Are You Happy, Now You're Widowed and Old?
by Julie Grenness, in Australia.
This is a refrain from an old song. Well, would you say you are happy, now you are
widowed and old? What are some positives of this status, which can happen to anyone?
Firstly, some relationships are golden and endure, some are miserable. Either category
can end in divorce or death of a significant other. You shall wake up anyway, and the sun shall rise anyway. Rise and shine!
What is so good about being widowed? As a woman alone, you may find surprises to compensate. You do not have cook lunch or endless meals, or clean the oven, unless you wish to do so. You can eat what you prefer, when you want. You don’t have to listen or view his media. You don’t have to listen to an older male snoring.
It is a shock when a loved one passes, a giant change of readapting. But sometimes women find themselves better off, financially and socially. You don’t have to take an aging male shopping at the supermarket with you. Even if you are battling financially, women are practical and can handle a modest lifestyle better than men. You shall survive.
Your circle of love once included a male, and his family. But now you can delete all your in-laws, if you
never liked them. No more Christmas or birthday gifts for ingrates!
Widowed and old? So long as your health is okay, consider your new life. You may have happy memories, so make some more! If you have children or grandchildren, enjoy. Kids grow up too quickly, especially these millennial children. Or you can make new social acquaintances, join in community groups, doing like-minded activities, as well as learn new
skills.
Maybe you were a caregiver for the aging male, so now there is a new slant on your life. This is the time to take care of your own health and best interests. Rise and shine. Seize the day!
You can make a to-do list, of daily things to do. Then make a to-don’t list. ‘Don’t worry, don’t hurry, don’t give up smiling.’ Aging is natural process. So, are you going to be happy, now you are widowed and old?”
(As a student of mine once said, “Do not ask dumb questions!” ).
