White walls and floors, harsh cleaning supply odors, uncomfortable plastic chairs, and was my sensory experience that day. I looked around the room and saw the patchwork of wrinkles and white hair all over the room. I was at the senior center visiting my grandma, and they were all sitting around playing bingo. There were smiles on the faces of those who won, and got a quarter; and bored, stern looking faces on those who never won.
They sat there for so long just to win a quarter, so they could save up for a can of pop. Such simple luxuries; these things we take no notice of in our own lives. Most of them don't have any money, and playing bingo is the only way they can save up for anything that they want to buy.
I spotted one man, who looked to be about 80 years old. He had hair white as snow, but something about his face was captivating. He had such nice features. I could tell he used to be amazingly handsome in his youth. He caught me looking at him once, and he smiled at me. I probably almost blushed because I saw him for who he was when he was younger. I thought about what color his hair must have been, and I decided that dark brown would have looked best on him. I imagined all the girls he took out, and wondered what they did for fun back then. I could picture him and a lady riding those fancy bikes from the 40's, just laughing and enjoying being alive. I saw him now and wondered how he could take it being there in that cafeteria playing bingo for hours.
Tears filled my eyes as I imagined how it feels to go from having everything and being healthy and enjoying life, to ending up in this room, wasting away. How does it feel to remember who you were, and yet end up in this place, doing things you had no interest in while you were younger? I think I would rather stay where I was, even if I couldn't take care of myself. I don't want my last few years to be spent in a place like that. I couldn't imagine sitting there with my husband someday. We still have so many plans ahead of us. I can't comprehend being able to sit there having all our memories tease us as we sat there and did nothing special in a random bingo hall.
I looked around the room and wondered what their hobbies were, and where they traveled while they were able. All those people just look like old people, nothing more than that. But you have to really look at them and remember they were your age once. They had experiences and have amazing stories to tell. They had hopes and dreams, and maybe they fulfilled them. They're just like you, only they've run out of time. They're just waiting for the end.
What about your end? Maybe you have 90 total years to live. How are you going to use them, and live each day to the fullest? As long as you are able to walk, or love, or share, do everything you can to make your life worth while. You may not have as much time as you think. What if your last day is tomorrow? Don't give up before it's over. If you have any life in you, use it the best way you can. You have goals and plans, and dreams, but for a lot of people, all they have are memories.