Privilege

This week at work I had the privilege of speaking to a woman on her 100th birthday and sitting in a room with a couple during the week of their 75th Wedding Anniversary.

The 100 year old asked me to clarify whether she had already told me her plans for supper, because things “are a bit foggy these days, and I tend to forget” but she walked around the lobby with only the help of her walker. And was wearing a bright pink dress to mark the occasion.

The couple that just celebrated their 75th Wedding Anniversary amaze me. He can’t sit still for more than an hour and is always running around. He takes care of the  groceries and the bills and clearly takes care of her. Which is probably the opposite of how things were when he was on the farm.

 

Both of these moment struck me as completely surreal.
And I stared at the residents during both occurrences with complete amazement.

How many 100 year olds are there? How many of them are able to dress themselves and walk around having normal conversation with others? She seemed to be 80, instead of 100.

How many couples celebrate 75 years of marriage? Most people nowadays are lucky if they make to 10 or 15 years. And most couples who believe in the sanctity of marriage and intend to honor their vows until death do them part, have to endure just that – the loss of their spouse.

Both circumstances are incredibly rare.
And I felt so privileged to have witnessed these moments and have met these people.