My life has undergone several significant changes during the past two years, and I felt that my story might help others to cope with the challenges that they have encountered.
About a year ago, I discovered a wonderful website, http://www.seniorcorrespondent.com, which provided a online platform for "seniors" to submit articles for publication. I had always wanted to be a published author, and this seemed to be an ideal vehicle to accomplish that goal.
I had celebrated my 78th birthday, and thought a story about folks in their 70's would be of interest to my "underage readers." My submission was approved and on July 6, 2017 it was published.
*The reader may wish to read this article about my life back in 2017. My life was very good...adequate income, a stable residence, and good health. "Life as a Septuagenarian" Clip on the URL below. SeniorCorrespondent.com. http://seniorcorrespondent.com.
What I didn't understand at the time was that the Universe had some definite plans for me and my wife. It was getting ready to provide me with plenty of material for the next Chapters in my life. My life as a satisfied Septuagenarian was about to undergo a complete transformation!
"Chapter 1" After 20 years of retirement, I learned that my monthly benefit would be cut in half! I was told that there had been a "clerical error" shortly after I retired, and I had been "overpaid" by thousands of dollars! While the retirement agency admitted their error, we were still legally required to pay back all of the money. We sought out legal advice, but after months of arbitration, the final settlement left my wife and I with only half of my previous retirement income.
"Chapter 2" The financial bombshell would have been hard enough to deal with...but another shake-up was just around the corner. We had been leasing a large 2 bedroom home for approximately 7 years in a wonderful neighborhood. Several weeks before Christmas 2017, I received a call from our owner who advised that her brother had a serious health condition, and they would have to sell the home. We had until March 15th to locate and move to another residence. (Oh boy, more material for that next installment in our life!)
"Chapter 3". We soon discovered that rentals had doubled during the past 7 years, and with our "new reduced income," we had to move out of the area. We finally located a small 2 bedroom we could afford in Riverside County. The move was a difficult undertaking. It was very tiring to both of us.
"Chapter 4". On the morning of March 12th, Paula and I were enjoying morning tea and planning out our day. At one point, Paula said that I looked ill, and asked how I was feeling. I told her I wasn't feeling well, and felt pressure in my chest, and my left arm was some what numb. That's right! We both realized that I might be having a heart attack! She gave me 6 baby aspirins, and then drove me to a nearby Kaiser Urgent Care. I was seen by a doctor, and he verified that I was having a heart attack.
I was soon admitted to the Kaiser Hospital in Fontana, CA. I underwent an angiogram that showed I had major blockages in 3 heart arteries, and the next morning I had Triple B-Pass Open Heart Surgery.
The surgery was successful, but my rehab was arduous because surgery staff failed to take me off of a specific medicine that caused my blood sugar levels to "crash" multiple times. As a result, I came very close to dying. Several weeks later another doctor discovered the error, took me off of the med, and I immediately began to get better. My physical health has continued to improve.
"Chapter 5". So...our life has undergone shocks that turned our lives upside down. My initial reaction was one of anger and disbelief. Why had these things happened in the way they did? Had we somehow created an environment that caused these changes? What could we have done differently? Are there Lessons that will help us to better understand the Changes we have faced? And, perhaps, are there Gifts we have received unwittingly from these experiences? My answers to some of these questions are below in the Epilogue!
"The Epilogue". Taking a serious look at Chapter 1...where our monthly retirement was cut in half...I was certainly challenged, at first, in seeing any Lessons or Gifts.
Viewed from the perspective of today, the Lesson is apparent. It is not true that financial decisions are best handled by professionals. I had assumed that the Retirement agency would monitor my account, and after receiving the same benefit amount for 20 years, what could go wrong? The Lesson: Don't assume that others are carefully watching over your money. We later learned that the agency had not audited our account since I retired in 1997!
Was there a Gift in this situation? After some thought, yes there was. If we had not contacted the Retirement agency on that fateful day in August 2017, the clerical error would not have been discovered until my demise. Paula, my beneficiary, would have had to pay back the over- payment on her own!
Chapters 2 and 3...our move from San Diego, and relocation to Riverside County...was yet another series of events that proved very difficult. We had lived in the same house , resided in the same neighborhood, and developed friendships, for the past 7 years. We ended up moving to a very different community where we had no prior contacts. We were essentially starting over!
