Where Do We Go From Here?
My mom was moved to a hospice late last week. This is her final stop, almost exactly a year since she fell in her apartment and was taken to the hospital last year. Since then, she was in a residential rehabilitation facility for several months until she went back to the hospital in March. Now at the hospice they will not be feeding her intravenously unless she can eat on her own.
In the recent months as more of my friends are entering into the 7th decade of life (60s) as I did, I’ve had numerous conversations about how we want to spend our latter years. I have been pondering what options I have in terms of where and how I would like to spend the coming years as we age. Apparently similar thoughts are on the mind of many of my peers. Having seen how my parents chose to live in their latter years — recognizing the choices they had in their life, I know that I am still young and active enough to forge my path. It seems that we (my contemporaries) all seek to live in some kind of community where we can live autonomously yet have a strong sense of community where there are help and support available when needed.
Retirement communities are nothing new, but what I’m hearing from my own heart and my friends is a desire or should I say a “wish” for some kind of more conscious and intentional communities where there are some components of sustainability, regeneration and spirituality. It doesn’t have to be just for older people, and I think it would be actually better if it is intergenerational — perhaps more like co-housing communities. I’m aware of some places that may fit these descriptions, and I would love to start exploring more and share what I discover about them.
Buddha was born under a tree, got enlightened under a tree and passed away under trees. He spent a lot of time in the nature while he traveled around to disseminate his teachings in the meantime. Short of living a monastic life (although I’ve certainly considered that as well), would there be a place for us where we could live a life close to the nature, respectful of the land and life, and live happily ever after in a friendly, supportive and diverse community? Hmmm it sounds like a tall order… We shall see, right?