Portraits Of Aging (1978)

[Music] was the sound of his horn brought me from my bed and the Cry of his sound which he of times LED for PE you how would awaken the dead or the from his lair in the [Music] morning you get to know a person when you're drawing them in a way you wouldn't otherwise Dorothy's strength really comes through here the sureness of of what she's doing what a vibrant person the more I understand music the more joy music gives me I've spent my whole life at least listening to music and a great deal of it in performing music and I think I I have more understanding and more deep joy in music than ever one thing [Music] Charles is a philosopher he's in the process of writing another book but as I look at him I see much more than just a world famous [Music] scholar in philosophy you never get to the end of things are always new objections and new puzzles new problems it says in the Bible you know that we're like the grass the grass whizzers and Fades then it's gone or thrown into the fire it says in the Bible That's the impermanence of everything well aging is just an aspect of that nothing is here forever no ordinary definite thing is there forever but but I long ago decided that we really are impermanent and that that to accept life is to accept impermanence oh that sounds like the Cardinal yeah it's the first song for the winter it sounds as if he's starting off in good voice oh but that's a white SED Sparrow isn't it yeah it sounds like it it sounds like two does it oh do you see him Charles each event is a permanent contribution to the universe uh some experience that that we had 50 years ago go that's a real fact in the universe it's still a fact you can't find it by going around space but it did happen uh it's not just a possibility or something might have happened it did happen well it's nice to have them back for the winter it certainly is we'll have to refill the feeder now each moment I create a new experience was never there before maybe the difference may be very insignificant but it's novel it's new nobody ever had that experience that in some sense of life is like a a story every book every story has an introduction and a middle and an end there's a last chapter to every book and every story and the last chapter to life but the quality of life can still be very good all the way through when the last chapters come it doesn't mean the books destroyed or thrown away so we are all artists Bon said this we are all artists and what is it we we create while our experiences I'm creating my own experience by sitting here drawing Dorothy Dorothy had a time of real excit excitement in her life she's writing a book and and I I've I've watched the the the patience the dedication the the real stick tutiven that went into the whole thing and now to know it's nearing the end to share this moment with her has been very important to me these are moments experiences that I've shared and each one each one has had something very special to give to [Music] me Francisco's hands oh what a great combination Francisco and his beautiful green garden but I think his understanding of growth goes far beyond his garden it makes you feel good when you you plant the seeds and you see the plants come up and then that those plants are producing something that that you like I'd love to see that I like to e the veg fresh and I enjoy seeing the the plants come from under the ground and then grow up and in Yi in yield that's that's one of the main things I guess I guess because we came from a part of a country where they plant so many vegetables and we used to to eat vegetables I didn't think we had that many but I'm going to pull it they're not uh they're not big enough yet yeah this is big enough and I love cats very much and I like it to see them play I enjoy that it really Thrills me to see them jump and play and and uh and they're so tame and and so grateful if you're hungry you need some milk yeah yes yes you are hungry so I can talk to them and they seem to understand me and they come and cuddle and just kind of love you and I like that about the kids I spend too much time in my garden cuz I I want to have the things fresh to eat of course when I get too many I put them on jars so I and saing see like the jalapenos I mix the vinegar with sugar water and it it turn out to be [Music] good last time I ride a bike was 42 years ago I never thought I was going to balance in the bike but I did and we enjoy that fresh air especially in the summer time and that coolness from the River and it's good for our health we like to get out and and enjoy that it's very enjoyable Francisco and Cruz seem to have a very special quality a exist at this moment of this day meral Dean oh if only I could draw the strength that this woman has like so many others she saw her life go downhill slowly her knees deteriorated until she could hardly walk and then then she lost her [Music] husband the left leg was completely uh I was told gone it it just didn't move it was I had no knee joint at all the right knee was not far behind I was told that also it grew steadily worse without my realizing it or feeling that I would ever admit it and then finally I had to uh I would lie across the bed many times in my clothes not feeling like I needed to