I debated sending out this blog — it might be a bit scary, too unsettling. Maybe ignorance truly is bliss. So this is your warning! If you are in your late 70’s or above this may be unsettling to read.
The circle of life. We are born, we experience, and then we die. We go through labor to enter this world. Mom does most of the work, but it is still an effort for us to enter this cold, bright, loud world.
Upon entry, we are first given mom's milk, then progress to water and soft foods, and finally we have regular food. Also in those early months we sleep (hopefully, for our parents) most of the time. Our awake time gradually increases as napping decreases and we are just sleeping all night.
Let’s add socialization to our similarities. The first smiles of recognition are from our inner family circle. Gradually, our circle expands from parents, to family, to friends, to the neighborhood, to the community, to the world.
For seniors, all these stages of development are reversed. Solid foods become soft food, then soft foods give way to protein supplements (the equivalent of milk) lastly sips of water. Sleeping patterns are reversed, also. We transition from being awake during the day and sleeping at night to taking more naps and sleeping more, overall. And finally we are asleep more than we are awake until we are not getting out of bed at all. Our socialization is reversed also. From being “out in the world,” we gradually do less and less. Our circle of interest and involvement gets smaller and smaller. Most of us die being non-responsive, the equivalent of being mostly unaware of our surroundings.
You see where I am going with this. There are two ways to die, gradual or fast. Gradual is from disease OR old age. Gradual death from disease takes two-to-four months. Gradual death from old age, with no disease process, takes years. How many? I don’t know. But slowly, ever so slowly, the body begins to slow down, eat less, sleep more, and become less social. When labor begins (the actual birthing into the other world, for lack of a better description) it will take the same amount of time as gradual death from disease, which is generally one-to-three weeks.
Gradually dying from old age is a process in itself, another example of the circle of life. What do we do with this knowledge? I don’t know. Maybe it just helps us appreciate the gift of living.
Something more...
We don’t talk about this part of life very often. In The Final Act of Living, I share what years at the bedside have taught me about this final chapter — and how to approach it with understanding.
