What is your reality?

Interactions within our society are dominated by frustration, agitation and just plain annoyance.  We just do not “get” the person and we choose to ignore, flee, avoid, fix, control, or in worse case scenarios react with anger.  Empathy is at an all time low and just simple understanding seems to be an anomaly!  My mother likes to repeatedly remind me “that you cannot understand unless you walk a mile in their shoes.”  Since I am a visual purist of words, I am not sure wearing my granddaughter's size 2 shoe and walking over a gravel road would create anything but pure discomfort and bunions.  I prefer to induce a kinder, more gentler approach to others by asking the question, “What is their reality?”  Another words, what is going on right now, right here, with whom, that invokes a certain lifestyle or response?  A friend recently asked me who I was since I appear to be changing drastically (owning a dog in particular) and it is so difficult to put into words or even one phone call how complex and chaotic my life has become!  For some, this age is one of quiet, random acts strung together that are usually more about “I” than “You”.  Retirement is the time so many youth blindly wish for, but what they do not realize is that it may not be as it is perceived!  I am not alone on a path that took me off the paved road to a rocky uphill climb.  For some, it is a result of bad decisions, for others, situations arise out of their control.  In my case the out-of-control situations caused me to make some decisions for the betterment of my family!  Yes, it is chaotic, and I may not seem to be connecting, but my retirement reality is just that—Unreal.  Pour on the understanding and more importantly, please pass it on.