Old Age?

Hello,

This afternoon Leroy and I went to a birthday for a woman who was celebrating 90 years. It was an open house, arriving within the first half hour almost made us feel late as the room had plenty of people in it. This woman and her husband live in a retirement community situation. They are still quite independent as they can still drive. After we were seated, I looked around the room and noticed that it was full of rather active old people. How the culture has changed. My grandmother died at 87 when we all thought she was quite old.

The 90 year old celebrant looked much younger than my grandmother did when she died, certainly more vibrant. I believe my grandmother just gave up since she was not really ill, but the Dr. said she just wanted to die. There was no retirement possibilities except to go live with family and I believe that my strong willed grandmother would have been a trial for any of her seven children to take on.

After the party we visited a 98 year old guy in the same facility. He is still quite mentally sharp and could carry on an intelligent conversation. His physical body is not doing quite as well, but he seemed to feel well and alert.

Even though we have not yet retired, I wonder, how long is left for either or both of us. How do we prepare for that? When I think about where to live I get a bit stressed because no completely right answers come to mind. We talked with someone who is planning to downsize. All of their things have now become a burden. We do not have as much as many people, but it is still a bit of a burden because I do not want to just throw it away. I must start living more completely in the here and now because I cannot solve that issue. When the day comes it will all get done.

Paula