Jmore recently spoke with six local Jewish seniors to receive insights, in their own words, on how best to enjoy one’s twilight years.
‘Being Offbeat Helps’
An East Baltimore native, Rae Rossen, 92, lives at Weinberg Village III in Owings Mills. She is a widow and the mother of two and grandmother of two.
“Life is our mortgage, and each stage pays the mortgage. I call [the later years] the foreclosure of our life. Living is a loan where we try to maintain certain activities taken for granted, whether medical, monetary or ordinary. The foreclosure is inevitable.
“It’s grasp vs. gasp — I do a lot of gasping while grasping for things these days [laughs]. I try to utilize humor and patience with just the little things in life, like opening a container. I don’t take things like that for granted anymore.
“You have to be innovative and put less emphasis on time, depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. For instance, just finding different ways to put on your socks. … I cannot do now what I’d like to do, little things like breathing [laughs]. But we have to be grateful for what we can do. Perspective and attitude matter. If I run around all day talking about what I can no longer do, I’d be in real trouble. It all comes down to attitude and gratitude. I’m grateful for the shuttle bus we have here that takes us shopping.
“When I was 10, my first big deal in life came when I won an award from the Baltimore Sun in a letter writing contest. I won a silver dollar, and that was tremendous for me. My most recent big deal was a podcast I did for The Associated. In my earlier life, I was constantly busy working while raising children mostly by myself and taking care of my mother at the same time. I also constantly volunteered, and I appeared in 20 films and videos, did some modeling, commercials, radio. …
“I always advise people it’s good to be a little strange, peculiar, odd. That gives you a little bit of armor when dealing with things in life. Being offbeat helps.
“The younger generation today seem so involved with their activities and technicalities, but I think they’re missing out. My advice is to maintain as much as possible a relationship with your family. That means an awful lot. Popular things come and go, but family matters.
“Also, a sense of humor is so important. That’s how we got through our childhood [during the Depression]. Always look at the funny side of life.”
This is the second in a six-part series. See Also: Martha Meier Weiman
Presented by Jews United for Justice and a consortium of local synagogues, "Beyond Welcoming the Stranger" offered a Jewish approach to helping immigrants.
John Singer wants to help Marylanders of all economic backgrounds to afford ankle foot orthoses.
At Krieger Schechter Day School, joining in the later elementary or middle school isn’t a setback -- it’s a launch pad.
Israeli-Americans Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin talked about the pain of losing their 23-year-old son, who was kidnapped and later murdered in the Oct. 7th tragedy.