We Get Excited, We Get Depressed

Most of us who permit ourselves the full range of emotion, the wide range of relationships and the ongoing awareness of whatever and whoever is around us have noticed.  We have noticed how proud, how excited, how great we feel when a child learns something new.  A new word, a new physical skill,  a new social ability, the ability to think for oneself just sends us "over the moon" as my wife would say.

We also have noticed ways in which we feel saddened when a person ages into a stumble, matures into mental confusion, or otherwise grows into ill-advised stubbornness.  We might get depressed, in fact.

We have coaches and teachers to help us grow when we are children, and whether we like it or not we have to listen to them, emulate them, test their ideas.  It seems to me, however, that few of us are aware of coaches and teachers for the latter years of our lives.  Maybe there aren't many.

Maybe we aren't looking.

I think of some of the older people I have known who aged gracefully, forgetting more and more but retaining a sense of good cheer.  Some fell and broke a hip but were gracious and caring to those who visited them.  Others did not want to leave their houses or apartments, but did when the time came, partly to be safer and partly to make life easier on their friends, children and even grandchildren.  They were examples.

They were not teachers or coaches, exactly.  They could not tell others what skills they employed, and that we must employ one day.

Maybe part of what depresses us when we are around the aging who are older is fear.  Fear for ourselves skidding into that unfamiliar territory and getting "D's" and "F's".

What do you think?  Leave a comment and let us know.