An Extra Musing . . . just because!!

A Word
Depressed
Dictionary says: adj. 1. to lower in spirits; sadden. The condition of feeling sad and melancholy, dismal gloomy....and more....

Some one, who loves me, recently thought that I might be depressed.   I gather my writing has changed in their eyes as I write about the change in home and hearth;  the change in friends and mostly the change in my daily menu.  Now that is a subject that would fit . . . depressed. . . institution food is depression at its height and those that cook it rarely eat it so they do not equate poor cooking with taste buds.

When you and I reach' that' age;  and I have reached it long before YOU;   I try my best to write words that will alert you to change.    That is the word we should be talking about as change is an often visitor into our lives.  We don't ask for it, it just enters without warning or invitation.

We celebrate birthdays joyously;  never giving thought to numbers, after all they are only numbers; but like all mathematical problems they have to be solved and resolved when it comes to our beings.   Each year we grow more both in size and wisdom.   We start off so small and delicate and reach the ripe old age of becoming a senior member of society , not all at once, but in small increments of seconds which become an awesome number in the retirement era.    All the years from infancy on to teens, to young adults, to middle age persons and then into the senior management program ;  for that is what it is.    Seniors are remarkable , resilient people, with all of the attributes they worked so hard to achieve in a life time.  

The problems, as I see them, are not the actual age number we reach, but the acceptance of the changes in body and mind.   We seniors have taken it for granted that we have grown older but wiser; have conquered the mastery of loving and living and can go on , on our own, as long as we want to.  Not a truism.   We age, we lose muscle first, sometimes brain power becomes iffy and our strength gives us away as it ebbs and flows in defying us to just get up out of a chair.    It is a natural progression we never even thought of and now that it has caught up with us we are amazed, a bit crazed and angry, a little full of wonder as to how we even arrived at this stage of the game.   Yes, life is a game from start to finish, one we have to learn to play.  Some do, some don't. . . but we all have the necessary need to do our best to make one day , each day, fulfilling and add a bit of love and laughter.   Easier said than done if you find that you never thought to prepare for what is known as 'the golden age' or as some have come to know  it as 'the age of rusting buckets'';   expectation; now there is a word ....what we do expect and what we get are a far cry from what we think.

Yet we fight depression.  That is an ugly word.    We are human, we have the same hope, need for love and fulfillment that we have worked a life time to achieve.   When circumstances create changes we have not given thought to, we rebel...but only to get both feet on the ground and recite that lovely Prayer of Serenity . . . "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."    For faith, hope, and love carries us through 'depression' and leads us on to bigger and better things.   It just takes us more time to get 'used to' changes in our lives.

So start preparing for changes. . . they will come about, no matter what age you are.    In truth it has little or nothing to do with depression.   Giving up Independence is the cause of some depression, not because we want to stay masters of  our world forever, but we want to be able to continue to do what we 'used to' do without thinking.   Thinking becomes a chore when the words disappear and chase a  loose circuit around the head before it comes to rest on the right vibe of remembrance. So the circle closes slowly and emotions work at trying to stay caught up.    Success is keeping a positive attitude in faith, hope and love; assembling strong virtues over the wants, and, remember to stay with the needs;  fulfilling a duty to be the best you can be no matter what stage you are emoting from.   

Depression cannot find you  unless you decide, on your own, to give up.  "Give Up". . . what's that?  We will never know.

Hugs to all.