I guess I am one of the few male members of your organization. I am afraid I cannot agree with some of the complaint letters that are in this month’s issue. I will be 86 this year and a year ago moved into Shannondell (a retirement community). I find the aging transition to be a great part of the life experience. My world gets smaller every day but the new world I inhabit is in my heart and soul. I spend my days in doing volunteer work with seniors. I love it and the people. Seniors are great. No games just kindness and caring. I visit nursing homes and we talk and laugh. Soon the age lines disappear and I am having a wonderful time because everyone looks 23 yrs old and we live live in a world of gentleness and love. We have put aside the things of a child and thank God for the the wonderful gifts of nature and each other. Do our bodies hurt because of age? YES but we are smart enough to realize that the wars of life are over and we can bask in the wonderful days we have left. The secret is the knowledge we have of just how wonderful the last years can be if embraced with the spirit of love.
Embrace It by Ed Barrett
June 3, 2020 by ElderChicks
12 Responses
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This is obviously a man not confined to dwelling on his problems but content to focus on others as well as the simple joys of life found all around if one will just look! Hallelujah!
Your letter inspires me to look around and find other co-conspirators who would rather shift from “pity-party mode” into “what’s new with YOU” mode!
After all, there are beautiful vistas to explore, refreshing music to hear, hobbies to pursue, books to disappear into and new friends to make!
Life, indeed, is what we make of it. Time does not sit still! Onward!
Ed, Your outlook and the way you learned and chose to live your life were why Bobby Fleisher and I felt so privileged to write about you in The New Senior Man. Long may you wave!
PS Readers can find The New Senior Man on Amazon.
Beautiful! Thanks for giving us your view of a future we 70-somethings can look forward to.
Sounds like you’ve found the key to happiness. How wonderful! Thank you for your inspiring words.
Great view of the world! I share that view although the activities I pursue are different. Good for you!
Such a positive message. We all need that, especially now.
Mr. Barrett,
You are gifted in the way you approach and understand life and aging, and you are gifted with words. Loved your insightful and positive comments, you have found the secret: Living with a Purpose. As a Gerontologist, I wish your wisdom on the older population I interact with.
While I embrace your positivity and the fact that you are clearly enjoying your senior years, this is not true for all of us. And, I must admit that it comes across to me as a bit of “mansplaining,” which is one reason I’ve loved this site because it is Elder CHICKS! I have spent a lifetime having men tell me to “think positively” and giving lectures are how happy life can be if you just do blah blah blah. I have very different circumstances and at the bottom of the socio-economic scale some days can be a real effort. I am only 71, and I do all I can to be active, engaged and as a writer and advocate I do much for my community. However, I have many down days and I am OK with that–both acknowledging this is the way of life, ups and downs, and also owning and authenticating that I cannot always be Little Mary Sunshine. There was a feeling, reading your post, as if I were being lectured to–like I ought to buck up and volunteer to help other seniors and it’ll all go away! I don’t see life this way! But thanks for your perspective!
Onya Ed! Nice to see you here. From Downunder in Oz.
Love our internationality! Especially for me, hearing from Oz is special with such a still vibrant memory of my visit to the Great Barrier Reef and Brisbane. Glorious!
Your comments warmed my heart, Thank You
I am so glad I came across this post today. I find your comments inspiring. Keep on writing!