in the rear view mirror

My birth faith teaches that Divine Providence can not be foreseen or even consciously experience in the present moment - it can only be seen in hindsight, in the rear view mirror, so to speak. 

There are so many things - far more than I am aware of - over my life that helped prepare me for THIS moment, for doing what I can with what I have where I am at this point in time to help turn around my country's gosh awful culture of aging, where intergenerational communication & daily BEING with each other is rarer & rarer, where more & more olders feel obsolete, unnecessary, or - worst of all - a burden.  Gives me goose bumps, looking at my life in that rear view mirror.

One moment particularly stands out, although far from the most major.  In the spring of 2012, our television conked out.  Knowing that the presidential primary & general campaigns would clog the airwaves with commercials, John & I decided to hold off getting a new telly until AFTER the elections. 

By the time Nov 6 rolled around, we discovered that not having a t.v. has a lot of advantages we were reluctant to give up.  Almost two years later & we are a) still without a television  and  b) we don't watch shows on the computer.

We read.  Read & listen to the radio.  And talk to each other.  

While the "talk to each other" advantage goes straight to my heart, "we read" is even more important.  

Television has been a major part of my life.  It did far more than entertain; it helped me feel part of something larger.  From my earliest memories, was always longing to be part of a greater whole, whereas my most influential sibs were about the importance of setting yourself apart.  What I couldn't get with my family was waiting for me at ABC, NBC, CBS & the uhf channels.  

In surprising ways, television - and movies aired on t.v. - was a key mentor in my developing a whole, sane life.  There is a surprising amount of wisdom to be found in television writing, even more in film.  I was introduced to two of the most profound insights of my life by watching Outward Bound and a subtitled Roshomon - at age 10 or 11!

By 60, had gleaned so much from my far from "boob tube" watching.  Was ready for more.  And it turned out that saying farewell to the telly opened the way for just that.  

Looking in that rear view mirror, can see that Stewart & Colbert would have crowded out time for Lustbader & Richo.  Without those two years of solid - voracious - reading, would not be well positioned to be a "go to" resource for friends of all ages facing the opportunities (yes, way more than challenges) of aging.  Can help a young friend learn more about living with the end in mind and support a significantly older discover the advantages to "tripping the old-o-meter" upward into the eighties & beyond.  Can share my cracker recipes with the young gals at yesterday's "Ladies Night" at our local swim club and introduce grannie clients to the decadent Italian bakery that just opened in a neighboring town.

Glancing in the rear view mirror & smiling.  Now - eyes back on the road!