About Me: WHAT HAPPENED???

Some wit has proclaimed that inside of every 70 year old is a 20 year old wondering what happened. That wit is right on. As my daughter remarked, the older we get, the more like ourselves we become, but I thought as my body aged, my personality would change with it. It hasn’t worked out that way. There’s this major disconnect. At times, if I think about things in advance, I adjust gracefully, but sometimes I am the quintessence of fuddle-brained frustration! A few examples:

I was once a prodigious multi-tasker who could do six things at once. Now if I do two things at once, I'm distracted by a third, then a fourth as I deal with the elements of the first two.  Too often I'm lucky to complete one! Several emails and video clips on the internet let me know I'm in ever increasing company judging from the number of times they arrive in my inbox.

Bread Crumbs: ALWAYS UP FOR A PARTY?

I worked with a woman who seemed desperate to do a lot of nothing. Her family hired me to "keep her active." They were distressed that she was “giving up.”  When I visited, she was blandly disinterested in whatever I suggested. The house was always immaculate, the TV was always on - but the only thing she watched with interest was The Dog Whisperer.

She was a different person when any of her family stopped by – animated and eager to please – agreeing with whatever they suggested. When they left, I would prompt her to follow their latest suggestion. “Not today,” she would say. “I’m too tired.” It quickly became clear to me that she had no intention of fulfilling her family’s desire for her to act younger than she felt. She only made that effort when they fulfilled her hunger for their company.