Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
The other day I saw an older woman on the street. She walked slowly, measuring every step carefully, leaning on a cane. Someone helped her step off the curb and she thanked them with a smile.
Her eyes were squinting as though she could not see clearly. But she was nicely dressed in a pantsuit her feet in heavy jogging shoes. I thought I did not know this woman but stepping closer I recognized her: it was THE NEW ME, the one who turned 95 just a few weeks ago. She was basically like THE FORMER ME, yet so different in many ways. Here is how the two of us are alike yet so very different.
THE NEW ME: stays home a lot. The phone keeps ringing with new friends joining her circle of friends over the last few years which makes her very happy. The computer, too, is an important part of her stay-at-home life.
THE FORMER ME: ran around a lot. A member of several senior groups, she was busy taking courses, playing bridge, joining yoga classes, going to lunch. Concerts and the theatre were all on the agenda.
THE NEW ME: has become a delivery addict. She loves it when items appear at the door, be it food or prescription drugs or toiletry items. She also joined the Meals on Wheels program so the fridge is always well stocked. She has not visited a grocery store or her usual pharmacy in years. Nor has she made trips to shopping centres.
THE FORMER ME: was an enthusiastic shopper. Lists in hand she would go grocery shopping or pick up prescription drugs herself, making friends with the pharmacist on duty. Trips downtown to The Bay or to nearby shopping centres would be frequent events.
THE NEW ME: had to abandon one of her favourite pastimes, reading due to the ravages of AMD (age-related macular degeneration). She is now devoted to large, bold type.
THE FORMER ME: was a voracious reader and has a large collection of books in several languages on various subjects. She loved reading magazines and the daily paper.
THE NEW ME: is plainly dressed and wears a lot of pantsuits — what else goes with jogging shoes? Closets full of dresses and shoes not worn are waiting for a better day or to be donated. The jewelry box is also sitting abandoned on a shelf. Makeup, too, has had its day with a mask covering most of the face during COVID days.
THE FORMER ME: loved fashion and was up-to-date on the latest trends. Her makeup kit included items for the eyes, the face and plenty of red lipstick. Skin-care products were also used.
THE NEW ME: rarely uses her 18-year-old car and knows that its days are numbered. Public transport, too, is abandoned and local travel entrusted to the para transit people, friends or taxis. Even walking has slowed down.
THE FORMER ME: took good care of her car and used it a lot in town or on out-of-town trips. She also used the bus and the metro, the occasional taxi and enjoyed walking.
THE NEW ME: listens to other people’s travel adventures and turns the pages of the Senior Discovery Tours brochure featuring trips all over the world. She does not have plans for any upcoming travel and has not used her camera in years.
THE FORMER ME: had travelled widely by train, plane and boat on this continent, in many European countries and into the Middle East. Slides and
photos document her many trips.
THE NEW ME: watches mass on TV and shows up in church after mass to receive Holy Communion, a habit acquired during pandemic days.
THE FORMER ME: attended mass regularly in St. Monica’s parish church and served as reader and faith-sharing group leader.
AND FINALLY: a word from the Former Me to the New Me: hang in there, the best is yet to come!
— Alice Lukacs writes the Life in the 90s column