Through a grandmother’s eyes, old age feels like entering a very quiet season of life. It is not just a case of aging with the years, but of the world passing gradually away in another direction. She observes how time transforms everything around her. Objects which were familiar to us lose familiarity. The world is more hectic outside, but less so in her own world. A single fact that she has learned is that of not fitting in an evolving world. New ways to live, new ideas and new communication develop rapidly.
Old Age Realities
These changes may be difficult to follow by her. It is not that she has not been able to learn, but everything is so changing. This may cause her to feel out of place, as though she is in a different time that is no longer comparable with the world she is in. The other silent fact is the experience of time, in old age. The days have a way of stretching, particularly when there is less work to be done. The night may be even longer, with thoughts and memories. Time is no longer busy.
Rather, it is slow and even heavy. Such reversal of the experience of time may be emptying at times in life. People also expect her to be a strong person, she notices. It is an unspoken notion that she is already a woman who has lived enough and it is time to be easy about everything. Yet, inside, she has feelings, phobias and needs. She might desire solace and empathy, but she might not get it all the time. This gives a silent battle that remains concealed under her composed life.
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An alternative truth is the manner in which the memories grow more real than the present. She can be more interested in the past than the present. Memories of moments that defined her life linger in her mind. Comfort may be gained with these memories, though a feeling of loss may ensue. It may be confusing and emotional to live between the past and the present. She is also aware of how she is changing with the way she is incorporated in life. It is possible to plan without consulting her.
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Meanwhile, she gets to know how to lead a simple life. She has little time of relaxation in her day-to-day life. She might not talk a lot, but she notices all that with profound insight. Her strength is more mellowed, though it remains. The old age of a grandmother is calm and yet straightforward. She understands that not everything is said but you feel it on a daily basis. She has a journey that demonstrates that old age is not about years elapsing but learning to live with silent changes that other people may never truly notice.
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