Quote:
Originally Posted by Bladewire
When I was 18 I worked in an old folks home for a year. It changed my life. I think every teen should be mandated to volunteer in an old folks home for a bit. You really get a full circle perspective of the ending of a full life lived. I had a woman I cared for that was an author, had an amazing life, kids around the country, and she'd just gone blind. But she'd tell me the most vivid stories from her writing and her life, and I'd sit at the foot of her bed, or brush her hair while she did so, it was like eyesight at this stage was secondary to here imigination and good health. So many stories from the old folks home and lessons learned that last a lifetime, like how easy it is for family you raised to set you aside but for 3 visits a year.
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My mom is 77 and now lives in a retirement/assisted living place. One lesson that place has taught me is to not be an asshole to my friends and family. There are several people who live there who are just raging asses to their kids and other family members and now that they are old/disabled, those people hardly ever come to visit. On the other end of the spectrum, there is a guy there that is in his mid 90's and had a pretty cool life. He has told me stories about how his dad worked for the railroad back in the 1930's and 40's. When he was a little kid (8-12 years old) he and his brother, who was a few years older, would use his dad's free passes and ride the train from Seattle, where they lived, all over the country. They would ride down to San Francisco for a few days or down to Los Angeles or over to Chicago. Never had any issues and always had a blast. If a parent let their two little kids do that today they would be thrown in jail. That guy, in general, has a lot of great stories. He worked as a teacher, worked on a gold mine for a few years, was a paster and founded a ministry in Africa, was in the military. I told him he should write a biography of his life.