My father, for most of his life, was a competent and respected force in his business and in life. That speaks for itself. He was simply content with that.
As he became older, long into his retirement, he started to try to entertain and impress more and more. The farther he slipped from his feeling of relevance, the harder he tried. A lot of patience and eye rolling met his final years. I now see how he was struggling to get back to a relevance that he was used to in the past. I wish I understood just a little better then.
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So much of our wisdom and understanding are gained in hindsight. 😦
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I recently lost my dad. He had Parkinson’s for many years and later its related dementia. It was sad to see, especially when he knew he wasn’t thinking clearly. The doctors wanted him to stay inside in his chair so he wouldn’t fall. Instead he went out in the yard and did as much yard work as he could, whenever he could, abandoning his walker. He was bent over at 90 degrees. He was very determined. We mostly let him have at it as we stood nearby, hoping to catch him if he fell.
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