While in conversation today with an elderly client, she veered off the subject and mentioned how much she hates dark gray days like this because they pull her down if she doesn’t keep busy, which is why she spent most of today working in her yard, flower garden, and chores around the house. She went on to say she didn’t even what to think about what she’d be like if there wasn’t enough to do on a day like this.
After hanging up from her, my thoughts carried me back to the many days I’d see elderly people seated outside the senior housing units for hours at a time. You sort of wonder what’s going on in their minds while out there, because they’ve certainly had everything hashed over long ago. What I’ve always been concerned about is there being a sort of self-induced resignation of their lives being as good as they get, and nothing left but waiting around for the day they take their last breaths. It makes me sad even thinking about it.
Since I’ve always been an advocate of the elderly, I believe it would be beneficial if we could get them more involved in community projects where they’d be able to rekindle their senses of self-worth. It’s no wonder some of them develop mean-spirited thoughts and sharp tongues. I know too many who’ve become just like that and for the most part, I keep my distance because I know I’ll be subjected to extended sessions of poisonous verbiage.
One of my clients who just returned from vacationing in the State of Maine, stopped to pick up a document and drop off a most charming gift for me. I took the above photo of it so to share, and you can believe I got a good laugh out of it, while also promising I’d have it conspicuously placed for all to see at my office. Isn’t it a hoot? I love the “In Case of Emergency”.
I was glad all went well with her while she was out there visiting relatives, and not surprised that their weather was distinctly colder than it’s been here. Living on the coast of Maine offers a much smaller window of summer than what we’re used to. You can be sure all the wealthy people who have summer residence there, don’t stay as long as the seasonal residents do in Clear Lake, and if they do, they experience colder and shorter days than ours.
For whatever reason, I got sassed really good today by a temperamental young man who was going on about my not knowing what it’s like to be struggling from paycheck to paycheck, and then pointing out how much of a kush life I have working in an office, wearing nice clothes, and driving a fancy car. I believe he was working hard at getting me to say something I’d regret, and after he finished with his erroneous profiling, my only response was, “If you and I were called to compare our life struggles, I think you’d be forced into offering an apology.” Oops. That didn’t go well because he turned-tail and went stomping out of my office.
Later this afternoon I mentioned to a colleague how many more self-made victims are sprouting up all over North Iowa. Just remember, it’s everyone else’s fault if you have children and then get a divorce and have to pay for their support, it’s not you fault if for some reason you can’t hold down a job, and certainly not your fault if you get into recreational drugs. Don’t you see? You’ve been victimized by society and it’s NOT YOUR FAULT! Yes, this is what we’re having to deal with on a near daily basis.
Perhaps I’m dwelling on this too much, and likely due to an un-warranted sassing, but I can’t help but mention again how all the more believe there’s never to be bumps in the roads of their lives, and everything has to always go their way because they’ve not been taught to make themselves accountable for their own failures. I don’t believe we should ever be coddled, filled with false hopes, or rewarded for being bad, because that’s the recipe for creating all the more victims.
You can be sure that young man who thought he had the last word today, is someday going to get temperamental with the wrong person, and that may be the last time he’ll even think about verbally attacking another over their particular station in life.
Hopefully tomorrow morning I’ll have the final answer on a sale I just put together should I receive back from another agent some sign-off documents we are needing to move forward. I’m remaining hopeful it’s going to happen.
Tonight’s one-liner is: A high station in life is earned by the gallantry with which appalling experiences are survived with grace.
