Last week I had to make a decision for someone, and that's not anyone's favorite thing. My mom is 92 years old, and has great health. She really has never had any serious issues and that's amazing since she was born the year Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic. But there is no denying, that she isn't quite the same as she once was, even 4 months ago.
Last week, since I'm the one of her three children and who lives local, I had to tell my mom she can no longer drive a car. I'm also the youngest, so the news from me was really not her favorite to hear as you may have guessed. We talked about it, there was some disagreement, and some common ground as well, but in the end, it's the end of a 76 year run of being able to drive a car. I was sad about it, mostly because there is no room for debate on this. I'm comfortable with it 100%, but it's still tough to deliver this kind of news.
My mom was driving around rural Ohio in the late 1940's as a recruiter for Marrietta College. This was long before the interstate highway system. She drove state routes and dusty back roads alone for a few years. She then drove to the Jack And Jill Dude Ranch (Now the Double JJ Ranch in extreme Western Michigan) in 1952, where she first met my dad. She drove alone to visit all three of us in various states we moved off to, from Boston, to Chicago, Connecticut, Virginia, Missouri and more. She drove to Florida a couple times after my dad died to visit her brother. And she drove way out west alone on a college sabbatical at the age of about 62 to research a topic she would write a paper on as a college professor.
I guess what I am saying is, she has been fearless her entire life. She has kept a 2.5 acre piece of property going since 1959, and for last 42 of those years has done it alone after my dad died when she was 50. She has even added on to the house 3 times since the age of 72, and designed all the additions. She has done well, and fearless is the best word I can use to describe her. She is fearless when it comes to later life's challenges and I'm proud of her for that. But sadly, being fearless is not good enough anymore to tackle some of life's major responsibilities. In fact, it's just the opposite.
For the first time ever she needs some help, and she's getting it but it has not been the easiest transition. We are gaining on the good ground and she is getting used to the fact that things are changing. She still has great health, and freedom that I feel is enviable for most people her age. But some of that freedom is now gone, I get it, and that's not easy for her. 76 years is a long time to to anything.
She will now see a car ride from the passenger seat only. Gladly, it's only the end of her driving - and not her drive, and certainly not the end of her road.
