Women’s Stories of Successful Aging
Kay Dilger Metcalfe: Written Reflections on Aging
“Ode to Aging” (2006)
Here Kay expresses the sense of “drifting” or “floundering” into a new time of life. She describes new sources of enjoyment along with challenges as she finds this “last phase” to offer “a grand awareness.”
As a female person in this year 2006, I find that my life of the 20th century (a long time and a short time) has drifted inexplicably into the 21st century. Somewhere, sometime, in the past, a whiff of breeze must have flown me through multiple events and then dropped me right here in Plainfield, a most advantageous place, and lovely.
It soon dawned upon me that my 94th Birthday was at hand. Now my days are strangely consumed with looking backward instead of looking forward the usual way. I’ve discovered life’s condition consists of phases or installments such as birth, childhood, young adult and so on.
Life’s floundering from one phase to another is magnificently full of encounters. My hours, now, are overwhelmed with wonderings, understandings, defeats, acceptances, remorse, grief and enjoyment. I have found the last phase to be of a grand awareness, and of incompleted jobs unfortunately.
However, friendships are awesome and nourishing. CHANGE is constant. HUMOR is the leveler. Loss of hearing and sundry things are a piece of cake.
With respect, Kay Metcalfe
