10 Reasons Why You Should Spend Time With an Elderly Person
Last week I went over to my elderly neighbor's house to help her clean her cookie jars--I realize that is basically the most old lady thing in the world-- and the experience filled me with some newfound, or maybe rediscovered, wisdom, so I'd like to share it with you. Here are ten reasons why you should spend time with an old person:
1. They want to share their stories with someone.
I am, by nature, a collector of tales. I love hearing people talk about their lives and experiences because it inspires me to weave new and interesting stories and tales myself. There is no better inspiration for this than old people. They have a whole life's worth of stories to share, and a lot of them just want someone to share them with. It's almost like their way of trying to preserve some of their memories for when they're gone. Once you can get an older person started talking about their life-- how they met their husband, their first job, etc.-- they often can go on and on. And the stories are far more interesting than anything I've ever been through myself or I could make up on my own.
2. They deserve your respect.
They've been through a lot, and they are part of the generations that paved the way for where we are now. A lot of times there's a disconnect between people our age and older people. It's true that there is much we don't understand about each other, because the world has changed so much from when they were young to how we live today. But you have to recognize that they deserve your respect if in no other area than because they are older than you. And what better way to show you respect someone than to sit down and spend time with them, or help them with a task?
3. It'll get you out of your head.
This is true of any really meaningful interaction with another human. You have to be present when you are spending time with someone else. I think this is especially true when I hang out with my grandparents or my neighbor because I am conscious that they don't accept the whole smart phone thing the same way my own generation does, so I try to ignore it as much as possible. And when you ignore your phone, you're so much more attentive to life and what people are saying, which whether you'd like to admit it or not, is a really wonderful feeling.
4. You'll learn something.
I learned which cookie jars are valuable among my neighbor's collection, which maybe one day will come in handy. That's not necessarily a great example, but trust me. They have things of importance to say that could benefit you later. And I love sucking up new knowledge to use later.
5. They need some help sometimes.
We're young, able-bodied wippersnappers, aren't we? So what excuse do we really have for not helping somebody who needs it?
6. They'll help you keep your priorities straight.
By this point in their lives, old people know what's really important in life, and they won't shy away from telling you. No, you probably won't take their advice without a grain of salt (because we're young and we're intent on making our own mistakes). But who knows, maybe one tiny little nugget of truth about life might slip into that noggin of yours, especially if you've taken the time to build a rapport of trust with somebody older, and by default, wiser.
7. They're people too.
You know the best way to bridge the gap of misunderstandings between people groups? By actually spending time getting to know them! This simple principle could make leaps and bounds in the areas of sexism, racism, classism, and, yeah, agism too, if somebody just thought "Hey! Let's pair up people who are different from each other and let them talk and learn about one another!" Of course this will never happen on a grand scale, but you have the power to make it happen on a small scale.
8. You might have more in common with them then you think.
Literally the first thing my neighbor said to me when I stepped into her kitchen was "Oh my goodness, you should have been here last night! We had the most good looking guy over! He was tall, and young, and a lawyer, and he wasn't married!" My neighbor is an absolute crack up, and we both enjoy an attractive fellow, whether or not there's a 70-or-so year difference between us. We also both enjoy collecting things, like to get things done on our own and get frustrated when we can't, and enjoy being fiercely independent. I'm sure I could find at least one commonality between myself and anyone on this earth because we're all such complex people. So it makes me sad when people my age look at older people and think they won't be able to find any common ground.
9. It's kinda in the Bible.
Okay, I don't think there's a specific passage that says "Thou shalt help old folks", but there ARE specific passages saying we should help widows, and orphans, and poor people, and while old people aren't all necessarily widows or orphans or even poor, I'm pretty sure God is happy when He looks down and sees you helping them and spending quality time with them.
10. One day, you'll be in their position.
When you are past your prime, sitting in your rocking chair, thinking over the course of your life, don't you think you'll wish somebody would stop by to visit, or offer you help with some project you'd like to get done? But why should you expect that kind of attention and companionship if you never offered it up to people when you were young?
