I stopped by to see my neighbor this week. She is in her mid to late 80s and we like to keep an eye out for her. She was a nurse for many years, raised 4 kids, and was married to conservationist for 60 years. [He used to study the migration patterns of the turtles in our local pond.] She has a quick wit, open mind, and wonderful perspective on life. I can only hope to be as "in touch" with the world in my 80s.
Mrs. R invited me into her home and we chatted for about 15 minutes. When I asked how she was doing, she told me she had just been feeling sorry for herself. She missed her husband.
I was glad I stopped by.
She began talking about the oil spill in the Gulf and how angry she was about this incident "that should have never happened." She said her husband would have been heart broken. I had never seen her in this light.
She began to reminisce about all of the advances she has seen in her lifetime: antibiotics, city wide infrastructure, land development. She said that to some degree, the advances have developed more problems for us.
I agreed.
I was so glad to have stopped by Mrs. R's house. It gave me a chance to see life through her eyes. It gave her a chance to talk to someone about her feelings. I found that this 'one moment' resonated in my mind throughout the day and week.
I need to stop by to see her more often.
Share in the blog comments here, on your own blog (and link back below) or on my Facebook fan page. If you are on Twitter, I've started a hash tag - #OMmeetup so that we can converse if we'd like. We'd love to hear your moment this week!
To learn more about this weekly post, OM [one moment] meetup, please see the original post here.
It's funny Linny... someone once said to me... If you truly want to know someone... look at them through others eyes... You learn a lot that way! Great post!
ReplyDeleteTracy
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I love hearing about someone of that age that is still so engaged in life. I think we can all accomplish that, but we do need to be heard. I'm glad she has you to listen. And you have her to hear her wisdom.
ReplyDeleteTouching post...it's very kind of you to stop and chat with Mrs R from time to time, I'm sure she appreciates it very much.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
My amazing moment was going to meet our new adoptive dog last saturday!! Her name is Livia and she is a rescue toy australian shepherd. She's 1 yr old and was in a backyard puppymill all flea bitten and drastically underweight. The good people at the pound sent her to a group called "Paws With Pride" and they brought her back to health. Our little girl has filled my heart with joy and she cuddles in bed every night. If AJ hadn't been such a great dog, I wouldn't have all this love to share with Livia. My heart is full! Thank you so much for One Moment, it reminds me to seize the day :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful story, Linda. I love the idea of her husband carefully studying the turtles!
ReplyDeleteHi, Linda, What a sweet, sweet thing to do. I'm sure that this was definitely an OM moment for Mrs. R, too! Thanks for sharing this special time!
ReplyDeletexoxo Beth