 She was wearing a white hat similar to mine. I held the door open for her as we both exited the store. We started conversing. She even asked if I had a moment to chat as we were talking. I marveled at that. She told me she’s almost 91, her husband is 85, and their kids are in their 60’s. She used to work in a factory and loves to line dance. This woman was very vibrant - spunky. She said that she keeps moving and that she can’t understand why their sons think they have to care for her since she’s mobile and can drive just fine. She talked about how her husband watches the 6:30 news and that it’s so depressing since there’s nothing they can do about it. She asked me my name and told me that hers is Velma - “a real old school name.” The only Velma I’d ever come across was the one in Scooby Doo. I LOVED meeting her. Our little exchange of several minutes brightened and set the tone for the rest of my day. It reminded me of how very precious face-to-face human connection is. She did not look her age, nor did she act it if you follow the ridiculous presumptions that society tends to hold of its elders.
Aging is a natural part of the human experience. When we’re younger, we can’t even imagine that we’ll ever get old. As we age, we tend to look for ways to slow that process down. Think of the multibillion dollar beauty industry. We even go as far as saying things like, "50 is the new 30." Sadly, our society (at least in the U.S.) lacks the care and respect for our most senior members. It almost seems like once you reach a certain decade, you’re written off. How sad is that? Our elders hold a lifetime of experiences and wisdom which is mostly lost on our younger generations. Even though our bodies do age, I think there’s a part of us that will always be a kid at heart. I remember when my Grandpa was passing in his early 90’s. He told me that he still felt like a young man on the inside, but that his body just couldn’t keep up with him. His wife is nearing 99 years of age at the moment. She amazes me in that she once again found a zest for life. She went from solely consuming Ensure to eating several meals a day - on her own. She also insisted on changing the color of her wardrobe to brighter colors. Every time I see her, she has her pretty pink lipstick on. I have been very fortunate to meet some of the most amazing role models of what “old age” can be like. I have a dear friend, Ruth, who was my yoga teacher. She was teaching yoga in her 70’s. She is now 100. She still walks on her own, though sometimes with the help of a walker. She lives in her own apartment in a retirement community. She’ll cook meals for herself. She goes grocery shopping. She swears that all of those years of yoga kept her in great shape for reaching a century. I was also graced to meet Harriotte, a busy practicing psychotherapist who would head to PIlates each week and walk her dog daily. When she retired about two years after I met her, she was in her early 90's. I have also met women who have started new careers much later in life and are absolutely flourishing. Aging doesn’t have to be the end-all. It also doesn’t have to be a battle. From what I’ve observed - staying active, having a good mindset, treating your body well, and finding the daily joys and your zest for life can bring about better longevity. Life isn’t over once you retire. It’s a whole new chapter. Aging most definitely does not need to equal invisible, useless, or irrelevant. It is high time we honor our elders and honor ourselves as we age. Every single day is precious and every single soul is precious. Our time on this planet, no matter how long or short, is valuable. If we want to live our life to the fullest, I think Velma hit the nail on the head, “just keep moving.” Heart hugs, Adrienne :)
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 It was the late 1980’s and there I was participating in the citywide spelling bee. As a middle school student, I remember how nervous and uncomfortable I felt under the stage lights. Never mind the gymnasium full of chairs seated with family and friends of the contestants. We wore numbers and when it was our turn, we’d go up and receive the word that would determine if we were moving on to the next round or dejectedly leaving the stage. I remember the words were somewhat easy in the beginning - like a free pass or warm up. As more and more of my fellow participants were buzzed out and left the stage, I anticipated what my next word would be. I had been doing pretty well thus far.
Up to the mic went my nemesis. He was from my old school. We were always competing with each other for the best grades. I constantly felt like I had to prove myself, especially since I was “just a girl.” Needless to say, we didn’t get along all that well. I could see his back as he stood in front of the microphone. I heard the announcer give him his word. Quickly and confidently he spelled out l-i-b-a-r-y. The buzzer sounded. He’d forgotten the first "r." It was now down to just a handful of us. I’d always enjoyed spelling and always did well on my tests. It was fun for me to get a 100%, an A, or A+ if there were bonus words, and the sticker. Receiving a sticker was the absolute best. I was an avid reader, so I had a decent vocabulary. I knew the basic spelling rules - i before e except after c (except when it isn’t). I remember we had practice bees and there were lists to study. It was pretty much a role of the die as to which words you would get. I really wondered, what would fate have in store for me that night? After what seemed like an eternity, my number was once again called. Back up I went to the microphone. The gym was quiet. The announcer gave me my word. I asked him to repeat it. Then, I panicked. I’d never heard of this word before in my entire life. Each time he said the word, it sounded like a different pronunciation. I can’t remember if I asked for the definition, but it wouldn’t have mattered much. It seemed like there were at least 5 different ways this word could possibly be spelled. Could it be m-o-n-o-c-t-n-o-u-s? Or was it m-o-n-o-c-t-e-n-o-u-s? Maybe m-o-n-a-c-h-n-o-u-s? Then there’s m-o-n-a-t-e-n-u-s or would that be m-o-n-a-t-e-n-o-u-s? To this day, I have no idea what I spelled out, but the buzzer let me know that it was not correct. I was baffled. Jeez, my word was so hard! I left the stage feeling deflated, even though I should’ve felt proud that I was one of the last few standing. Monotonous - dull, tedious, and repetitious; lacking in variety and interest. As in boring, banal, mundane, and mind-numbing. The polar opposite of varied, diversified, exciting, and interesting. Monotonous was the word I misspelled and then stored in the back of my memory. It wasn’t until a few decades later that I really thought about the word that cost me the spelling bee. It was then that I realized just how important that word actually is for me. You see, how I’ve chosen to live my life is the exact opposite of monotony. I’m constantly trying new things, learning things that are outside of my comfort zone (hello tech), and living in other cultures and places because I love diversity and stretching myself through new experiences. What I detest the most is feeling bored. In fact, it’s rare that I ever even feel that way. If I start to feel bored with some aspect of my life, I know it’s time for some change. I can’t stand it when everything is the same and there’s little to no excitement. Life has so much to offer that there is no time for monotony. As I look over my life thus far, I can identify different themes that have come up, such as my infamous spelling word. I see them almost like bread crumbs that have helped lead me closer to my true self. I now joke that even if I had known the spelling of monotonous, it’s so against my nature that my subconscious would’ve had me misspell it anyway. I can just imagine it: I step up to the mic, I hear the word "monotony" and then I spell it m-o-N-O-T-in-me ;) Heart hugs, Adrienne :) |
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October 2024
AuthorHello! I'm Adrienne Almamour, an empathic intuitive conduit. I assist people by detecting and clearing their subconscious emotional energy blockages. This blog is a commentary and reflection of life from an intuitive standpoint which also incorporates ways that allow us to be from our heart. |
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