We need all age groups around us
I will start with one of my dream I dreamt recently. The location was India and more precisely in the surroundings of my husband’s family. A lot people around me. Adults were busy with their own responsibilities in the family get together. Kids were running around the house and in their own free world. I was just an observant of these movements around me.
I slowly walked into a room where the eldest human being of the family was. She is 97 who was energetic till last year, even travelling to many places with family. But this year, her body has started deteriorating faster. Muscles became softer, metabolism slower. But her love and compassion to everyone was still visible on her face.
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As an adult I got the responsibility of helping her moving to the living room of the house. I held her around her chest from back. That moment was so touching for me. Her body reminded me of holding my daughter for the first time after birth. Grandma was as soft and fragile as a new born. I tried to help her walking to the living room. She was trying to walk, but leg muscles were also behaving like a baby’s. They seemed forgotten how to walk. I lifted her high like a baby and moved her to the entrance of the living room.
Don’t forget that these were happening in my dream. There was a pause/slow motion in the dream, at the entrance of the living room. Grandma slowly turned her face towards me and looked at me. I tried to interpret the expression on her face. I could feel the helplessness, pain, fear and of course compassion. She said something lowering her voice to me, which is still not clear to me. What will it be? Did she wanted something from me? Or, was she trying to teach me the essence of her life to me?
That was the dream. I still do not know what she said to me. But it is clear for me that we need different age groups around us in daily life. There are many learnings we can learn from kids, youth, middle aged adults, elder adults and elderly. As an expat and first generation migrant of my family, who is living away from the motherland and those people you grew along with, it can be difficult to find all age groups around me. Staying connected to extended family, old friends as well as finding new connections around you(which can be difficult) may help the expats.
Dedicating this post to all elderly who could live up to their 90’s which I considers as ever great opportunity as possible!
