Been There, Done That: Eight Decades And Counting By Alice Herb: Anxiety Part II

By Alice Herb

I hope my loyal readers have not been ANXIOUS about my silence since my previous post describing my anxieties. I am alive and well and would like to report that the trip to my beach house was a complete success. I should not have been anxious. The physical signs for the trip were ominous. It was supposed to be very windy and rainy throughout the weekend. Rain and wind at the beach, as you all can imagine, are not nice near the ocean but thunderstorms are even more ominous. And the latter were possible on Sunday. So I opted to drive out on Saturday The way out to the beach was not bad but it was raining when my housekeeper and I arrived at the house. My two wonderful people at the beach had done such a great job of opening the house before we arrived that we had nothing to do but put away the paper goods I had brought out for the season. I also brought out two gorgeous hibiscus plants that I couldn’t replant since by then it was raining too hard. We stowed them in a protected area where the rain could keep them happy while I was away and we took off for home. But by then it was raining very hard. Nonetheless, with the traffic light, we had an uneventful drive home except for being soaked to the skin on our walk back to the car. As the saying goes, “All’s well that ends well.”

Now ask me why am I still ANXIOUS. Well, the hibiscus plants are out there for a couple of weeks. Will they be OK? That’s only one worry. My granddaughter was overwhelmed with the semester’s end and all the work she had to turn in. She just texted this morning that it was done and she can now sleep. But I haven’t heard from my grandson yet. I shouldn’t be ANXIOUS! They are not little kids. They are enrolled in Masters and Doctoral studies respectively. My anxiety is uncalled for. They have come this far and realistically they will most likely ace their programs without too much difficulty. 

So back to the beach house. I can’t go back for a couple of weeks because I have a lovely wedding to attend. Even that makes me anxious. I think this is OLD AGE ANXIETY and it annoys me, but it is widespread because each year makes each of us a little less able. I certainly don’t want to sit in an armchair waiting for people to do for me. Yet I have to be ever so much more careful and rely on the kindness of strangers as well as those close to me to navigate areas that were a breeze just a short time ago.

Some anxiety is realistic. I see the world as being worse now than when I was born. Each day presents one or more awful happenings, such as the daily killings that put all at risk. Schools used to be safe places for children. So were most of our workplaces. I do think these are real areas to worry about. What can we, the survivors of the Greatest Generation, contribute to make this a more comfortable, safe world for human beings to not just survive but to live in?  Shall we ponder this a lot more seriously?  At the same time, on a personal level and as the weeks go on, I will let you know about the progress of settling into my beach house.

Alice Herb is a retired attorney, journalist, and bioethics consultant. Having reached the age of 90+, she’s more than ready to share her experiences and opinions with agebuzz readers. Want to comment on something she’s said? She welcomes your feedback at [email protected]

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