Let the Circle Be Unbroken

One of the most startling realizations this weekend was that most of these elderly people at the Selfhelp home wear diapers at night. They all seem to have their package of Depends in the closet. There’s no shame or embarrassment for many of them. It’s just like brushing their teeth to pull on diapers before going to bed.

It strikes me once again that getting old in many ways takes us back to a state of infancy. There’s the diapers. There are those that have to be fed. And others that must be wheeled around.

I’m trying to imagine what it must feel like to accept this return to infancy. Is it like the beginning of the end? Is it perhaps somewhat comforting as you remember being cared for as a small child?

I can see that the next few decades are going to bring with them these realizations that life is indeed one big circle and we’re on the leg that comes back to meet the beginning.