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| Down the Shore |
The road to dotage turns out to be strewn with rocks and boulders. Why should it be different from any other phase of life? In June, I was in a “continuum of wonder, free from anxiety or regret” to quote my last blog. But after a month of summer vacation, I returned to find my house infested with a widely dreaded type of bug, and my mind infected with anxiety, regret, anger, bitterness and despair. After weeks of nearly constant interaction with children, grandchildren, friends and strangers, almost all of them younger, I perceived myself as decrepit, discounted, rejected, ignored, used, used up, useless. Don’t get me wrong. I had fun, I relaxed (see photo) it was good to see everyone. Still, I couldn’t help but feel the erosion of my place in the world.
