Sandy Supposes....

Inspirational Seniors

July 5th Prompt: Tell us about someone you find inspirational.

         I have been lucky enough to meet several inspirational seniors. When I came into their lives they were not diminished just dealing with new challenges. Time and physical limitations slowed them such that they accepted my assistance with tasks of daily living. All talked freely.Not one considered themselves extraordinary. It's a shame we view ourselves with such critical eyes.

         Joseph had a gruff manner and sometimes it seemed as if he barked orders. He and his charming wife had emigrated to Canada from Italy when he'd retired at the seminal age of sixty-five.Wanting to assimilate and speak English, Joseph enrolled in high school. He attended classes with enthusiasm and boasted he never missed a day. It must have been quite the sight at his graduation with teenagers as his contemporaries. His framed diploma hung for all to see in his livingroom.

          Joseph struggled after a stroke that left his right side totally paralyzed. Learning to speak and communicate frustrated him, but he persevered. His speech returned and he made sure to use his voice. He insisted upon dispensing advice as he taught me to cook. Oh, I tried to tell him I already knew how to cook, but as a former European chef he considered himself the true expert.

         I met Mary when she could no longer manage her own personal care. As a teenager, she had survived a devastating car wreck with stroke-like deficits. With a strong will and humour, she'd adapted to being left-handed. Her right arm hung useless and her right leg required a brace, but it did not stop her. She moved hundreds of miles away to the big city, married, had a son, and created a career for herself. In her seventies, Mary slowed down, but she could best be described as a social butterfly. She enjoyed card tournaments, dances, sight-seeing trips and more. She amazed me. She is the only one-handed knitter I knew.

         Gloria packed up and
moved to another province when she retired at sixty-five to attend a four-year university program. With no previous experience, she earned a degree in economics. As a new graduate, she returned home. Within a year, Alzheimer's intruded and began to slowly, insidiously steal her memories and her great intellect. Bright sparks of the true Gloria would glimmer for brief, translucent moments.

         Someday, I will be a senior and I plan to follow their indomitable example. I will kick and raise my voice if it is necessary.