Old age -- and caregiving -- require moxie!
My clients have moxie. I love them for it!
Two of my beloved clients died this year but while they lived they did it moxily!
One of them raised three kids on her own after her husband was killed suddenly in a freak accident. She picked herself up and did what needed to be done – learned to drive, got a job, and still managed to be there when her son and daughter got off the school bus. Those kids are healthy, happy, productive grownups today. And they have moxie too, having come by it honestly!
Another client became a pharmacist during the war, and after selling the land on which his pharmacy stood, became something of a real estate tycoon. And he was a romeo. During his last year at the assisted living facility, in a wheelchair, he ended up with a cut on his forehead: fisticuffs with another resident after flirting with the guy’s wife! Moxie.
A ninety-four year-old client of mine walks in our local Turkey Trot race every Thanksgiving, putting the rest of us to shame. She has lived all over the world and respects every person she meets. On the way to see her recently I asked what groceries I could pick up for her. She said “well, if you see any bats wings or fly’s eyebrows, they’re awfully good on toast!” Moxie in spades, with grace to boot.
I have a theory – in order for any of us to reach our eighties, we need some moxie. My clients are inspiring me to start early with my own moxie. As we all know, this getting old stuff isn’t for sissies. It’s for moxies.
See also:
Your Mom and I are Having a Slumber Party
Elizabeth Swider
Certified Senior Advisor, Geriatric Care Manager,
Care is There
434.326.5323 ext 2
elizabeth@careisthere.com
www.careisthere.com