The Lesson that we learned was to remember that we had moved fairly often in the past. We knew the "drill" regarding moving, creating a home, and meeting new people. We had survived all of those moves, and we could do it again.
There have been several Gifts. We moved into a 50+ here our monthly rent is several hundred dollars less than we were paying in San Diego. It has a community swimming pool, and ongoing activities. It's a smaller 2 bedroom, but newer and located in a lake-side development. We are meeting new friends, attending a great church, and live near medical facilities and shopping.
"Chapter 4". On March 12, 2018 I had a Heart Attack. Four days later I underwent Triple Bi-Pass Surgery. My initial response was I couldn't imagine anything positive about my situation. As my weeks of recovery went by, I began to understand the Lessons and Gifts from this experience.
The main Lessons for me were the necessity of taking better care of my health and changing my lifestyle. During this past year I've changed my diet by eating less meat and more plant-based meals. I'm now on a low carb eating program, and a modified "fasting regimen." There has been a significant change in my use of alcohol...I only occasionally drink a glass of wine. I walk several times each week. I try to live each day to its fullest.
Perhaps the greatest Gift was the realization that the heart attack led to life-saving surgery that would not have taken place in the normal course of events. Neither my doctor or myself realized that I had such a significant blockage of my heart. Thus, the surgery has improved the functioning of my heart, and added years to my Life!
I've spent many hours thinking of the Lessons and Gifts, consciously forgiving the people and events that brought us to this point, and putting aside the resentment that continues to abate. My spiritual life within Religious Science, and Unity, and its teachings have helped me to move on, and focus on the future. Although some days are a real challenge for me, there are more and more days that I feel peaceful and happy with my Life. And, most importantly, my wife, Paula, has been a strength and guide for both of us. Her care and love for me have indeed saved my Life.
About a year ago, I discovered a wonderful website, http://www.seniorcorrespondent.com, which provided a online platform for "seniors" to submit articles for publication. I had always wanted to be a published author, and this seemed to be an ideal vehicle to accomplish that goal.
I had celebrated my 78th birthday, and thought a story about folks in their 70's would be of interest to my "underage readers." My submission was approved and on July 6, 2017 it was published.
*The reader may wish to read this article about my life back in 2017. My life was very good...adequate income, a stable residence, and good health. "Life as a Septuagenarian" Clip on the URL below. SeniorCorrespondent.com. http://seniorcorrespondent.com.
What I didn't understand at the time was that the Universe had some definite plans for me and my wife. It was getting ready to provide me with plenty of material for the next Chapters in my life. My life as a satisfied Septuagenarian was about to undergo a complete transformation!
"Chapter 1" After 20 years of retirement, I learned that my monthly benefit would be cut in half! I was told that there had been a "clerical error" shortly after I retired, and I had been "overpaid" by thousands of dollars! While the retirement agency admitted their error, we were still legally required to pay back all of the money. We sought out legal advice, but after months of arbitration, the final settlement left my wife and I with only half of my previous retirement income.
"Chapter 2" The financial bombshell would have been hard enough to deal with...but another shake-up was just around the corner. We had been leasing a large 2 bedroom home for approximately 7 years in a wonderful neighborhood. Several weeks before Christmas 2017, I received a call from our owner who advised that her brother had a serious health condition, and they would have to sell the home. We had until March 15th to locate and move to another residence. (Oh boy, more material for that next installment in our life!)
"Chapter 3". We soon discovered that rentals had doubled during the past 7 years, and with our "new reduced income," we had to move out of the area. We finally located a small 2 bedroom we could afford in Riverside County. The move was a difficult undertaking. It was very tiring to both of us.
"Chapter 4". On the morning of March 12th, Paula and I were enjoying morning tea and planning out our day. At one point, Paula said that I looked ill, and asked how I was feeling. I told her I wasn't feeling well, and felt pressure in my chest, and my left arm was some what numb. That's right! We both realized that I might be having a heart attack! She gave me 6 baby aspirins, and then drove me to a nearby Kaiser Urgent Care. I was seen by a doctor, and he verified that I was having a heart attack.
