“Sometimes I feel as if I am going crazy, like life is just slipping me by. And you know at other times it is like my life has no purpose and I am just waiting to exit this world.”
The words of an older sister whose children are all grown up. This woman, who does not look her age, is in good health and is not a pauper. So when she broached the subject with me I was most surprised because to me she had the perfect life. While she no longer works (she never had a traditional 9-to-5 job) there was so much she seemed to be involved in. “It feels sometimes that even my children behave as if I have lived my life. They would refer to everything in the past as if I have nothing to offer in the present day. And I am just tired of people calling me ‘moms’ and ‘granny’; it is like I don’t feel that way,” she said.
“At times I have to drag myself out of my bed but it is not that I am sick… it is just like I don’t want to face a world that seems to think I can no longer make a contribution. And I don’t want to just looked upon like I can just take care of grandchildren; I love my grandchildren, but I want to do more and I can do more,” she said passionately.
