Age is just a number

By S Pasricha

The youth have taken over the generation of their parents. We have taken on the mantle of responsibility of building families and careers. We are climbing the ladder of success. But in our busy lives, we have forgotten that we have stood at the shoulders of giants – our parents. Dad and Mom have now retired and are living at home. In the past, they were hosing down corporate fires and living independently. Now, they depend on us for material and non-material things.

Perhaps just like your father, my father is 72 years old. In his last physical check up, we found out he needed heart valve replacement surgery. He is slowly recovering from the operation. He is strong for his age and resilient, but his age is showing little by little. Glimmers of fragility. He has difficulty hearing and seeing. He cannot read the newspaper and his eyes struggle against the bright lights. His bones are brittle and he stumbles when walking in rocky cement and dirty roads. He comes home with wounds and scrapes from falling down especially in the dark.

Because he cannot see, he puts more salt or butter while cooking. He breaks the glasses while washing the dishes. He hands freeze and numb in the cold water.  His blood pressure shoots up when doing the laundry in winter.  Still, he wakes up at 4:30 a.m. to do the household chores and take care of the family. He cannot provide in the same way he did when he was working with easy purchase decisions, but dad’s love and affection for his family remains.

It is easy to neglect members of the family who are growing old. We say they are failures; we say they are blind and deaf, slow and sickly. We discard them like old worn out winter boots in the summer. It is easy to commit that mistake because we are young and healthy, we can hear and see, and it is not yet time for us to enter retirement.

Faith says to honor your father and mother. To honor them not only in times of convenience but most especially in times of hardship and change.  To honor them as they transition to white hair and wrinkled skin.

Dad, I will always be your little girl. I will always get hurt when you are not honored by a stranger or a family member. I will get hurt when you twist your ankle by tripping on a rock and when your blood pressure shoots up because you forget to drink your heart medicine.

Thank you for being my dad! You may have gotten older but I am proud of your more each day as you grow older.