity. She took it matter of factly . She didn't let it get her down. It can't be easy but its a necessary quality for quality of life when one's body is not as strong as it used to be. I wish she was around now to talk to my elderly friend. She would have known just what to say. It would be easier for her to hear encouragement from someone of her generation who has gone through what she is going through.