this is clara..
this is my friend clara. the last i checked, she was either 90, or pushing 90..
i could tell so many stories about clara.. i could tell you about the time she took me to wheeling downs on my birthday to gamble our brains out.. i could tell you about the time she wheeled around walmart not knowing that a black bra (she had earlier crashed into a bra rack) was stuck to her buggy.. but i think one of the funnier ones happened right about the time i took this photo..
clara lived by herself out in the country (serious boggy creek country.. the town is called widowville..). out there, there is no cable tv, so she has a satellite..
for whatever reason, she lost track of the remote control, and blindly pecked a few buttons. in the blink of an eye, clara’s living room was filled by the wakka wakka music of hardcore porn.
this is where the story takes a turn..
she started to tell us what she saw on the screen. she gave a play by play of several pizza deliveries and pool cleanings gone awry.. all the while my brain was doing the math. having seen an adult film or two in this lifetime, i realized that she had to have been watching for somewhere around a half an hour…
i thought about this for a few days, and the next time i saw her… i asked her about the time frame.. she smiled.. and giggled.. but did not get embarrassed in the least..
clara has changed my mind about aging.. sure, it’s gonna come quicker than i’d like.. sure it’s gonna be a bit of a pain in the ass.. but you might as well have a bit of fun here and there..
now!
tell me your stories.. who in your life has changed your mind about aging?
remember.. i will post all interesting stories!
June 6th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
My grandmothers changed the way I think about getting older.
My Gr.Smith,I had to put her in a nursing home because she had a stroke, it was devastating,some people should never, ever be in that profession. If you do not have a kind heart, you do not belong there. She went from baking for people and visiting them in the nursing homes to being one of them almost over night…It’s important you make sure your loved ones are somewhere they can keep their dignity and you listen to them, they can’t always find their voice right away, give them time, so much wisdom, so many prayer warriors, they have allot to teach us. And never forget about them just because they are out of sight! They need you more than ever then. Grandma passed away at 89, something she prayed daily for towards the end, she taught me mostly to never give up hope, miracles happen everyday.I am proud to be her name sake. Her miracle was going to be with her Lord.
My Grandma Briggs, she is 92, still lives on her own,going strong unless her hip and knees are acting up. She broke her hip at age 78 unloading a lawn mower at the church, stubborn… she could do it, no help needed, went on her own…..We have our weekly dinner and grocery night, she can drive a mean grocery scooter and back it up like a pro! She is my Idol, I want to be just like her, she is my bestest friend. She is another prayer warrior. Her stories amaze me. I look at her and think how can she remember all that stuff! Her sense of humor is awesome. I am so thankful for her! I am always telling her to remind me….and she does! She taught me to slow down, time moves way to fast. Enjoy every moment of every day, and the importance of family. She took care of Granpa until she had a heart attack, Granpa had to go to a nursing home, it about killed her, she worried so he wouldn’t understand why she couldn’t continue the exhausting 24-7 hours of caring for him, I think he understood, their love was lasting, I can remember him swatting her on the behind at supper every eve, he would grin, grandma would get embarrassed, so cute! Mostly, she taught me the meaning of unconditional love. People say never live in the past, well when your heart is pure there is nothng wrong with re-living the good ole days and I love to look at the pictures and reminise with her.I love pictures and the stories that they tell, when you get older and you can not remember, the pictures help jog the memory and takes you right back there with smiles and memories of being young again…..Yeah, I wanna be just like her…….she’s my heroe