My Sweet Senior Citizen

You know that saying, “always be kind to people because you never know what they’re going through“? I feel like we need to tweak that a bit. My rendition would go a little like this, “always be kind to people because you never know what they went through, what they’re going through, and what they will go through.” In other words, just be kind.

When I started working full-time back in August 2019, I decided to get involved in activities outside of my day-to-day job. I joined and co-led a community service and sustainability group that coordinated service events, promoted eco-friendly habits, and tried to positively contribute to our community. I really enjoyed the role and being apart of the group because I think there are few things in life that are more rewarding than showing up for people who need you. At times, that person may only be yourself, but in the times you can give to others, you should.

The community service group I was apart of reached out to a retirement center in January of this year to facilitate a technology workshop for its residents. A few of the group members and I took time out of our day to help the seniors learn how to use their iPads, Facebook accounts, Apple watches, and personal laptops. It was a fun and funny experience. A few of the residents kept me laughing and reminded me just how powerful technology can be when we use it for the right reasons.

One of the residents didn’t feel that a singular session was enough time to learn all that she wanted to. She asked if one of the volunteers was willing to meet on a weekly basis to teach her how to use her iPad. We told her we would do our best to find someone who could help.

Well, that person ended up being me. I drove to her apartment in the retirement center once a week for one hour to teach her tips and tricks on how to navigate Facebook, Amazon, and PeaPod.

Every time we had a session I brought flowers. She would tell me that it wasn’t necessary, but I had a feeling they were more appreciated than she let me know. She would pay me after each session, and although I tried to refuse the money, I decided that I would use it to buy her flowers for our next visit. Just speaking from personal experience but there’s never been a time I’ve been given flowers and didn’t like them.

Anyway, I’m not often around senior citizens, so I used this time to ask questions about someone who had lived a very long life. I was so intrigued by the fact that she had this full life before I was even born. I wanted to know every little detail. Where did she grow up? Where did she go to school? Did she have children? Had she been married? Talking to someone who’s older than you is like reading a book. You get the liberty of delving into chapters that were written before you were a thought in anyone’s mind. That, to me, is the coolest thing ever.

Unfortunately, our sessions were cut short due to Covid. We only had about four of them before I was no longer permitted in the retirement home. I missed driving to her, sitting in her living room, and showing her how to Amazon Prime candy to her place because even at 95 years old, candy is a necessity.

I wrote a letter to her during those few scary weeks in March. I wanted her to know that I was thinking of her and hoping she was keeping safe, but I wanted to do it in a way that didn’t feel like a burden on her. I wasn’t positive that she’d be able to open and read my Facebook message, but I knew she could open and respond to some snail mail. I think that’s the beautiful thing about generational differences—we can meet each other in the middle… and I love hand-written letters just as much as, if not more than, receiving/giving flowers.

It was upsetting to know that Covid had stopped me from visiting my sweet senior citizen pretty abruptly. It was an anxiety-filled time as no one really understood what the virus was, how it was going to transform our lives, or how to keep ourselves safe.

In one of our last sessions together, I learned that the woman I was teaching technological concepts to was previously a bacteriologist at Harvard Vanguard. She graduated from Northeastern University and dedicated her life to studying and researching various types of bacteria. I was blown away when I learned this. We were driven apart because of a virus that was rampantly running through the world, and there I was, in the presence of a woman who would have probably pivoted her focus to helping in any way she could during this time had she still been working.

And I know that the Coronavirus is a virus, not bacteria, but really, the point is that little old me was teaching a brilliant woman how to “like” her daughter’s Facebook post, write “Happy Birthday” on her friend’s timeline, and order hot coco and candy on Amazon. Who knew I was sitting next to someone, a woman at that, who graduated college in the 1940s and went on to work a reputable profession in the medical field? This woman was smarter than I’d ever be, so knowing a thing or two about how to use Facebook humbled me right up.

All in all, you have no idea what has shaped the people you encounter. There are people you know and people you are bound to meet that will ultimately change the way you look at life all because of what they have to share based on their previous experiences. It is so important to remember that people have dealt with things you will never know about, are dealing with things you may not know about, and will deal with things that may not seem possible at the moment.

Be kind to everyone you meet. You never know if you’re talking to a retired bacteriologist who could have been a helping hand in managing the world as we know it.