Tomorrow I return to my neighbor's abode to help finish cleaning her kitchen, and I'm confident I'll glean some more wise insights. :)
VaughnDL
1. They want to share their stories with someone.
I am, by nature, a collector of tales. I love hearing people talk about their lives and experiences because it inspires me to weave new and interesting stories and tales myself. There is no better inspiration for this than old people. They have a whole life's worth of stories to share, and a lot of them just want someone to share them with. It's almost like their way of trying to preserve some of their memories for when they're gone. Once you can get an older person started talking about their life-- how they met their husband, their first job, etc.-- they often can go on and on. And the stories are far more interesting than anything I've ever been through myself or I could make up on my own.
2. They deserve your respect.They've been through a lot, and they are part of the generations that paved the way for where we are now. A lot of times there's a disconnect between people our age and older people. It's true that there is much we don't understand about each other, because the world has changed so much from when they were young to how we live today. But you have to recognize that they deserve your respect if in no other area than because they are older than you. And what better way to show you respect someone than to sit down and spend time with them, or help them with a task?
3. It'll get you out of your head.
This is true of any really meaningful interaction with another human. You have to be present when you are spending time with someone else. I think this is especially true when I hang out with my grandparents or my neighbor because I am conscious that they don't accept the whole smart phone thing the same way my own generation does, so I try to ignore it as much as possible. And when you ignore your phone, you're so much more attentive to life and what people are saying, which whether you'd like to admit it or not, is a really wonderful feeling.
4. You'll learn something.
I learned which cookie jars are valuable among my neighbor's collection, which maybe one day will come in handy. That's not necessarily a great example, but trust me. They have things of importance to say that could benefit you later. And I love sucking up new knowledge to use later.
5. They need some help sometimes.
6. They'll help you keep your priorities straight.
By this point in their lives, old people know what's really important in life, and they won't shy away from telling you. No, you probably won't take their advice without a grain of salt (because we're young and we're intent on making our own mistakes). But who knows, maybe one tiny little nugget of truth about life might slip into that noggin of yours, especially if you've taken the time to build a rapport of trust with somebody older, and by default, wiser.
7. They're people too.
You know the best way to bridge the gap of misunderstandings between people groups? By actually spending time getting to know them! This simple principle could make leaps and bounds in the areas of sexism, racism, classism, and, yeah, agism too, if somebody just thought "Hey! Let's pair up people who are different from each other and let them talk and learn about one another!" Of course this will never happen on a grand scale, but you have the power to make it happen on a small scale.
8. You might have more in common with them then you think.
Literally the first thing my neighbor said to me when I stepped into her kitchen was "Oh my goodness, you should have been here last night! We had the most good looking guy over! He was tall, and young, and a lawyer, and he wasn't married!" My neighbor is an absolute crack up, and we both enjoy an attractive fellow, whether or not there's a 70-or-so year difference between us. We also both enjoy collecting things, like to get things done on our own and get frustrated when we can't, and enjoy being fiercely independent. I'm sure I could find at least one commonality between myself and anyone on this earth because we're all such complex people. So it makes me sad when people my age look at older people and think they won't be able to find any common ground.9. It's kinda in the Bible.
Okay, I don't think there's a specific passage that says "Thou shalt help old folks", but there ARE specific passages saying we should help widows, and orphans, and poor people, and while old people aren't all necessarily widows or orphans or even poor, I'm pretty sure God is happy when He looks down and sees you helping them and spending quality time with them.
10. One day, you'll be in their position.
When you are past your prime, sitting in your rocking chair, thinking over the course of your life, don't you think you'll wish somebody would stop by to visit, or offer you help with some project you'd like to get done? But why should you expect that kind of attention and companionship if you never offered it up to people when you were young?
Tomorrow I return to my neighbor's abode to help finish cleaning her kitchen, and I'm confident I'll glean some more wise insights. :)
VaughnDL
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