I'm young and for the 23 years of my life, I've been living life in the fast lane. It wasn't until this year that I started thinking about the concept of aging. Yes-so much that I've started wearing anti-aging creams and sunscreen whenever I remember. I have even taken interest in taking supplements, something I thought I would never do. It's not just the physical aspect of aging that has been on my mind; I've also been reflecting on the mental aspect and how it affects us.
It all started in the beginning of the year when I went on a trip to visit the village my grandparents and my mother and her siblings grew up in. It's somewhere in Jalisco, Mexico in the middle of nowhere, 5km away from the closest paved road. You can see more mountain tops than houses. The youth have all moved to the closest town and whats left of the population is about 40 elderly family members. My brother and I couldn't even last 2 weeks there. It's hard to understand how these people have lived there all their lives. There's no cellphone signal, no internet,
nothing but rocks and cacti to be honest.
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| La Huerta De Los Lozanos |
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| Southwest view of Grandma's House |
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| El Ocote |
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| The East view from Grandma's house |
No matter my grandparents refuse to move to the States. My grandma, in particular, says that she doesn't feel as comfortable anywhere else in the world. I wasn't able to understand while I was there and had to help her fill buckets of water every morning the communal well was opened and water was sent through hoses up to the probably 10 houses in the "Huerta". Every day my grandma woke up early to water the plants, help grandpa feed the cattle, prepare food, feed her cats, her dogs, and clean around her place. Her house is only made up of a room, a lower room, a bathroom, and a small kitchen. The house was probably made in the early 1900s.
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| Grandma and Mom walking up to the house |
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| The West view from Grandma's House |
I didn't realize that this place means everything to both my grandparents until I came home from university and started living with my mother again. Our house is rubbish yet my mom insists on living here. I realized that my mom has been struggling to live alone ever since all my siblings have grown up and gone off to chase their dreams. I thought being here would help her but I've caught myself telling her that she shouldn't do things that require so much effort. In vain because she doesn't listen she started volunteering, meeting new friends, walking the dogs, and maintaining her garden.
I'm wrong to tell her not to do things. I realize now that this is probably how grandma feels when she is here in the States and everyone is telling her to take it easy. My mom and her mom have been working all their lives, that's all they know. If they do not work they do not feel 'useful'. I have failed to see this until now. My intentions were good but not so practical. I want mom to relax and not work so hard but that shouldn't mean that she should stop doing things. I sympathize with my mother and I've been looking for activities that she can do or that we could do together. If you have any suggestions PLEASE comment.
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