scuba diving « Changing The Guard: Caretaking Your Parents

Some Cheer

102 YEAR OLD BIKER CHICK

A year or so ago, sitting in the Newark airport I saw a sign about Nola Ochs, a 95 year old woman who had just earned her college degree. Well, I had to do a lens about her, the link is above, and also found more wonderful really old people who were still doing amazing things. There was a 109 year old blogger! 100 year old who were sky diving (no thank you).

And I just found this picture with an article about a 102 year old Harley ‘biker chick’.

Ya, Dad isn’t going to make this list, and maybe not your parent. But we can do it! (Note to do the Pilattes machine again tomorrow!)

August 15, 2009 Posted by Margo Arrowsmith | Blessings, Heroines and Inspirations, Uncategorized | harley, Margo Arrowsmith, old sky divers, scuba diving | Leave a comment

Margo Arrowsmith

Occasionally, when I leave in the morning, Dad is still sleeping He’s 92 and I lean in, touch his chest to see if he is still breathing. I remind myself of the anxious new mother who used to do the same thing 38 years ago with her sleeping daughter. He may have done the same with me. The guard has changed.

I am a Baby Boomer, from the early years, born just 3 years after the war. We Baby Boomers have been lauded and blamed. We fought a war and fought against that war. We thought we were changing the world, and in many ways we did.

We are now taking care of our parents.

I am taking care of my Dad. Until very recently, while he lived with me, he took care of himself AND my mother, who died four years ago. Now, and it seems suddenly to me, he cannot do it any more. So suddenly I am the captain of the team. I am lucky to have the team, I know that many of you are doing it alone. There are those of you better off than me, many who have fewer resources than I do.

But we all need to know more about resources. We all need more ideas. We all need to vent sometimes. We need a community of people who get it. This is what “Changing the Guard” is all about.

Mission Statement: To create and maintain a community of support for those caring for parents or spouses that provides resources, moral support and joy.

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