Rock-Stars-of-Aging-by-Marc-Middleton
Rock-Stars-of-Aging-by-Marc-Middleton
Rock-Stars-of-Aging-by-Marc-Middleton
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<strong>Rock</strong>s <strong>Stars</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aging</strong><br />
24<br />
STATE OF MIND<br />
10: Centenarians Handle All Personal Loss Well<br />
“We cannot prevent…the birds <strong>of</strong> sorrow from flying over our<br />
heads…but we can refuse…to let them build nests...in our hair.” --<br />
Ron Schreiber, poet, “The Birds <strong>of</strong> Sorrow”<br />
It’s not just the loss <strong>of</strong> a spouse that nearly every centenarian has<br />
dealt with. The universal centenarian experience is one <strong>of</strong> continual<br />
loss -- the loss <strong>of</strong> friends, jobs, children, driver’s licenses, sexuality,<br />
hearing, vision and more. It’s one loss after another.<br />
The sheer weight <strong>of</strong> continual loss is too great for many to deal with<br />
and overcome. Centenarians are the exceptions. They don’t spend<br />
much time feeling sorry for themselves and they don’t fall into states<br />
<strong>of</strong> depression -- both are the beginning <strong>of</strong> the end for the ultra-elderly.<br />
Centenarians adapt. They adjust. They let go, move forward and<br />
somehow their joy <strong>of</strong> life is able to trump their latest loss.<br />
<strong>Rock</strong> <strong>Stars</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aging</strong><br />
24
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