COMMUNITY (BY PHILIPPA)

 One of the saddest things I heard about a few weeks ago, was the death of actor Gene
Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. What really struck me was the obvious isolation
and loneliness they were experiencing behind the walls of their gated community. How
could it be that no one, not a family member (Hackman had grown children) or a friendly
neighbour knew of their circumstances when alive? How could they have only been
discovered long after death by their scheduled maintenance workers? Sometimes I
think the nuclear family is not all it’s cracked up to be.
As our walking group ages, I know that each of us has begun planning how best to live
out our remaining years. Some of us want to “age in place” and are setting up a more
manageable space to live in. Others are planning to enter a residence where their
future needs can be met or perhaps, they are thinking of moving to a simpler space to
own or to rent. Still others may be thinking of joining children in multigenerational living.
Whatever the choices made, one thing remains of upper most importance and that is:
our community. No matter what our individual circumstance, we are interconnected with
each other as we walk together, in rain and in shine, and I like to think that not one of us is ever truly alone.