ERP-Personal Narrative (1b)

[Write about your relationship with an elder person, and reflect on what aging means to you.]

All happened so suddenly. In that split second, my grandma crumpled to the ground. I held my hand out in a feeble attempt to catch her, but all I caught was air. Time seemed to slow down at that instant. Everyone gasped in horror. An ambulance was called for and soon, she was sent to the hospital.

The atmosphere was tense. I sat down and waited for the doctor. I appeared calm but deep inside; my heart was beating quickly, literally banging against my ribcage. Although being in an air-conditioned room, I was sweating profusely. When I was young, my grandma took care of me, taught me life lessons and played with me. She was not just my grandma, but also my teacher and my friend. Everyone was praying for grandma’s well being. Soon, the doctor came out from the ward and all of us swarmed around him.

“How is she doctor, how is she?” I asked desperately. Questions of such soon followed.

“Calm down. She is doing fine. Her maxillary sinus was blocked due to the building up of phlegm, which resulted in lower air intake and thus grogginess. There is nothing to worry about.”

Sighs were heard and my mum hugged me. All was well.

We entered the ward and saw my grandmother lying on the bed, her face pallid. Under the white, hospital sheet, she looked so tiny and frail. She had always been so active. Although near her eighties, age was never an obstacle to her. She always had something to do. I still remember that she used to cane me for my mischievous deeds, and she did cane hard. Life, to her, was to be lived to the fullest, to be appreciated. This grandma in front of me had changed. She aged.

This delicate woman had undergone a process everyone would experience at some time. Never, would grandma be able to cane me. Lying like a helpless child, she was not what she used to be. Her loud voice was replaced by inaudible mutters. I did not notice the wrinkles and grey hair before till that day. Age has stolen my grandma and replaced her with a stranger.

Reflecting on the good times I had with grandma, I was still a little child then. Approaching my pre-teen age, I realised that I was drifting further and further away from my grandma’s world. Simple games and things simply did not please me. I too had aged. And as time passed by, my demand for satisfaction became more and more materialistic. Never again was I happy with just a candy, toy or a hug. In this ever changing world, my grandma was not able to catch up with the pace. She was not able to meet my gratifications for a new cell phone, new bag and the likes. Only that day, after some reflection, I realised age had pulled us apart. Yet, we have to face reality. Not wanting to be forever out of touch with her, I am willing to mend the broken bridge between grandma and me. Age with experience, at the same time, made me mature in thinking, and relate to my grandma and Russell Baker in ‘Growing Up’.

Aging is inevitable. Aging tears apart the relationship with your elders. And yet, aging brings about experience, which makes us see the problem and understand what must be done. Reality must be faced.