I had an inspiring conversation with one of the centenarians living in our senior community the other day.  She was using her powered wheelchair, whipping down the hallway of our senior center to view a craft show in our center auditorium and she stopped to chat.

“I’m great” she responded to my greeting.  “Let me tell you about my life” she said, “One of these days, I won’t wake up. That’s okay with me; my life has been a good one and I am ready to let it go. But if I do wake up, I greet the day as an opportunity to live another day of service and gratitude.”

“I live near a woman whose dementia has left her with virtually no ability to communicate. She comes to meals with an aide and looks lost and alone. So I join her when I can. I just talk to her and stroke her arm. I’ve done that for weeks; it seems to calm her. And you know what? The other day she smiled at me! I think she recognized me! Isn’t that amazing?”

“My son died recently” she explained, “and I miss him. But he lived a good life, and he died knowing that he was loved. Like me, he was lucky. His mind was still functioning well at the very end.”

We recalled her fall of a few years ago which left her with a broken arm. Though her arm is healed, she is no longer agile and needs help to stand or move from chair to bed or toilet. “I just accept that I can’t do many things anymore, but I can still be of service.” She told me that sometimes her fellow residents can’t remember where they live. She is able to guide them home in her wheelchair. “Even in my wheelchair, I can be of service,” she said proudly.

Service and gratitude; amazement and acceptance. She touched on each of these in our brief hallway conversation. Is there a better recipe for aging?

Note: Image created using Microsoft’s Chat GPT AI.