What is quality of
life?
Much is spoken about the quality of life and its importance this made me think about my evolving opinion on this subject .
Life is forever changing as we journey through it. One thing is for certain what equates quality of life for one person might not be the same for another.
For some quality might measured by quantity, happiness or Nevada is only reached with financial stability, an extremely large house, the latest fashion, dining at the top restaurants, jetting off for expensive holidays bedecked with jewels.
Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with having a comfortable house, good clothes or a healthy bank account but is that the basis for measuring happiness? Give me health and family over designer clothes and vintage wine any time.
- My quality of life has always been about interaction with others, being a little different ,about being almost a workaholic high energy with fingers in may pies.
- My quality of life has been about family and friends,and sharing simchas.
- My quality of life has been about exploration of new places and opportunities
In my twenties I wizzed between Ladbrook grove and Brixton trying to save the world, while downing vast amounts of Newcastle brown and Spanish plonko . I learnt to make authentic Indian, Spanish and Mexican food and hardly sat down the whole decade.
In my thirties I was a wife (short lived )and mother living the charmed life, always entertaining and catering vast dinner parties. I juggled work home, and a busy social life with being a mother, to a very active, but much loved child ,who's every new antic scored high on the quality of life scale.
My forties and fifties were equally high energy, In between travel three jobs, single parenthood and Alyiah. I might have collapsed into bed a 8.30 pm when I could. However, my waking hours were jammed packed with somewhat stressful but always very satisfying activity.
If you had met me four years back I was full of the adventuring spirit. (I made Aliyah at 54.)
I was the person who three or four days a week who would get up at 4 am, prepare the day time food for a 10-12 young women the midrashet where I lived as dorm mum. By 5.30 am after a quick shower and change , tremp( hitch hike) my way to Bet Shemish station to catch the train to Tel Aviv, to be in somewhere like Or Yehuda by 8.30 am. I would teach three lessons, go on to Rishon , teach there,attend a meeting In Tel Aviv , travel back via Jerusalem to visit my family or friends, arrive home about 8.30 or 9 pm ( tired yet?) I spent three to four hours on duty as an em bayit, ( dorm Mum) either planning the students Sabbath meals or supporting and counselling them after checking my emails, slaughtering a scorpion or administering first aid I would fall into bed.
Every minute of my day was packed with people , adventure, stories, and life's lessons. I would laugh my way through the day, treasure the opportunity to people watch, thank God for every bus and train connection or awesome ride.
Although it wasn't an easy life, and not one many would chose, living in a caravan perched down a massive hill , sharing a kitchen with many other women, killing scorpions on a daily basis, albeit a life a life where being tired was an understatement . I was happy, my quality of life was great.
- I was daily in contact with other people, I lived in one of the most beautiful areas of Israel. Every week I would travel miles around the country meet extraordinary people and make a little difference to their lives.
- My son and daughter in law lived half an hour away.
- Every morning I would watch the sun rise
- Every evening see the most phenomenal sun sets from my small window on the world
- I would sit outside my caravan, cup of Earl grey in my hand, cat on my lap, listen to the local donkey braying , count my blessings and all was good in my world.
In the past six months my life has drastically changed, I still live in the same village, ( now at the top of the hill !) My view is excellent, the people here amazing. However my health has taken a down turn, six months ago when I visited my family in the US, although tired I managed to almost ( its not an easy thing) keep pace with my then 30 month old grandson.
Nowadays my week is punctuated by visits to and from medical appointments, my mobility is limited, as they say the spirit is willing but the flesh is very weak. Constant dizziness and fainting have slowed me down physically, but mentally my mind is as fast as ever.
Whereas Shabbat meals use to be a veritable display of my culinary talents, with at least seven salatim, ( Israeli salads at the start of a meal, ) soup ,spelt Challas with olive or spelt and zatar stuffing. Two mains and at list three sides and two deserts to delight my guests, Keeping it simple is the operative word nowadays.
This Shabbat I have chicken soup ( courtesy of two friends) simple garlic roasted chicken with roasted beet and orange salad, a green salad and passion fruits for Shabbat sustenance.
As my physical strength has waned I have moved the enjoyment goal posts .
Two weeks ago my doctor surprised me by saying, "your Illness is really effecting your quality of life." I though long and hard about this comment.
I then said "No my quality of life is different, I have moved the goal posts."
I can still enjoy a cup of tea in the sunshine it just might take me longer to make it and move outside. A trip to Jerusalem is normally for medical appointments , but bumping in to friends, grabbing an early morning coffee in the Shuk watching the market traders unpack their goods still gives me untold pleasure.
I can still smile at and appreciate my friends children and grand children.
I still get untold pleasure from my grandchildren, every picture, video uploaded and Skype call keeps me smiling for hours if not days.
Yes. life has thrown me a curve ball, and a big one but I can use my experience to give support and love to others.
I might not have a buzzing social life , as getting to functions and the risk of infections is sometimes too great. Instead I have a very good virtual social world not only through teaching on line but also family friends and contacts all over the world whom I relate to though social media.
Life is a funny thing, we get one crack at it. To my mind one can see beauty and pleasure in all the little things, grab the lemons and make lemonade to share , or dwell on the past and what might have been.
I decided quite sometime ago that I have to take what life throws at me and run with it.
Every day I count my blessings, my family, my home, my friends , most of all the blessing of flexibility and adaptability without which I might not grasp how good my quality of life really is.
