sweet old men

A sweet old man of 80-something talking to me over the phone and discussing every answer he gave with his wife. Another man in the same age range who said I have a lovely voice. Both made my eyes well up with tears. It's so bitter sweet. These individuals at the brink of the end of what we know in this consciousness. One so intertwined with the love of his life. The other handing out compliments to nervous young girls over the phone. They may have lived similar lives, or their lives may have only resembled each other in the most basic of senses. It's crazy how much we all have in common, how much of the same things we all go through, we all experience. How many of our "original" thoughts have been thought by so many others. At the same time though, it's crazy to be in a room full of people and feel like the only thing you have in common with any of them is humanity. It's like like a rope, and we're all strands in it. We all follow the same pattern but we get there with different kinks, some of the us live longer, some of us are discolored. Another crazy thing is how different experiences bring us to the same conclusions about beliefs, lifestyles, etc. How some embrace and some live in fear. It all seems so sad though, when you speak to a sweet old man over the phone. Thinking I wonder if his family appreciates him, really knows him, takes the time to listen to his life stories, reminds him that they love him, makes him feel important. I hope my grandparents know I love them. I know so little about their lives before I became a part of them. I really should speak to them more and do more thoughtful things for them. We can get so caught up in our own lives, or in helping people in other countries, or even volunteering down the road. We can forget about the ones that need and appreciate our love, concern, and service the most. The easiest way to develop love and nurture it is to serve and it's sad that the tendency is to neglect the ones in our lives who deserve, need (or both) it most. Here's hoping this gets at least one person to show their appreciation for the ones in their lives that need or deserve it most.