‘Every single person is dealing with something at some time. You can’t avoid the tragedies of life. And many, many have a much heavier load in life. So be kind. Be helpful.’
Susan is described by others as kind, compassionate and fun loving. She has a deep-seated inclination to be kind to everyone. Susan experienced her first cascade of grief during her early college years, when her sister passed away from an illness. She had already lost her father after experiencing dementia. Both of these colossal losses occurred by the time Susan was only 22 years old. This was a cause for a hiatus from college for a couple of years to process this massive load of family tragedy. She was able to eventually return and obtain her degree. Susan went into a career of social work, mainly with older adults who were robust with life stories and memories they were eager to share. The job was all-encompassing: from assisting to obtain proper clothing and set up bank accounts to collaborating closely with care teams to plan admissions and discharges. Susan’s daily reward from this work was the stories, the zaniness, the love and the full ‘catastrophes of life.’ She has always had a power of gauging moods and behaviors, especially of those with dementia and mental health crises.
With more than 30 jobs and volunteer positions since she was a teen, Susan is now enjoying retirement and loves what each day brings her, while still rising early, around 5 am. With a boost of time on her hands, Susan says that her favorite trait is curiosity, even if it may steer her towards some occasional minor troubles. If she could travel back in time and give advice to her 20 something self about life it would be: put your energy into picturing yourself in 10 years and give yourself a break. ‘Know almost (dare I say everyone?) is f’ed up a little in one way or another. That is, we ALL have our stuff. Buck up and also try to realize some of your self worth!’
As she gains life experience, Susan fears that her generation is getting rebranded as ‘boomers,’ and chalks it up to the way of the world. Susan appreciates not having to keep up appearances all the time. Susan values aging and everything that comes with that package, including more wisdom as the years pass.
