@GracieGirl,
GracieGirl wrote:
...
Quote:But some of these feelings, I imagine, are your own feelings of mortality, but also recognizing that they won't be around forever. You will see how you feel if one of them becomes seriously ill, or you see they are slowing down physically, or the like. 'Cause that happens, too, yanno, and it can be hard to watch.
I don't really know exactly what you mean by 'my own feelings of mortality'. Yea, my dad can do anything now and he's strong and fun and plays around with me and stuff. I still can't imagine him needing my help when he's older or him being sick or slowing down. It just seems like it could never happen to him, ya know. Kinda a scary thought and super weird. Like, when I imagine me getting older and moving out and getting a job and having my own family I picture my dad staying the same. I never thought about him growing older too. Was that the same for you when you were younger?
Oh! And this might seem like a random question, that's why I called it 'weird question' Lol. But it's really not that random. Me and my dad were hanging out, talking and looking at pics in the family photo album that my grandparents brought with them. (they're visiting from Canada, FYI.) and there were pics of my grandpa as a kid and at 21 when he married my grandma and pics of when my dad was a baby ( he was super cute and looked alot like my brother) and a pic of when my dad was 13!! He wasn't soo cute then. Haha! And It was funny and really cool. Especially seeing the pics of my grandparents when they were young. I didn't even recognize them and it was weird seeing how they looked back then and how different they are now. Then I started thinking that my dads gonna be like that some day. And I'm almost grown. In a few years I'll be able to move out and do my own thing and follow my own rules and I won't need my dad. It's kinda exciting but a little scary too, honestly. I'm always saying that it's taking FOREVER for me to finally turn 18 and be a grown up but time goes by faster than I thought.
I remember thinking that 17 was the absolute most perfect, wonderful age. Then 21 was, because I was an adult in a lot of ways. Then 25 was. Then 30. And so on. Currently, 49 is the absolute, most perfect, wonderful age. Next year, 50 will be.
The phrase - feelings of your own mortality - it's a part of our own realization that we're all gonna die at some point. And even if you believe in heaven (I don't know if you do) or an afterlife or that there is no end or whatever, there is still a point that we all know is going to happen, where you cross over. And despite what people who have allegedly been "brought back" may say (I know someone is going to try to contradict me on this point), the truth is, that is, possibly, a valid experience for
them but not necessarily for anyone else.
We also know that (usually) our parents will get there before us. And that is kinda scary. We don't know how we will feel, or how we will react.
My parents are both still around, as are my husband's (Region Philbis on A2K) which is pretty amazing when you consider that so many of the people in their peer group are already gone. And we are talking about people who have access to good medical care and who usually take pretty good care of themselves. My father - ah, it's funny in an ironic way - when I was married, a photograph was taken of all of our uncles, mine and RP's. Three out of five of those men are gone (we were married 19 years ago). Yet our fathers survive, as do two of RP's uncles.
I also know that the odds are not good that I'll be able to say that in 10 years. Sad, yes. But somewhat inevitable. Time is going to march on, whether we are ready for it or not, whether we want it to, or not. And a part of you becoming 18 is a tradeoff. You become 18 as your parents age, too. You become 48 and, if they are still around, they are probably elderly. And so it continues on.
)
