The Shape of Aging
The Shape of Aging. Art. Science. Pain.
Father time is undefeated. While aging is an enriching experience in wisdom and education, it’s a thief to the body. Time ultimately takes back all that it gives. We return to carbon. We are dust in the wind. We’ve heard the expression “older than dirt.” Or, “Life is a Highway.” Well, aging is a pathway also. And it’s a crowded log-jam of a highway. We are all on it, it’s rush hour and nobody wants to admit where they are going. The highway of life has many bridges and most of them allow us to pass over the river of denial several times. That is the coldest river there is.
If you’ve ever read any of our blogs, you’ll remember Aging is Not for Wimps! In fact, aging isn’t even something we all get to do. Our Nation’s national life span is a mere 67 years! We don’t all get the privilege of becoming wise and sprouting those gray indicator hairs of wisdom.
For some of us, aging is public enemy #1. Think of the multi-billion dollar anti-aging platform of businesses. How many remedies, creams, lotions, jellies, sprays, ‘lift’s, anti-wrinkle this and that. Surgeons, specialists, diets. We are in a constant fight to fight the inevitable.
Many of us do not even begin to think of these measures. We are are instead concerned with the seemingly quicker and more present needs of our spouse. Aging is permanently uncomfortable. Aging either takes too long, or it’s not quick enough. It’s an imperfect constant. How do you explain it? If you reduce it to it’s simplest form, you may settle on these shapes.
The A in A-G-I-N-G is for Aging:
A is for Aging. A is also for ACHING.
A is a triangle. A triangle is known to be the strongest shape. It’s the shape of all manner of infrastructures most important load bearing design essentials. Consider roofs or crutches or wedges. A triangle is a support shape. A roof peak is only possible with two opposing sides of equal strength. A crutch is the same principle when rotated upside down. A crutch is a triangle that is distributing weight to a sharpening point. A triangle is capable of bearing our heaviest load.
Taking the shape of support is exactly what caregivers do. A great caregiver can shape their support to a laser like focus. That focal point forms a bridge that narrows the gap along the plateau of aging. A triangle can be a bridge providing safe passage along the most unstable path. Their bridge aligns care along life’s chasms and life’s egresses. Isn’t a heart also kind of triangle shaped? How about the trinity? These are some of the most common forms which are, at their core…triangles.
Life’s Highway is INFINITY shaped
The G in A-G-I-N-G is mostly circular. Like infinity itself.
G-The first G in Aging is for INFINITY.
Infinity goes on forever. It’s shape is a figure 8, looping infinitely and never exiting it’s own repeat. This is the hard reality a caregiver spouse of someone with dementia will face each day. Thru each days challenges, the spouse of one inflicted with dementia is on the perpetual racetrack, looping thru curves once more easily navigated. How did we fall today? This is our home course, our heavily trenched path seemingly so familiar and clear.
The I in A-G-I-N-G represents Husband and Wife
The I in A-G-I-N-G represents the two blocks of husband and wife. I is the the letter right in the middle of AGING, just like you and I always are. I is two block shapes stacked.
Square is the shape of the deep window we peer thru looking for answers. Often this box is impossibly deep, and there doesn’t appear to be a glimmer of light within it’s cavernous tunnel. Yet we strain our eyes, pouring over each detailed speck of insight in hopes of the mere traces of solutions sorely needed and insatiably desired. Dotting this I is the ultimate puzzle of life, and in this case it’s Rubiks Cube.
The N in A-G-I-N-G is our TIMELINE With the G behind it, it looks like a WHEELCHAIR.
The N in A-G-I-N-G represents our lifeline.
A flat cascading line is the plateau we stand on as we transgress thru the aging process. By the time we get to our final destination, we are largely unaware that we were traveling on a flat plane, and we are certainly unaware that the plane wasn’t so flat after all. It was indeed sloped, and slowly downward thru the years.
The Final G in A-G-I-N-G represents God. Wouldn’t it just have to?
Where are we all hopefully Going? Only God knows. But we are A-G-I-N-G in these shapes every day until we ultimately get there.
Ben Smith is the Founder & President of Always There Home Care. Our continuing mission in Columbus is to provide excellent at home human resources for seniors and their families in Columbus, Ohio. Our 24-Hour Home Care starts with a conversation so we can develop a plan that will embrace your senior loved one with 24-Hour solutions in the event of a crisis. It will enable your loved one to stay at home. Our motto: “Your Home. Your Rules. Our Care.”
Call us Today and begin the quest to create solutions that will come to be ‘heaven sent’ as many of our clients have said. It is an honor serving our treasured senior clients in Columbus. It will be our pleasure assisting you at home with your loved one also.
(614) HOME-CARE www.HomeCareOhio.Com Email: AlwaysThereHomeCare@Gmail.Com
