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ROLE MODELS FOR
MATURITY
We went dancing the other night. We had a great time
trying to keep up with the pace of the polkas, the mindlessness of the
two-steps, the grace of the waltzes and the swirls of the sixteen-steps.
The highlight of the evening, however, was watching our neighbors at the
table next to ours.
An elderly couple sat across from each other, quietly
watching the couples on the dance floor. It was hard to estimate their
ages from their totally white hair and pleasantly lined faces. They might
each have been carrying eighty years or more of life experience. Their
eyes, however, were bright with an almost youthful sparkle.
As the band struck up an "Electric Slide", I
looked down the row of our dancing friends and saw her tentatively trying
the steps. A few tunes later, I saw them both stand from their places at
the table, grasp each other’s hands and gently begin dancing a Two-step
together. Their steps were small but perfectly in rhythm with the music
and with each other. Even in the dim light, it was easy to see the smiles
on both their faces.
He had been quite a tall man, but age, and perhaps some
chronic health problems, had stooped his shoulders and made his steps
shaky and uncertain. Simple denim jeans that had once fit him snugly now
needed a sturdy pair of suspenders to keep them secure on a thin and bony
frame. Age, however, had not dimmed his sense of rhythm, and frailty could
not erase his love for dancing, and for his partner.
She apparently continued to enjoy good health for her
age. Her simple cotton house dress and un-permed hair were refreshing in
the midst of that well dressed and fashionable crowd. It was obvious that
the main object of her attention was not her own appearance but the
well-being of her beloved partner. She carefully guided his steps when
they became especially unsteady. She was quite attentive to his level of
fatigue and kept their dancing quite near the table where they had been
sitting. When she saw him getting weary, she gently danced him back to his
chair so he could sit down again and rest.
As I watched them, I thought of the many old folks I
know whose health is better than that of these two aged dancers, but whose
attitudes are sick with self-pity. ‘These two should be appointed role
models for the entire aging population,’ I thought to myself. ‘Like
good wine and good cheese, they are maturing gracefully rather than
falling into the ruts of old age.’
I stopped by their table between dances to tell them
what an inspiration they were to me. "Well, thank you, my dear."
she replied, "But we enjoy watching you young folks dance, too. We
can’t do all the steps anymore, but we do what we can. Oh! and how we
enjoy it." I returned to our table wondering: Could it be the
enjoyment of life – rather than the Fountain of Youth or Botox – that
helps us become wise and mature rather than old and bitter?
1/3/2010 - mshr
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