This morning I found out that an old friend has had to go to a care home here in Sierra Vista. She's 10 years older than I am and been in poor health for a long time. The care home here is scary, like the worst kind of care home you could envision. I will be going over to visit her shortly and memories of the several people that she and I have visited there in the past have been crowding in. Richard says he wants to be shot rather than going to a care home. I don't feel quite that extreme but it's not a prospect that I want to dwell on. My mother-in-law ended her days at a lovely care home in Lethbridge. There is one like that here in town, that wouldn't be a bad thing. But neither would living in a small studio on my own and just passing in my sleep.
Sorry if some people find this post unnerving but once we start nudging 70, even in these modern times when many people live healthily well into their 80s and 90s, it's not unusual to look at the future and say, hmmm, what can I do to prepare? Especially as I have been re-reading my blogs from 10 years ago, comparing where I am now to where I was then. I am 20 pounds heavier than I was in 2011. And in 2011, I was 10 pounds heavier than I was in 2009. However, in terms of mental and physical capacity, I am still doing pretty well. I am reading and writing, articulating, with as much mental vigor as I had 10 years ago. That's great!
As far as physical, well, I don't hike much but that's mainly due to weather. I don't deal with the kind of heat we have here very well. I do walk Mitzi--who, thankfully, is still here 10 years later--every morning and sometimes in the evenings. Right now I am also walking grand-dog Hawk in the morning while the kiddos are in California. He is benefitting from the daily exercise too. And I go to Zumba three times a week. I have lost two pounds in two and a half weeks which isn't the fast weight drop I used to achieve but at least it's a weight loss. I realize that I may have to do some kind of more intense cardio--maybe Leslie Sansone--on the days I don't Zumba. I will put that in this week and see what happens.
So, all in all, life is as good now as it was in 2011. This time 10 years ago I lived in Santa Fe but was about to go stay at Laurie's old house here in Sierra Vista while I saved a bit more money sub teaching for my September 2011 trip to Australia. We were trying to sell the place in Santa Fe with no luck (wouldn't be a case in these mad days!) Life was stressful but, reading my blog, I was trying to be upbeat. Right now, we are very happy in our lovely house here in Sierra Vista, with no other real estate to worry about. I am looking forward to a trip to the UK and perhaps other parts of Europe. Ironic that I will be leaving almost the exact same day as I left for Australia ten years ago, Sept 6th.
Sometimes we thought when we were young, "oh I'd hate to think that ten years from now I will be in exactly the same place I am now." Now, though, I wouldn't mind at all if I am in the exact same place in ten years. Although 20 pounds lighter (and healthy) wouldn't hurt my feelings.
We do talk about such things in our family, so no, not uncomfortable at all. My sister #1, who is 70, and I, at 68, already have our cemetery plots, cremorial stones placed, and burial plans made. Hopefully they won't be needed for many years, BUT...
ReplyDeleteThat in between... "long term care"... and being prepared "in case"... is important, as is doing what we can to hopefully have the outcome of being fit as possible as long as possible.
I was thinking of that this morning while working out with the trainer... strength training helps mental as well as physical muscles! So, like you... if I were in the same condition (maybe a few pounds lighter) ten years down the road... I would be content!
SP refugee here! My husband and I talk about this often having seen my mother and her husband to their passing in a very friendly progressive care home in California. Having read the book, "On Mortality," by Atul Gawande many years ago, we both think it is best to be prepared for things knowing that you never really know what life ahead will be. We have plans in place for various contingencies and fate will have its say.
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