I often ruminate on my faraway future and wonder if I'll be content with the life that lies behind me. Upon recently beginning a clinical rotation at a nursing home, I've been thinking even more about what life feels like for elderly individuals. I hope with every fiber of my being that by the time I'm 90 years old, I have these 9 nine things:
1. I want to have a family.
I don't want to have just any family, but one who I've loved incredibly much and has loved me back. I want to be able to look at the living members of my family and feel nothing but love. I want to fondly remember the family members who have passed away by the time I'm 90. I hope the ones who are able to come visit me often.
2. I want to have a place that feels like home.
At age 90, it's not certain whether I'll be living in the same house I've lived in for years of if I'll have needed to move out. Even if I'm in a nursing home or an assisted living facility, I want it to feel like home. I hope I'm in an overall cozy, welcoming environment and surrounded by kind people.
3. I want to have friends.
Even as a 19-year-old, I find it hard to keep in touch with friends that don't go to my school. As a 90-year-old, I can only imagine how hard it must be to continue to cultivate relationships with those outside of one's family members. No matter how young or old the friends are, I hope I have some people to keep me company.
4. I want to have wonderful memories.
I hope I have fond memories of "the good old days" that I can think about whenever I'm feeling down. Memories of my parents, my grandparents, my children, and my grandchildren. Memories of high school, college, best friends, and boyfriends. I hope my stories are exciting enough to accidentally tell more than once (honestly, I already do that).
5. I want to have a sense of humor.
I believe that humor is an essential part of getting through hard times and living a happy life, and that won't change when I'm older. I'll be joking around until my final days.
6. I want to have a sense of accomplishment.
I hope that I can look back on my life and feel as though I have done something meaningful. I want to be able to say that I impacted the lives of others in a positive way. I want my accomplishments to be defined by things without monetary value.
7. I want to have a smile on my face.
I want to begin and end every day with a smile. No matter what's going on, I hope I'm that little grandma who's always grinning.
8. I want to have hope.
I often worry that as an older adult, I'll feel a sense of hopelessness and sadness. But, I hope that I'll be able to feel hope that when I'm gone, my friends and family will smile when they speak of me.
9. I want to have an abundance of love.
I hope that I am able to look back on my past and current life and feel love. Love for the people I've known, love for the places I've been, and love for the things I've done.