I was soon admitted to the Kaiser Hospital in Fontana, CA. I underwent an angiogram that showed I had major blockages in 3 heart arteries, and the next morning I had Triple B-Pass Open Heart Surgery.
The surgery was successful, but my rehab was arduous because surgery staff failed to take me off of a specific medicine that caused my blood sugar levels to "crash" multiple times. As a result, I came very close to dying. Several weeks later another doctor discovered the error, took me off of the med, and I immediately began to get better. My physical health has continued to improve.
"Chapter 5". So...our life has undergone shocks that turned our lives upside down. My initial reaction was one of anger and disbelief. Why had these things happened in the way they did? Had we somehow created an environment that caused these changes? What could we have done differently? Are there Lessons that will help us to better understand the Changes we have faced? And, perhaps, are there Gifts we have received unwittingly from these experiences? My answers to some of these questions are below in the Epilogue!
"The Epilogue". Taking a serious look at Chapter 1...where our monthly retirement was cut in half...I was certainly challenged, at first, in seeing any Lessons or Gifts.
Viewed from the perspective of today, the Lesson is apparent. It is not true that financial decisions are best handled by professionals. I had assumed that the Retirement agency would monitor my account, and after receiving the same benefit amount for 20 years, what could go wrong? The Lesson: Don't assume that others are carefully watching over your money. We later learned that the agency had not audited our account since I retired in 1997!
Was there a Gift in this situation? After some thought, yes there was. If we had not contacted the Retirement agency on that fateful day in August 2017, the clerical error would not have been discovered until my demise. Paula, my beneficiary, would have had to pay back the over- payment on her own!
Chapters 2 and 3...our move from San Diego, and relocation to Riverside County...was yet another series of events that proved very difficult. We had lived in the same house , resided in the same neighborhood, and developed friendships, for the past 7 years. We ended up moving to a very different community where we had no prior contacts. We were essentially starting over!
The Lesson that we learned was to remember that we had moved fairly often in the past. We knew the "drill" regarding moving, creating a home, and meeting new people. We had survived all of those moves, and we could do it again.
There have been several Gifts. We moved into a 50+ here our monthly rent is several hundred dollars less than we were paying in San Diego. It has a community swimming pool, and ongoing activities. It's a smaller 2 bedroom, but newer and located in a lake-side development. We are meeting new friends, attending a great church, and live near medical facilities and shopping.
"Chapter 4". On March 12, 2018 I had a Heart Attack. Four days later I underwent Triple Bi-Pass Surgery. My initial response was I couldn't imagine anything positive about my situation. As my weeks of recovery went by, I began to understand the Lessons and Gifts from this experience.
The main Lessons for me were the necessity of taking better care of my health and changing my lifestyle. During this past year I've changed my diet by eating less meat and more plant-based meals. I'm now on a low carb eating program, and a modified "fasting regimen." There has been a significant change in my use of alcohol...I only occasionally drink a glass of wine. I walk several times each week. I try to live each day to its fullest.
Perhaps the greatest Gift was the realization that the heart attack led to life-saving surgery that would not have taken place in the normal course of events. Neither my doctor or myself realized that I had such a significant blockage of my heart. Thus, the surgery has improved the functioning of my heart, and added years to my Life!
I've spent many hours thinking of the Lessons and Gifts, consciously forgiving the people and events that brought us to this point, and putting aside the resentment that continues to abate. My spiritual life within Religious Science, and Unity, and its teachings have helped me to move on, and focus on the future. Although some days are a real challenge for me, there are more and more days that I feel peaceful and happy with my Life. And, most importantly, my wife, Paula, has been a strength and guide for both of us. Her care and love for me have indeed saved my Life.
My routine is quite predictable. I slip into my "uniform of the day"..Wrangler jeans and a t-shirt...; brush my teeth; splash on some after shave to wake up my face; and head to the kitchen. My wife is usually up before me and has the teapot water boiling and my green tea set to go. After a morning hug and a brief exchange, she's off to her home office to begin her day, and I'm in front of my computer...checking out the weather report, a look at our calendar, a check of my emails, writing my "Morning Pages", jot down a few lines in my blog, and then I'm off surfing the Internet. 
I'm Larry, with a "Seasoned View of Life."
