A vein of deep truth here
DiminishmentAn ever present theme in the book is diminishment and how ageing people need to cope with that. Diminishment in body, in mental acuity, in memory, in holding power, in having influence, in being at the centre, and in a number of other spheres. But for Morrison, these various diminishments, rightly understood and then accepted, are liberating. An instanceI experienced a classic example of this myself just recently. Months ago one of my grandsons and I booked to go to a Wellington Jazz Festival concert. Close to the date we phoned each other to make arrangements. I suggested a time I could meet him at the central railway station. He would come on an appointed train from his suburb and I'd travel on a different one from mine. Then together we'd walk 20 minutes to the venue. Agreed. On the day of the concert the phone rang. "Grandad. I think you should come on an earlier train. And I don't think we should walk from the station. We should catch a bus. I've looked up the time, the number of the bus and the number of the stop it leaves from. Oh, and getting home. Just let's see how it works out." I began to protest but Jamie insisted. So that's what we did. Good arrangements. Good concert. "What will we do now?" I asked as we left the theatre? "It's all fixed! Because the finish is so late Mum's coming to pick us up, so we'll take you home." Diminishment! Responsibility taken from me. I just needed to accept not being centre pin as I once would have been. Good? Yes. InteriorThis book is not a manual about practical steps to ensure old age is manageable; live near a bus stop; move to a smaller house; make sure you have adequate health insurance. This book is about the interior and deeper things of life. It is a series of essays interspersed with entries from the author's journals. Morrison, an American Quaker by belief and aasociation, is very keen on journalling. She thinks we should all be keeping journals – not diaries about external happenings. No no! Written records of our feelings about all the issues, upsets and pleasures we encounter. From writing such a journal, she argues. people learn a lot about themselves – learnings that are useful in old age. BeautifulLet Evening Come is a beautiful little book; little because it's only 130 pages; beautiful because the layout and page-foot graphics are attractive and draw the reader on. The prose is polished too. Morrison is fluent and well read. Literary quotes litter the landscape. She introduces a section about 'rugged acceptance' of diminishing physical ability with this, from Chaucer's Wife of Bath
Then Morrison goes on: 'Once we have managed to say "Let go farewell," it becomes possible to step back a few lines into the poem and realise that yes, indeed, it does our hearts good to think that we have had our world as in our time. For we have, you know. It was our time and we lived it. It happened and therefore it exists. It exists in our hearts and memories and no one can take it from us.' Use it, she urges. Think about it, ponder it, then use the thoughts and ponderings to develop your new, ageing life. For whom?Who would want to read a book like this? An old person? A middle aged person? Someone retiring from work? Someone with an elderly parent? An adult grandchild wanting to understand more about old age? Yes, all of those and more. Availability On line from big book sellers or warehousers. e.g. Amazon - please click. (The customer reviews on this site are worth a read.) ########## John McInnes Friday 21 June 2019 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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