What matters is not how many days are in your life, but rather, how much life is in your days.
I heard an excellent proverb about getting older: that old age is like sunset. People like watching the sunset!
And they say that old age is no fun! When young people see an elderly person, they don’t think that that they too will one day reach a point when it will be impossible for them to continue living their usual way of life. Circumstances change, one’s health deteriorates, and many factors affect one’s life, and people react differently.
Some old people try to forget about their troubles. They play sports, go for strolls in parks, read books and newspapers, and play cards or dominoes. Still others suddenly awaken a hidden talent: writing poetry and memoirs, learning a foreign language, or even making drawings or other kinds of art. On the other hand, others become discouraged, distancing themselves from other people and events and locking themselves away in their own worlds.
“Life is like an interesting platter on a dish—and old age is like the delicious dessert.” (This expression will make more sense to older people.)
When my family immigrated to America, we were told that older people wait until retirement age to travel around the country, go on cruise, or visit other countries. We were surprised to learn that many middle-aged and older Americans never had the opportunity to leave the country, as they were busy making money. On top of that, many had not even left their states or regions.
But we were lucky in this regard. We’ve driven many miles across America, we’ve seen the capital and even managed to visit Canada several times. We visited our native Ukraine and Belarus, as well as Russia. In general, we loved traveling and made great memories!
These days, we can only stay at home and watch the news or meet others online.
As one famous quote goes:
“The birch tree turned yellow, and everyone knew that autumn was here.” (F. Krivin)
I urge you, my dear retirees, not to lose interest in life, but to do what you love.
I would like to end my story with the words of the poet Igor Guberman.
My life’s last chapter is joyous,
I live without regret;
Welcome, old age, it’s good to meet you—
After all, we could have never met!