get up and undress for bed to go through the house I had to hold the walls to the furniture to the um then to the back door it was it seemed like a mile trip to me to get from the front bedroom to the back door in the small duplex uh I cried day and night I just felt like I had been thrown [Music] away oh how pretty you're pretty tonight let's go to the ball huh now oh you pretty thing let's go to the ball pretty red [Music] dress never felt you know you know you're going to be on television I know when they say [Music] Christmas I went to a dance at Rose Park and sat on the seventh row back and watched my friends dance wishing someday maybe I could but I bet I never could but I wish I could then I'd go watch them square dance all my friends at Rose Park then I found found out that this total knee replacement was available to me it was a steel knee joint mounted in polyline and here I am with uh what we call artificial knees at the age of 67 it has been the most gratifying thing that's ever happened in my life I am a new person it's just simply wonderful my life is completely reversed and I can enjoy many many things that I thought had passed me by I got me a mighty good partner for this year he's he's a beautiful beautiful person and everybody knows him loves him m is one of the best P little partners I've ever had bird is a really a Master with dancing well she thinks I'm pretty good and I know she is he is smooth as silk and I don't see any reason why I shouldn't keep her if I can he has to sit out a few of them 84 years old I am more fun than any old man you ever knew this is Mr Ferg Kellog how many balls have you attended 39 well tonight the Cowboys Christmas ball Association a dedicated wishing Che ball to Mr K I can't get up there I can help you [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] I would like to insist to every person that I could come in contact with or not that could hear my voice if they could just try try hard hard don't give up don't ever say you can't just keep trying your best to look [Music] [Applause] forward meral Dean is one of my truly Brave friends and she's learned to get the most joy out of each experience she's taught me about coping Helen has helped helped me understand the generous rewards that come from sharing in others lives she's taught me about giving time and attention to someone who gets so little of either I want to be involved with people and so I went to work and then that way through our team and and other organizations we can do things for people and I love people that's my Prime concern I love people and uh I like to do for others if we spend an hour a week throughout the United States an hour a week visiting some elderly person or doing something for my look what a blessing that would be to them [Music] [Applause] [Music] come in well hello Miss Roberts how are you I brought you a little something for Christmas h no that's cute thank you are you making quilts for Christmas making them for a Prett children oh that's great oh she's precious she's 84 years old she lives alone she has a little dog and pepper I think he's 13 years old are you about ready for Christmas just oh how nice that's beautiful thank thank you thank you so much let myself get out of hand I'm too big for much oh well we all do that don't we what's the matter oh you went yeah you know it's the greatest thing I think is when all the families gets together you know and and and enjoys the on occasions like that that's how important that's important [Music] M Lonnie understands the enjoyment that comes from creating experiences around others he's a former pro ball player and an attorney but in his retirement he is still a very active person in the community make a step to the side give me one time one hand push out see that's good well I have about six six boys that I a big brother to I take them to Sports football games I take them F shows I take them ride I go around and talk with him it's a good thing to do you know I think as long as I can see that it's helping those people and to see smiles on people's face when you help them regardless whether they're young or old hello everybody well well Mr Bell I haven't se you in a long time looks like you got something new rigged up here well you know you can't you can't lay down and you're when I see an old woman old man smile for something that I help Co well then it makes me feel like I have a million dollars that's pay enough for me you come a long ways though you see look look at your stomach there without your help I couldn't have done that yeah you know you you you've got to have somebody to help you you know you know if you if you get stuck on a hill just a least push and you know you can get over a person if he believes in himself regardless of his age regardless of his physical condition he can't help himself see so uh that's what we try to do in organizing this place so that it would show that elderly people could still create things unbelievable to the younger people now you were still living in t hello I pay the rich man I'm P win that man been living right in town and nobody even mentioned his name Abraham Lincoln is played by rord Andrew and he's really a funny character and uh he'll have you laughing throughout all his Parts our