BY JOELLEN COLLINS
Last week, Big Wood Presbyterian Church was packed with an audience of all ages to hear Dr. Bill Thomas present his perspective on aging. Dr. Thomas refers to himself as a geriatrician who, instead of bewailing the fates of so many of us who dot Sun Valley venues like Q-tips, focused on the joyous moments and wealth of experience which can make one’s later years rich and full.
After his words, a metaphor he used has remained with me. He posed the concept that we are born with a full bag of gold coins, which we use and lose through the passagI of years. I have deliberately not looked up his website to read more about these coins because I want to imagine my own bag of coins and how it has become lighter later.
My first instinct is to list some of the coins I have possessed, knowing that this effort is minimal. The labels engraved on my coins would be youth, love, beauty, learning, friends, family, teaching, community, freedom, creativity, agility, fearlessness, optimism, stamina, gratitude, tolerance, travel, challenges, both physical and emotional, strength, sex, accomplishments, and faith. Many more fill my valise, for sure, but I am looking at just a sampling of my gold pieces and examining whether or not they are still forces in my life.
Obviously, the coin of “youth” has disappeared, but I still feel youthful in my outlooks. I might be daunted when asked to find the year I was born after scrolling down a list of all the years since. What a reminder of the speed of life, the time that we will never again use! What remains has to be meaningful, so I cherish that lost coin and vow to savor the short moments of daily life. My face is wrinkled but my soul is smoother.
Another coin is labeled “friends.” This one, along with family, often makes me sad, as I have lost many relatives and companions with whom I have experienced joy, love, loyalty and succor. What I have learned from being a survivor of the ravages that took them from me is that I was fortunate to have had such intense relationships throughout many years. In addition, I have learned to nurture the newer friends I have in life and enjoy the gifts of their presence.
A coin marked “travel” is one I have enjoyed using to stimulate my curiosity and sense of adventure. Though I travel less, it still resides in my bag, a tantalizing reminder of the “wheels on my feet.” My curiosity remains unquenched. In spite of the rigors associated with travel, I have not yet thrown away that coin.
The coins I spent or saved have made me somehow calmer as my life has changed, most appreciative of what I have today. In short, I treasure the coins remaining in my bag and have gratitude for all I have been given toward building the life I have led.
Thank you, Dr. Thomas.