Mary O'Connor

Staring at my friend in her coffin the other day brought back a flood of recollections. She always got her nails done and her hair cut and colored. She didn't get a lot of sleep, with a dozen kids, but she did get out there and made sure her nails and hair were good. So many times when we lived down the street from each other I would come in and she'd say she'd slept in her clothes, had stayed up late watching a movie and folding piles of clothes. Sometimes we would run down to the laundramat...

Taking your time. As we age, things don't seem to be as rushed. We tend to prioritize and give ourselves a longer timeline to get things done. Looking back, I used to squash so many activities into one day, especially soccer games, no time for making dinner, drive throughs, lunches, work, second job, all kinds of have tos and shoulds that filled the days. Rushing through all this, I wonder if I noticed other people and their lives, or just what was in front of me? This is a good time to walk...

One day things are okay and the next thing we know there's a fall, a stroke, a death of a partner or parent. Accepting these changes aren't easy. Your life as it was is not the same, you may have to go through months of rehab, months of grief and readjustment to the loss. You may even feel blame for what happened. You may hold a resentment against the people who are caring for you. These life changes happen, and most times they are a result of health problems. The emotional impact of these...