Growing Old

My current read is a compilation of stories that has turned out to be pretty good, which i will write about another time.  One story that particularly struck me was "Neighbors"" by Megan Lindholm, about an elderly lady Sarah, whose husband has died and children think she is losing her ability to take care of oneself.

While the story has an aspect of fantasy to it, what struck me in particular was the description of how Sarah and her friends used to be active and popular in their adulthood, but now in their old age, they are lonely and deemed a burden by their children.  Some wind up in old folks homes, not even knowing that they are there, having lost their mental and physical capacity.

Perhaps it is because i am in the business of retirement, it really got to me that growing old is not fun at all.  You worry about money and health.  After your spouse is gone, you really wonder, what am i living for?  In the story, Sarah loses her dog and without him as a natural alarm clock, she loses all track of time, waking up in the middle of the night to go grocery shopping, because after all, no one gives a shit.

In the story, Sarah eventually escapes to an alternate world, where she is important and gets to actually do something.  Back in this reality, it really makes one question the meaning of life, and what we are meant to be, and meant to do.  To do something worth remembering?