When I Get Old ...

[JaneV2.0]

And here I was thinking we were talking about the lonely people as were described in the two songs from Alan and Catherine. Silly me.

What's wrong with that kind of song, in my opinion, is that people generalize that all old and/or single people are pining away dying of loneliness, and then they extrapolate that all they need is random people stopping by, which is often far from the case. Those songs, while beautifully written (with a very broad brush) are insulting, also in my opinion, to those of us who are not depressed sad sacks.

[Teacher Terry]

There’s a difference between being alone and being lonely. I have been very lonely when I was in my second marriage. That was much worse.

[happystuff]

There’s a difference between being alone and being lonely.

I definitely agree with this.

[SteveinMN]

There’s a difference between being alone and being lonely.

One of the great lessons I learned in life is that it's better to be alone than wish you were.

[JaneV2.0]

One of the great lessons I learned in life is that it's better to be alone than wish you were.

My beloved took a picture of me at a party, looking wistfully out a window, probably wishing I had a book.

[catherine]

My beloved took a picture of me at a party, looking wistfully out a window, probably wishing I had a book.

My son is like DH, very gregarious. In fact just yesterday, DH and I were laughing because I was talking about how I hate it when people who sit next to you on a plane want to be chatty, and we were saying, "Can you imagine getting a seat next to [DS]?"

I was reading an article in Taproot Magazine yesterday (great mag, btw). And I found the PERFECT name for my little spot here, but DH/DS don't get it. The author was talking about a town in Japan that she grew up in. Its name was Rakusen, which translates to "A place of ease for mountain hermits". Wow. That's the place for me!

[ApatheticNoMore]

I'm not really as much of a hermit as all that, I'm in a relationship afterall. I guess I just feel sometimes that trying to be part of anything much larger than that (than a few close relationships), can feel as averse as it does anything else. That there is something deeply calming, even when melancholy, in just being
in one's own presence. I want to be alone. But I'm weird and have always been so and much in my own company as well, so if anything it's just being ok in owning that, no matter how social I thought I had to try to be in my youth.

Alzheimer's patients and stuff, sheesh I don't think they are necessarily that lonely as they can hardly remember one minute to the next. I mean they may actually enjoy it if people visit, and they'll forget 5 minutes after they leave as well. People who can't walk in some cases it is to a degree a choice, IF it's the kind of thing that could be fixed with knee or hip surgery or whatever, but like any serious (general anesthesia) surgery it carries some low risk for most, but it might mean ability to walk.

[pinkytoe]

"A place of ease for mountain hermits"

Describes my mountain brother to a tee. He loves his mountain home high above a small town he can venture down into if he gets an urge to be social which isn't very often.

[razz]

forever
I was reading an article in Taproot Magazine yesterday (great mag, btw). And I found the PERFECT name for my little spot here, but DH/DS don't get it. The author was talking about a town in Japan that she grew up in. Its name was Rakusen, which translates to "A place of ease for mountain hermits". Wow. That's the place for me!

Having visited Japan and seen their high mountains, and very deep valleys with water between, one did not travel easily. They learned self-sufficiency and cooperation because if you got a problem, you needed your neighbours to survive and thrive. The first son would inherit the parents' house and marry; the other siblings were dependent on him, remained single or left.

I decided that while I am more introvert than extrovert, I didn't think that I would survive as a hermit or wish to live in those mountain settings. It is fascinating how much Japanese topography impacted its government, development and technological skills. Catherine, thanks for triggering memories. It is an amazing country.

[iris lilies]

My great grandmother spent the end of her life in a nursing home. Local youth groups would visit, bringing presents or crafts, doing performances and visiting with residents. And my great grandmother would say “I don’t know why we have to put up with these kids. Can’t they find anything else for them to do?”

This is hilarious!


I would actually like to view as an old lady in the nursing home, youth groups doing dance performances. Because I like dance.


If I have to endure them singing songs from musicals, playing their guitars singing songs they’ve written, no please! I’m begging you don’t make me!!! LOL