this should come all the way from Paris Jesus Paris yes Paris Texas [Laughter] USA well she's too old for morning stickers we can rule that [Applause] out she bought her her boxes church supp and PID $5 for it margar she plays saman she's a she's a great goser and I could she's leading gossiper in the entire Community you can say that again but anyway they say that he just made a fool out of his say he was a chicken and training and talking young folk talk like he was 20 years old yes honey it's a wonderful comedy and they it shows that uh it's not too late to learn and it's not too late because of age to find something interesting in life if he has the confidence in himself to do something he can still do it regardless of age Jean is a Potter Roy is a beekeeper never have I seen a person more unified with this world when the weather is good Jean and I take a morning walk it's good for our physical health and it's good for our should I say spiritual health to have those walks together instead of getting up and starting a day it might be hectic why it it's a time of relaxation and it's time of enjoying the countryside [Music] together be have been a a part of my life since I can remember and the interest in bees never ceases seven or eight worker bees put in there with her M and you also catch them and put them in MH what about getting stung well you'll get stung uh I I tell people that uh Sur you be sting you but if you food with people well they sting you too and that hurts a whole lot longer than bees bees just hurt a little while people often ask me why I don't retire and I can't retire because my interest is there with the bees one side of this Hive has Queen in it the other side doesn't have a clean I don't know which side has and opening a highve you ra a lid like that just pour a little smoke a little right across the M let's see if we can find the queen and my interest in bees is so great that I feel that if I was divorced from bees n that I would not have enough interest in life to have an incentive to continue life that bees are part off me there she is right there and catching the queen you you catch her by both wings and she kind of lays over your finger and then you put her head in the cage and she just crawls right into the cage you got sharp eyes Kevin probably there she is see you yeah right there right there uh-huh she I think she's a good Queen she's not as large as she would be if she's laying heavy mhm it's too cold now but you see how she carries herself up on the front legs mhm and she's a good vigorous looking Queen that'll hit a good colony of bees I I do think for a happy life that uh will continue after you retire or become of retirement age is to be vitally interested in something whether it be bees or cattle or riding if you don't have the opportunity to otherwise develop a hobby something that you are interested in in doing or interested in seeing that it's being [Music] done I think that's vitally important I enjoy uh Ceramics and I enjoy painting I enjoy the study of art history and I have done etching and uh I feel that art has many um variations and I'm interested in all of them I I think the bees have helped to teach me to accept life as it comes if the conditions are not right not to get too excited about it not to feel that the weight of the world is on your shoulders that things are going to be better I think they've helped to teach me to have faith by faith I don't mean just faith in God I mean faith in the future faith in life and what's coming to not worry if the Sun is not shining today it'll be shining tomorrow or next day don't let one year's of financial failure or one little spell of uh illness cause you to despair it's going to be better it's better with the be bees the bees are there ready to take advantage of every moment that the sun is shining and there nectaring poen together and if you there to take that Advantage well everything's going to be all [Music] right I wish I'd painted these portraits but I didn't I'm not an artist I'm an actress I do have a portrait of my myself though that I'd like to share with you last year I moved into that magic age of 65 suddenly I heard the word old as it related to me and I confess even now I cannot tell you what that word means growing old is what we're all doing and how we move into these later decades it seems to me is determined largely by how we lived in our 20s and 30s and 40s I took a new long look at myself well I adjusted the picture a little but I'm becoming comfortable about it I'm stronger than I was at 20 perhaps wiser than at 30 I know I'm less depressed than I was at 50 and I've picked up an acting career that I put down 37 years ago so I believe I'm coping and these people whose portraits we've been viewing they seem to be coping very well but we know all of us of old people who are not who are ill and alone and who feel hopeless unmotivated perhaps financially desperate area agencies on Aging can provide help with food and Health Services Transportation other services in the home if you need support and it really is is your responsibility if you do it's as close as a telephone area agencies on Aging function in every region of the nation and your local agency can provide information about resources [Music]