When
we arrive on earth we find a world ready-made. The 'present'
is all around us, and the 'future' is yet to come.
But those who have lived a long life have known 'the past' and they are a living library of memories; some sad, some exciting, all important.
"The
Empty Nest"It was a hot Friday evening in early October 2024 when I was trying to relax and forget about the heat when my phone suddenly rang. I quickly picked it up, hoping that the diversion would help me feel more comfortable.
The
year 1999 was like a roller coaster for me. It had very high climaxes
and very deep troughs
In January, I was 6 months
pregnant. My pregnancy by then had been healthy and peaceful.
I was leaving at my workplace and didn't have to commute to work. I
had peace of mind because of the subsidised comfortable accommodation
at the workplace. I lived there with my husband, a young 4 year old
son, and our housekeeper.
A
new start after 60: ‘Alone for the first time in my life, I learned how
to be happy’After her marriage ended Marian Elliott embarked on counselling to understand her bouts of depression. She already knew of u3a – AKA the University of the Third Age, whose motto is “learn, laugh, live” – but she had always been too busy to sign up. Now, she looked up her local branch. “ Her new friends “are showing me that there is still lots for me to enjoy and do.
I
recently visited a women empowerment project in one high-density suburb
of peri-urban Harare. I had not been there for a long time since I spent
years teaching English at a large
secondary school in the area. The environment had changed.
Masire,
who has been nursing heartbreak since 1992, was quick to share his story
with journalists at the handover of a greenhouse to Melfort Old People’s
Home by Delta Beverages on Thursday.
He vividly remembers a lot of things, despite his old age. Three decades after losing his love, Masire is still in pain. What makes it more difficult for him to bear is the fact that the couple had two children, whom he last saw on the day they left with their mother in 1992
Lost
Memories
The mother
in front of me was not the mother I knew. Alzheimer’s was holding her
hostage as she dosed in and out of her world. She reminded me of a new-born
baby who ate and slept, ate and slept. She was just there, with her closeted
memories on a journey where none of us could accompany her. I had come
too late. She was now lost to us all, forever.
Lots
of things happened in Kampala in January 1971. One of them happened to me,
although until then I had thought I wouldn't be affected.
I was Manager of IBM Uganda and when President Obote was deposed and the army stormed the Kabaka's Palace, General Idi Amin seized control.
Annie
Elliebagwa 's latest story, "The Darkening Sky".
A sensitive exploration of old age and the complex, hidden emotional worlds of the elderly in a rapidly ageing population.
Calcutta
- August 1945 - Nandita Sen
We
were aware that the war had finished in Europe, but it wasn't yet finished
for us. Calcutta was stuffed with soldiers - a huge force from all the
nations. It was also the place where, in 1943 three million starving Indians
had come to die - most of them on our pavements. I would pass the bodies
on my way to college.
