For Becky’s July Squares, today I focus on the perspective of point of view: a particular way of considering (looking at) something or the capacity to view things in their relative importance.

There has been an emphasis during this Covid-19 pandemic on people 65 and older, who are believed to be more susceptible to the more serious complications of the virus. The state of Illinois had the residents and staff of all senior facilities tested, so I was one of the “lucky” people to be tested (for readers not in the USA, we are woefully behind when it comes to testing, no matter what Trump says). When the results came back, we had the pleasure of learning that not a single resident has contracted the virus.

At our community – like many senior communities – there are 3 different facilities: independent living (houses and apartments), assisted living (smaller apartments), and memory care/health care center (for residents who need the most care). The biggest worry has been the health care center, where residents & staff are in close quarters. We live in one of the two bedroom duplexes, so we are fortunate to be able to leave our house and walk around and not encounter anybody – sometimes that happens; anyway, we carry our masks in case we stop to talk to other people out walking.

At 68, I am probably the youngest resident here and sometimes it feels weird, like I don’t belong. Or that I’m seeing what the future has in store for me. Which brings me to my photo for today! (I have posted this photo several times, when it has fit whatever challenge, because it’s one of my favorite photos.)

I took this photo years ago when my mother was in a senior facility and was moving from her spacious independent living apartment to assisted living. My husband, my brother and sister-in-law were helping get all her stuff packed, which she “supervised.” This shows a contemplative moment, I think, as she looked at all the empty white shelves, and perhaps thinking of how the bare shelves were a metaphor for her twilight years. Or maybe she was just tired. What was she thinking? What was her perspective?