Page 19 - Seniorstoday Nov 2024 Issue
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acquaintances of the past had moved on philosophical aspects of life and could
and rarely in touch; not surprisingly, given be relevant for any person in a similar
the anachronism of her past clout and situation.
influence. a) They had a total of four vehicles – in
Nalini, an avid nature enthusiast, went difference categories – mid-size, mid-
on treks and climbs to mountains as much segment, luxury sedans and SUVs.
as she could, limited only by her squeaky Maintaining a fleet of vehicles could
and creaky joints. Social soirees had come be enervating and expensive. Based on
down quite significantly, but this did not realistic assessment of their current needs
bother her as she awoke to the fulsomeness and practical approach, they downsized
of solitude and selective fraternizing. the fleet by selling off three vehicles and
She had been wanting to take stock of retained only one. They used it sparingly
the balance sheet of life, both realistically and migrated to using app-based mobility
and metaphorically, but had been quite as much as possible. This led to substantial
overwhelmed with the innumerable savings in running and maintaining costs,
elements in it, leading to inertia and traffic and parking related nightmares and
paralysis. While quite competent and the sheer pleasure of just hopping on and
knowledgeable on these fronts, she was hopping off without having to drive.
finding it difficult to decide dispassionately
the course of action to be taken,
particularly in view of the fact that at her
age, she probably had another decade and
a half of life in mother earth, God-willing
and health-permitting and aimed to lead
a meaningful life for the remainder of her
breath.
She and her husband had a heart-to-
heart chat, now that there was no under-
the-surface competition or insecurities in b) They had three large apartments. They
their retired lives. Save for their differing had bought one for themselves and two for
professional trajectories and successes, their two sons. Since the sons had settled
Nalini and her husband deeply loved and elsewhere, they sold off the two apartments
respected each other and could read each meant for them and invested the proceeds
other’s pulse and beats. They had always in safe mutual funds, affording them an
believed in giving each other space and live income stream and liquidity. They also sold
on their own terms without compromising off their own apartment and moved to a
on familial harmony and co-existence. smaller and more manageable house.
After rounds of discussions with their c) They sold off their second home in a
sons and a few well-wishers, they decided distance suburb, since they were hardly
on a course of action and set about visiting it and the cost of maintenance
executing their decisions, step by step. The was not worth it. They could as well stay
steps that they took permeated the entire in different locations in difference cities
spectrum of physical, psychological and and have a rich and varied experiences,
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #65 | NOVEMBER 2024 19
