The Whirlpool of

It’s a four syllable word that I never really gave much thought to until quite recently.

I never valued it, just rather took it for granted almost like a comfortable old shoe. I thought I always had it, forgetting to remember how difficult it had been to earn.

I naively accepted it was mine forever and ever, never to part. But of course, that was beyond naive, it was presumptuous and totally unrealistic.

Because life has taught me another lesson. Independence can diminish quickly or worse yet, sink slowly into oblivion if not carefully nutured. I hadn’t even thought about how valuable mine was until shortly after I relinquished my home of 57 years and moved into a large facility with over 100 apartments

They are primarily independent, with the provision of a cleaning staff, chauffeur if requested along with restaurant services available daily,. When I arrived I was delighted with the ability to enjoy the cleaning service, doubted if I would need a chauffeur, but thought the proximity of a restaurant interesting.

Due to the severe winters in my new home state, I soon realized owning a car probably wasn’t the wisest choice especially since there was always the option of having a chauffeur if needed. That was the first strike against my wall of independence.

Cleaning was never an option,. I immediately accepted that as a perk for my new lifestyle, and I did that without an ounce of guilt. It had nothing to do with independence rather I rationalized it was a choice of lifestyle.

But then came the option of having someone prepare meals for me. And I fell into the familiar trap of taking the easy route until one day I woke up and wondered why I had forgotten the joy of shopping, preparing and enjoying my own culinary abilities. And when I did that it wasn’t long before I became aware of how easily I was slowly letting my reservoir of independence slowly ebb away.

I have recovered to some degree. It has not been easy, but fortunately, some inner voice cautioned me about the dangers of being taken care of before it was too late.

I thought about this yesterday while overhearing two young women discuss the joys of renting a wardrobe thus eliminating the need to shop as well as the added convenience of having a food service plan that prepares meals and delivers daily to their homes. Total bliss, they both innocently proclaimed, and I cringed in fear for both of them.

I resisted my immediate inclination to call out Caution, yet I worried they, too, were even closer to falling into the whirlpool of dependency than I had been.