MY OWN ROAD II: POLLYANNA OR JUST PLAIN STUPID?

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I have always been a bit of a Pollyanna -- the type of person who tends to see the bright side in everything -- not just hoping for the best, but actually expecting it. But, I am also a very practical person, and believe in doing my share to ensure the best outcome possible. Leaving everything up to chance? Well, that's just plain stupid.

A lot of people my age don't want to look too closely at what's coming down the pike -- don't even want to think about the many ways in which aging is going to ravage their lives, much less talk about it and confront it! It scares the shit out of them, so they'd rather just keep their blinders on. But that's not me. I'd rather face up to my demons. Knowing that I've done everything I possibly can to be ready for what's coming, to avoid being a burden on anyone else, and that I have made my choices clear to all concerned, while I am still able to do so, is they only thing that will give me any peace of mind.

That bit about "being a burden"? That's a real biggie with me. My mom, well, not only did she believe it wasn't the least bit unreasonable for her daughters to give up their jobs and desert their families to come wait on her hand and foot, once our father was too sick to continue doing so, she pretty much felt it was her due! Not me though. I have never enjoyed being coddled or waited upon, and there is nothing that would make me more miserable than to know that my kids were sacrificing their happiness for mine. Which is why we have always been frugal savers, we both took out long term care insurance policies a while back, and why we are both in the process of filling out our Directives To Physicians And Family forms.

Is that enough? Not for me. You see, the thing that tore us up when our own parents were aging, was having to be the parent to their child. Having to force them to do things against their will. Having to force them out of their homes when they could no longer feed or care for themselves, much less take care of the house and yard. Having to take their car keys away from them when it became obvious that they were a danger, not only to themselves, but to everyone else on the road as well. Though we are both still fit as a fiddle, we are all too aware of how quickly that can change. And, as much as we hate to think about the day when we can no longer maneuver our tricky driveway; climb down to the rain tank to drain the eliminator or change out the filters and UV lights; deal with climbing up and down our outdoor staircase several times each day; protect all the pipes from freezing; keep all the beds watered, or even climb the tall ladders to change out light bulbs or smoke alarm batteries, we are going to think about it nonetheless.  In fact, we are going to do more than just think about it. We are going to make a plan! Because, as I've mentioned before, I prefer to make my own choices. I intend to make my own road.