I'm going to go see Kathleen Edwards play & sing at The Music Box tonight. I'm really excited, she's one of my favorites right now.
After work I picked up a couple groceries and decided to pick up a birthday card for my great-grandmother. She's turning 90 soon. I think the celebration is in a week or so.
She's an interesting woman. As much of a jerk as it may make me sound, I can't really spend too much time around her because of her negativity. Not that I'm a particularly positive person, but she really sort of takes the cake on this venue.
I discovered that trying to buy a birthday card for a 90 year old woman is a bit of a task.
I figured I could get her a nice flowery one. She can't see very well but likes flowers and that would be nice.
The thing is, all of the general birthday cards follow the pattern of wishing a happy day, which is great, but go on to wish a person a wonderful year to come. It's a great thought and I really do wish her that, but I'm thinking a card saying that may be a bit insensitive. I mean...she's a 90 year old woman who constantly complains of various ailments and has just recently moved into a nursing home for good. Her hearing is not good at all, but she swears she overheard a couple of the "colored" (pardon me--her term, not mine) workers plotting her demise. Sure, there are activities and whatnot to do there, definitely more for her to do than stuck in her house, but either way, the year ahead is NOT full of promise. For other 90 year olds in her situation? Sure. Definitely. However, her attitude prohibits her from hope. It's sad. It's very very sad...tragic even...that someone has chosen for the final years of her life to be so bitter, so begrudging. I refuse to judge her; she's had some legitimately rough things happen to her and I love her whether she's a Pollyanna or not. I just know it's sad.
I finally picked out a card for her (with a specific "Grandmother" designation) with (sincere) wishes for a very good day. Really...for her...for me, a young upstart struggling to make ends meet but with a probably longer future ahead of me...for both of us, that's what it comes down to. Deciding to have a good day. Deciding the next day...for the rest of life, no matter how long it is.
After work I picked up a couple groceries and decided to pick up a birthday card for my great-grandmother. She's turning 90 soon. I think the celebration is in a week or so.
She's an interesting woman. As much of a jerk as it may make me sound, I can't really spend too much time around her because of her negativity. Not that I'm a particularly positive person, but she really sort of takes the cake on this venue.
I discovered that trying to buy a birthday card for a 90 year old woman is a bit of a task.
I figured I could get her a nice flowery one. She can't see very well but likes flowers and that would be nice.
The thing is, all of the general birthday cards follow the pattern of wishing a happy day, which is great, but go on to wish a person a wonderful year to come. It's a great thought and I really do wish her that, but I'm thinking a card saying that may be a bit insensitive. I mean...she's a 90 year old woman who constantly complains of various ailments and has just recently moved into a nursing home for good. Her hearing is not good at all, but she swears she overheard a couple of the "colored" (pardon me--her term, not mine) workers plotting her demise. Sure, there are activities and whatnot to do there, definitely more for her to do than stuck in her house, but either way, the year ahead is NOT full of promise. For other 90 year olds in her situation? Sure. Definitely. However, her attitude prohibits her from hope. It's sad. It's very very sad...tragic even...that someone has chosen for the final years of her life to be so bitter, so begrudging. I refuse to judge her; she's had some legitimately rough things happen to her and I love her whether she's a Pollyanna or not. I just know it's sad.
I finally picked out a card for her (with a specific "Grandmother" designation) with (sincere) wishes for a very good day. Really...for her...for me, a young upstart struggling to make ends meet but with a probably longer future ahead of me...for both of us, that's what it comes down to. Deciding to have a good day. Deciding the next day...for the rest of life, no matter how long it is.
posted by Joel @ 5/30/2003 05:05:00 PM
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