Do not go gentle into that good night

“Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

-Dylan Thomas

I have been working at a long term care and skilled nursing facility.

Although the residents are treated well and the staff exceptional. A long term care faculty is a difficult place. Most individuals do not have the intention of ending up in this sort of place.

The residents come from many walks of life, each with a unique story of how they came to be in their current circumstance.

One resident, a cheerful and outgoing woman, was hit in the head with a hammer by an abusive partner. Many surgeries and a decade later she still requires assistance with activities of daily living.

Another man lost consciousness while riding his bike and was hit by a car. He was in a coma for 40 days with the doctors preparing to take him off of life support before he finally regained consciousness. He also has sustained a myriad of injuries, endured a number of surgeries and requires assistance with many activities of daily living.

Many are suffering from various other acute injuries and require rehabilitation and physical therapy before they will be able to return to their normal life.

And a large portion are suffering from a buffet of chronic diseases influenced by genetics, lifestyle factors, choices, and the normal aging process.

One older gentleman informed me that he would be checking out that day. I inquired with the other staff and discovered that he would not, in fact, be checking out that day. He was a long-term resident with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, a progressive and irreversible brain disease that destroys memory and cognitive ability. As the disease progresses, the person loses their ability to complete daily tasks of living and can no longer even recognize their loved ones.

While you may be fortunate enough to avoid a debilitating injury or a life-altering diagnosis,

you are going to get older.

Getting old is difficult. Arduous even.

Things we take for granted fade away.

The mileage begins to take its toll.

Our senses diminish.

Our strength atrophies.

Our memories rust.

My grandpa used to say, “Getting old isn’t for sissies.”

Whether we accept it or not, who we once were begins to slip through our grasp.

How are you going to respond to getting older?

Will you go gently, quietly, and without resistance?

Or will you live each day with as much force as you can muster?

Holding fast to the gift of life for as long as you are able.

Tomorrow isn’t promised.

What will you do with today?