Old people are like people,
distilled. I spend a lot of time with older people, and I note a lot of
bitterness, and some deep contentment. My observation is that, as a general
rule, those who have lost the most are the most contented; while those who have
known some loss, but still have the most to lose, are more often most bitter.
It is not so much about the losses
themselves. Those who consider what they have lost as a gift tend to be
content. Each one of their many losses was a gift, beautiful in its time, and
to have known many losses is to have received many gifts, with gratitude. Those
who consider what they have as entitlement are already bitter over having, one
day, now sooner than later, to let go of it.
This is nothing so twee as saying,
when one door closes, another opens. That is a simplistic answer, not a life
shaped by simplicity. But it is true to say that the story of your life is not
yet fully told, and there is nothing good to be gained by being defined by what
is gone, whether good or ill.
As you are going to be distilled
anyway, if anything, get rid of bitterness.
No comments:
Post a Comment