103. Dating at 82
If aging proves anything, as much as there are those who may vehemently deny the fact, namely our children, it goes without saying that one never ever outgrows being tickled by the prospect of love and romance. Remember Maude, of Harold and Maude fame, the eighty something year old woman who was wooed by a twenty something year old man? Maude had no barriers or prejudices, nor did she have expectations or silly societal rules about dating. She literally drove through life, without her foot on the brakes and experienced each day with zest and glorious passion. My Mother reminds me a little of Maude, perhaps not as bohemian, but equally as delightful and infectious with her zest for life.
After 58 years of wedded bliss, my Father's passing three years ago was a difficult period for my Mother. The fact that my Father continued to make early morning visits to her, through her dreams, helped immensely with the transition. For a few years she even carried a wee bit of his ashes in a small silk zippered jewelry pouch on a daily basis. He even accompanied her on a visit to Korea, in spite of the fact that he never cared for long distance travel. When I reminded her of that fact her response was, "Well, too bad, he can't say anything now!" But last year, she informed me that Dad must have gotten tired of being toted around so much, by showing me the frayed silk pouch, which had developed a hole in the bottom. Somehow his ashes had leaked out bit by bit, with not one trace remaining. I said, "yeah, Dad knows you're okay on your own now."
Let me describe my Mother. She's 5 feet tall, wears a size 5 shoe, weighs about 98 pounds and only this year stopped coloring her hair and getting those too tight perms. She shocked everyone by getting her hair buzzed off making her look like a Buddhist monk, stating that now it will be easier to simply allow her white hair to grow. She refuses to carry a purse, opting instead to wear a small, stylish leather pouch around her neck because it's easier. She wears glasses, pierced earrings, and mostly dresses in slacks and pullover jersey tops and likes New Balance tennis shoes. At 82 years of age, she rebounds for 30 minutes every morning, rarely sits during the day except for meal times and particularly enjoys working outdoors doing gardening. She lives with my sister and her children and Kirby, their black lab, who my Mother treats like a third son. Her teenage grandchildren affectionately call her "G-Ma."
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