Enjoying breakfast with my youngest daughter this past weekend, we shared an interesting conversation. She just graduated from high school, and like many others she is at a loss on what comes next for her on her journey. Teachers, counselors, coaches have helped guide students along their journey up until now.
As humans we attend school for 12 years. When we are finished and enter into adult life, do we know how to take care of ouself? Do these young people know how to budget their money, do they have jobs, can they pay rent, the electric bill? If they needed to go grocery shopping would they know what items to buy to make a meal, what grocery store would they shop at? Do they understand about opening up a bank account? Have they learned about their credit score and what that means? Do they understand how to pay their car insurance and what the DMV stands for? The list goes on and on about things they might have learned before graduating from high school.
I read something the other day; " Another day done and I still did not use algebra." My daughter and I discussed that there should either be classes taught throughout high school or even the last year of high school to help people move along with ease on their journey.
As we enter into adult life we may get married and start having kids. We fall into the routine of soccer moms and dads, PTA meetings, school lunches and field trips. We go through divorce and do it all over again with someone else. You dont even question how you should be living your life, you are just living it. The examples we have are reality tv shows and mind numbing commercials telling us all the material items we need in order to survive.
The next thing you know your children are done with high school and moving out. Your routine is changing once again. You are now alone and learning to cope with yet another section of your life. Who guides you?
Then grandchildren come into our lives. All along we are aging. Yet again, there is no one there to help through this process.
As we age our bodies change, our sex lives change, we need to start seeing 14 different doctors. What if there was a company (Awake & Aging) that were to guide people on how to age with awareness? Someone to talk to about their aging parents and possibly their aging spouses, siblings, children, themselves? Wait, now we are on to something!
There should be a place that helps us learn more about death and dying. A place where we enhance our minds with activities more than BINGO. A place to go to if we want to discuss anything to do with aging. A gentle kind soul to guide us through this process.
Welcome to my vision.
