Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Tempus Fugit

Mabel died today. Actually she died last night after a fall which induced her last and final heart-attack. The simple black-bordered notice was tagged on the bulletin board in the hallway leading to the dining room which I saw this morning on my way to breakfast. Apparently, Friday the 13th lived up to its reputation, at least for Mabel.

I felt a pinge of sadness although I barely knew her. In my two weeks in this place, I have seen her here and there sitting hunched over on a chair, her walker next to her. I said "Hello" a few times in passing but she did not look up or respond in any way. I figured she did not want to socialize or be bothered by any meaningless chatter. No one probably knew how close she was to her end, maybe, just maybe, she was the only one who could feel the march of the dark angel in charge of diffusing her feeble light.

"Night's candles are burnt out and the jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops..." -Shakespeare

I am a new resident here. "You are too young to go there," opined my family. "Wait another ten years or more and then decide," stated a few others. "The company you keep there would only hasten your own end," warned a few others. I knew that the average age of the residents here is 90+, a good 25 years ahead of me, but I still wanted to be here. Something or someone kept whispering in my ears:

They do everything for you at this Chateau La Jolla Inn, well, almost everything, and all the creature comfort is built right in. Don't feel like cooking? No problem. Go to the dining room and order your meal from a menu to eat in their elegant environs with others, or have it delivered to your room and dine in complete privacy. Bathroom is shabby? They will be here every week to straighten it out. Carpets have crumbs all over? These will be vacuumed every week as well. The list could go on. I did not think it was possible to avail myself of all these amenities for a not too unreasonable fee.

After being married, raising two children, and having a career for 28 years, I was finally living on my own and alone. For many years it was great and quite enjoyable until isolation became insurmountable and I needed company -- human contact which does not include physical intimacy but provides comfort in camarederie.

This is almost like having my childhood days back. Nothing is expected from me, nothing at all. But anything I may need or want would be given to me at my request. The concept is so new that I have to pinch myself to see if I am dreaming.

The best part of this new life is there is no "To Do List" any longer. I hope this relief lasts for me for a little while. I was very tired living my life, but no more of that.

There is an old Hindi quote, "Ishque ka ek rose kiya, ek baras kiya," which roughly translates to "Love's one day could easily feel like one whole year of sweetness."

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county
Next Article

2024’s Best Bitcoin & Crypto Casinos – Play BTC Casino Games Online

Best Bitcoin Casinos (2024): Top 10 Crypto Casino Sites for BIG Payouts

Mabel died today. Actually she died last night after a fall which induced her last and final heart-attack. The simple black-bordered notice was tagged on the bulletin board in the hallway leading to the dining room which I saw this morning on my way to breakfast. Apparently, Friday the 13th lived up to its reputation, at least for Mabel.

I felt a pinge of sadness although I barely knew her. In my two weeks in this place, I have seen her here and there sitting hunched over on a chair, her walker next to her. I said "Hello" a few times in passing but she did not look up or respond in any way. I figured she did not want to socialize or be bothered by any meaningless chatter. No one probably knew how close she was to her end, maybe, just maybe, she was the only one who could feel the march of the dark angel in charge of diffusing her feeble light.

"Night's candles are burnt out and the jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops..." -Shakespeare

I am a new resident here. "You are too young to go there," opined my family. "Wait another ten years or more and then decide," stated a few others. "The company you keep there would only hasten your own end," warned a few others. I knew that the average age of the residents here is 90+, a good 25 years ahead of me, but I still wanted to be here. Something or someone kept whispering in my ears:

They do everything for you at this Chateau La Jolla Inn, well, almost everything, and all the creature comfort is built right in. Don't feel like cooking? No problem. Go to the dining room and order your meal from a menu to eat in their elegant environs with others, or have it delivered to your room and dine in complete privacy. Bathroom is shabby? They will be here every week to straighten it out. Carpets have crumbs all over? These will be vacuumed every week as well. The list could go on. I did not think it was possible to avail myself of all these amenities for a not too unreasonable fee.

After being married, raising two children, and having a career for 28 years, I was finally living on my own and alone. For many years it was great and quite enjoyable until isolation became insurmountable and I needed company -- human contact which does not include physical intimacy but provides comfort in camarederie.

This is almost like having my childhood days back. Nothing is expected from me, nothing at all. But anything I may need or want would be given to me at my request. The concept is so new that I have to pinch myself to see if I am dreaming.

The best part of this new life is there is no "To Do List" any longer. I hope this relief lasts for me for a little while. I was very tired living my life, but no more of that.

There is an old Hindi quote, "Ishque ka ek rose kiya, ek baras kiya," which roughly translates to "Love's one day could easily feel like one whole year of sweetness."

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.