Leading a simple life is complex. What might be a simple task for some of us, is incredibly complex for others. I’ve been thinking about this because this afternoon I’ve agreed to assist the youth group at church in making meals for some of our older members who can use a little help.
As we prepare the meals, I want the young people to get a sense of what it’s like for someone who has given up driving, who is now cut off from easy visits to the supermarket. I want them to understand that it is not just a question of transportation. Even when the elderly are given a ride to the store, they have to exert a great deal of energy to purchase the ingredients for even a simple tuna casserole: they have to make a list, remember to take it with them, make the purchases, bring them into the house, and put them away before the cooking even begins. This can be a big ordeal as people get older. And what about the men, who, well into their eighties now have to start cooking and being the person in the kitchen?
Simple for me, overwhelming to someone else.
As we prepare the meals, I want the young people to get a sense of what it’s like for someone who has given up driving, who is now cut off from easy visits to the supermarket. I want them to understand that it is not just a question of transportation. Even when the elderly are given a ride to the store, they have to exert a great deal of energy to purchase the ingredients for even a simple tuna casserole: they have to make a list, remember to take it with them, make the purchases, bring them into the house, and put them away before the cooking even begins. This can be a big ordeal as people get older. And what about the men, who, well into their eighties now have to start cooking and being the person in the kitchen?
Simple for me, overwhelming to someone else.