Time Flies Swiftly

“The easy path of aging is to become a thick-skinned, unbudging curmudgeon, a battle-axe. To grow soft and sweet is the harder way.” James Hillman

“When someone is nearing the end of life, one’s sense of reality may be shaken to the core. It’s like being in totally unfamiliar territory in the midst of daily life. We may become distracted, preoccupied, irritable, or forgetful. We may feel as if we are living in heightened or dreamlike states. Or we may feel very present at times but disconnected, distant, and adrift at other times. We may have troubling, vivid, or numinous dreams. We may experience unfamiliar or altered states of consciousness.

Death is always a wake-up call to the preciousness of life, yet it may also be profoundly unsettling and frightening. Our humanness is laid bare. Most important, we need to trust that these are all natural responses, and that we’re in a process that will find its own resolution over time.

Consider reflecting on what the word surrender means for you. It does not mean resignation or giving up, but rather it suggests letting go and trusting the moment, whatever arises. An attitude of surrender invites a sense of strength and ease. It suggests having faith in something beyond your limited self, something that helps when you’re living with forces beyond your control. As long as you are in community, it’s trusting that end-of-life issues magnetize family and friends to hold you through times of greatest brokenness.”

Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle. “Ten Thousand Joys & Ten Thousand Sorrows. A Couple’s Journey through Alzheimer’s.” Penguin, NY, 2008.

Successful Aging: http://www.johnlovas.com/2011/12/successful-aging.html