Parts, Not Characteristics?
Sorry for the self-centric posts – AGAIN!
At age 70, I never thought that I’d ever be this old or this young as it will seem when I turn 80 or 90. Not too surprising, the favorite parts that you can see and show people diminish as you age.
Favorite Parts Through the Years
Like everyone, I was a cute baby. I was an ugly child. I passed as a teen, and my parts fluctuated – waxed and waned – from my twenties through sixties. People complimented me on:
- my blue eyes
- my engaging smile (after my mouth and teeth were fixed) I physically couldn’t smile until I was seven. My mouth was sewn down to keep me from smiling. Like getting botox, I could still move parts of my face. In my case, I could move my cheeks to smile a little.
- my slim figure (go figure!) I was 28-18-38 at age 18 and about 105 pounds. My figure was much better in my 30s and 40s but still lopsided.
- my height – five feet five inches tall.
- my legs
You don’t have to have perfection to have some good parts. My mouth was my most troublesome, but I’ve had and still get more compliments on it than on any other part. Smiles are for everyone. Do what you can so that you are comfortable smiling. There is nothing more attractive on a human being than an engaging and loving smile
Favorite Parts Now
- lungs
- circulatory system
- legs
- strong bones
- arms
- brain
- kidneys
Without the first four parts, I would lose mobility. Without arms, I couldn’t take care of myself. I’m very grateful that the other inner parts of me seem to be working. Of the inner parts, I’m most grateful for my brain. If I was immobile and my brain still functioned, I think I could live. Depending on my brain, if my kidneys quit, I might opt not to do dialysis.
All of these favorite parts, though, stem on more than just me loving them. Without loved ones, the initiative to continue to function with worn out parts diminishes as well.
My mom stayed on dialysis for eight years. When her neck was no longer strong enough to hold up her head and she couldn’t play Bridge with her friends, with much trepidation, she opted to quit dialysis. Fortunately for her, because she was against committing suicide, her veins quit working the very next day, and the choice was out of her hands. God agreed with her timing. She loved me, and stayed alive for me, but losing her ability to socialize cost her the will to live.
Now it’s your turn.
Did you take this challenge the same way I did?
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
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