My experience of growing old sometimes echoes that of a psychologist named Florida Scott-Maxwell. When in her eighties, and living in a nursing home, she wrote:
“A long life makes me feel nearer truth, yet it won’t go into words. So how can I convey it: I can’t and I want to. I want to tell people approaching and perhaps fearing age that it is a time of discovery.
THE FUTURE?
Sometimes I wonder how the world will look after people in my age bracket have gone. Will it have changed greatly or will it be much like what it is today?
Will our successors improve on what my contemporaries have brought about? Can they manage to deal successfully with the looming issues of their time?
Recently, I found a letter that I wrote at age eleven. It is postmarked October 2, 1939, and addressed to “Miss Margret Desmond, 28 east 10 street, New York City.” (Note: I misspelled Miss Desmond’s first name.)
My parents and I had stayed with Margaret during my initial visit to the big city.
Little known fact: Baseball outfielders, when the inning was over, used to leave their gloves in the field!
In my early years I regarded this as normal. That’s when my father would take me to games played by the Red Sox and the Boston Bees.
In 1928, the year of my birth, the leader of the Catholic Church was Pope Pius XI. Before being elected to this position, he was Achille Ratti, the archbishop of Milan and director of the Vatican library.
Even when he became pope, however, it did not make him well known outside of Italy. Most Catholics in the United States would not have been familiar with his activities as pope nor perhaps even his name.
Does old age bring wisdom?
I tend to think of this question as limited to gerontology professors. Most elders known to me do not spend their time wondering if they are wise.
However, the question has worth if we use it to think about the good things in our lives. It can help us to recognize the rich gifts that make us valuable.
Yesterday afternoon was the time of my annual physical exam. It proceeded with remarkable ease: Sara, my long-time primary care physician, began on time and carried out the usual checks on my unclothed body with more than usual speed. At the conclusion, she expressed much satisfaction with my health. She thinks me in fine condition for my age.