What our elders are teaching me. . .

If you're not an avid Viva la Vida Travel follower, let me catch up you up to speed on a little bit about me personally. Before I took the plunge and founded Viva la Vida Travel, I was a social worker. I have worked with just about every type of person under the sun and I have thoroughly enjoyed all that I was able to do while working with my clients. That being said, I am infinitely grateful for the life lessons they have taught me about perseverance, generosity, resiliency and hope.

Fast forward to today. It takes a long time for a business to flourish financially and Viva la Vida Travel is no exception to that rule. In attempts to make a little extra cash to cushion the not so busy times of year and to fuel my desire to serve others,  I took a job working as a caretaker of seniors who are living independently. I'm not making bank rolls of cash doing this job but it allows me a little extra money and a whole lot of wonderful experiences working with the elders of our community, and that, my friends is worth it's weight in gold!

My little ladies that I have been working with have either a pretty serious case of dementia or are slowly losing their memory and thus, need a little extra help around the house to ensure that they are safe and well taken care all the while staying in the comforts of their home. I do not have grandparents alive anymore and I truly miss talking with older adults because they offer up such insightful slices of history and nuggets of wisdom on life. The ladies I've been working with have lead such dynamic and rich lives and have traveled extensively and their stories are compelling. The stories are timeless in the sense that as women, we can all relate to the struggles of being young girls, mothers, wives, widows, employees, etc.

What struck me as curious was that they had a hard time remembering simple day to day facts but they could recount their trips to Mexico City or to Paris with such passion and enthusiasm; it was as though they had just returned from their trip. Given the fact that I'm fueled by travel talk, I leapt at the chance to share some stories of my travels with them.  As we exchanged stories of our travels, they became alive in their space, eyes widened, and engaged in the moment. These ladies were living it all over again and loving it!

As a woman, it's interesting to talk to elder women who have lived 82 plus years on this planet and who have experiences I'll never be able to imagine. They speak of their hardships growing up, the sacrifices they made for their families, their failed marriages or the death of their spouse, their pets, and their careers. They speak to their good times in life, their travels, etc. and how they wished they'd had more of them in their lifetime. They also speak of wanting "more" from their years. In my opinion, regret can be compared to a loss simply because we lost out on opportunities. We didn't do what called to us and in turn, lost a part of ourselves.

I have a couple of tattoos on my arms, both of which are in Spanish. My little ladies LOVE them! As my elder gal was looking at my tattoo that says, "siempre hacia adelante" meaning, always keep moving forward,  and my other one that says, "Viva la Vida", meaning Live Life, she says, "You've got it right, lady. That's what it's all about. Go on adventures. Make stories." At 82 years old, she's encouraging me to go make stories and to continue being adventurous. I love this lady.

As she said this, it struck me that no matter what age we find ourselves, there is always that sense of wanting an adventure in our life that makes a great story. It doesn't have to be wild adventures of climbing Mt. Everest or swimming with sharks, no, not at all, but we do have to do things in life that feed our curiosity and our soul. My ladies are showing me that a zest for life and a curiosity for new experiences only dies within us if we allow it to do so. Sometimes we need a little coaxing to get out there and try new things, but when we do, more often than not, we'll have a pretty killer story to tell because we chose to really live life.

Life should not be filled with what if's, should haves, and I was going to's. Living a life filled with curiosity and wonder leads us to being a much more engaged and fulfilled human, no matter what age we have. I will continue to seek new adventures both locally and globally. I will continue to create stories that enrich my own life but also that inspire others to enrich their lives. At the end of my days, I hope to be able to say I had no regrets. I also hope to be that old gal that everyone comes to and who want to listen to my wild stories of days gone by while we sip on wine and laugh ourselves until we pee in our Depends diapers!

I wish the same for you.
Viva la Vida!

Enjoy this video. It makes me weep every time I see it. Embrace life, people. Live the heck out of it!