To make Comments write directly to Jim at jimt@quixotic.ca
17
Jan
2018
don’t expect much more snow. Not around here, anyway. Because I just bought a snowblower.
In a sense, my snowblower symbolizes our social obsession with independence.
It starts young. We encourage our children to do things for themselves, instead of depending on their parents. We expect young adults to earn their own way, to plot their own course. We expect older adults to keep on looking after themselves, despite disabilities.
A group of us guys get together, occasionally, to talk about growing older. We don’t have any choice about growing older, short of expiring. But we agree that we don’t want to grow “old.”
“Old” implies weak. Helpless. Unable to cope with credit cards or iPhones. Forgetful. Needing someone to supply the word we knew perfectly well when we started that sentence. Needing help to carry bags of groceries out to the car. If we have a car at all. Tripping. Falling.
“Old” means losing our precious independence.
Categories: Soft Edges
Tags: snowblower, independence, aging