Why do you do what you do?
“Of all the things that you could have chosen for a profession, why did you choose geriatrics??” she asked.
I hadn’t given it much thought until this week.
When I was a kid, there was always a lot going on in my family and home. I’ve called it chaos and I think that’s a fair assessment. My family was not well connected with extended family members; my grandparents either died before I was born or when I was very young. I didn’t grow up with grandparents as part of the daily fabric of my life.
My husband did; he has a lot of memories of both sets of grandparents. I had the pleasure of knowing 3 out of his 4 grandparents. He’s got great genes, his people live well into their 90’s. Mine have all tapped out much earlier, the oldest one took 81 trips around the sun.
I’ve spent my entire adult life working or volunteering in geriatrics. Today I realized the irony in spending my years as an adult serving a population that I never knew as a kid; for many it’s the opposite. They spend their childhood with grandparents who are old and then don’t get involved with old people again until their own parents lace up the silver sneakers. This came up for me as I was being coached today. I am a life coach and I believe so strongly in the benefit of coaching that I have regular coaching sessions myself.
“Of all the things, why geriatrics?” she asked again. I’m still pondering the why and when I tried to offer that it was “irrelevant, right?”, my coach disagreed and pushed me further. While I don’t yet know the exact why, I am sitting here grateful and convinced that it’s one of the most correct choices I’ve made. I’m still evolving; my business is evolving and this year finds me expanding the service I offer through HUGS by Mary to include life coaching for the adult women caring for an aging relative.
It’s amazing when one of my clients realizes that she has the ability experience sadness and joy at the same time as she navigates the uncertainty of her parents dementia diagnosis.
Maybe that’s part of my answer, I’m a little sad that I didn’t know my people while being grateful that not knowing them led me to the work I do today.