The best fight my parents ever had was the day my father tried to outrun my mom in their own house.

Before
I get into the story, there’s something I should share about Annie, my mom.
She’s slow to anger and she’s not a yeller. In truth, my mom’s as placid as a
petunia, and people gravitate to her, gather around her.

A
caretaker, never the center of attention, she’s had the same best friends for 60
years. She was an orthopedic nurse and started her career in her 40s.

So,
when we three daughters heard about this squabble, we were aghast. We wanted
details.

How
it started wasn’t clear. Mom said my dad was working on something around the
house. She didn’t like the way he was handling it and gave him further
instructions. He said he knew what he was doing. The thing was, my mom used
tools as well as my father.

My
dad turned his back and left the room.

“Don’t
walk away from me,” she said. My father walked faster and so did my mom. “I’m
coming after you,” mom yelled. My father sprinted into the bedroom and locked
the door.

“Come
out,” said my mother. No sound from within. “Come out or I’ll break down this
door.” Still no sound.

My
mom lifted her foot and drove it into the door, splintering it. The door gave
way and my father ran giggling into the bathroom and slammed that door.

“Don’t Walk Away from Me,” She Said

My
mom hulked outside the bathroom. “Better come out or I’ll break this one, too.”
A moment passed. “I’m not kidding.”

After
another moment, the door opened, and my father came out. “I knew you
weren’t kidding,” he said, hugging her. “I can afford to fix one door only.”

There
are fights in the best relationships, but I always knew my parents loved each
other. My father, a yeller when I was growing up, never yelled at my mom.

My
father died when my mom was only 64, but she was never interested in dating.

“I
had a good marriage. I enjoyed my children,” I remember her saying. “I’m not
interested in another relationship.”

These
days, when relationships come and go like so many tweets, I think of what made
my parents so good together. I realize it’s my mom’s attitude – as well as my dad’s, back in the day.

Plus,
relationships come in all forms, and my mom has maintained 60+ years of
friendship with her two dear friends, Hilda and Florence.

95 Years Old and My Mom Texts

At
95, my mom’s flexible and optimistic, open to learning. Despite poor eyesight
from macular degeneration (which I have inherited) and lordosis, an excessive
inward curvature of the spine, she greets each day with 45 minutes on her bike,
a freshly-brewed cup of coffee, and a shower.

She
lives alone with help twice a week but prepares her own meals.

And
texts.

Which
reminds me. A few weeks ago, a friend told me her husband refuses to text. “He
says he’s too old for that silly texting stuff. It’s frustrating when he calls
and I’m in the middle of something at work.”

My
friend’s husband is 65.

“My
mom texts,” I say. “Tell your husband to grow up,” I tease, knowing he’ll laugh
at this.

It’s
true. My sister showed Mom how to use the microphone function on her phone, and
she’s never looked back. Of course, she has some difficulty reading small print
on the phone, but she persists.

Relationships Come in All Forms

Mom
listens to audiobooks on her Kindle, now that reading has become difficult. She
loves J.D. Robb, Lee Child, and is open to new authors as long as they write
page-turners.

She
never complains. Never did. She accepted my father for who he was – the key to any successful relationship,
really.

And couples
have disagreements.

The
thing is, my parents never held a grudge against one another, and my mom didn’t
believe in the silent treatment. These days, I brag about her. If she can’t
sleep at four in the morning, she’ll get up and ride her stationary bike.

Me
­– I turn on the television if I can’t sleep.

Last
September, when I visited with her, we were saying our good nights at around 9
pm when she announced, “I’m going to ride my bike.”

“Now?
You’re riding your bike now?”

“Sometimes
I ride my bike at night. It helps me sleep better,” and off she went.

Not
only does my mom set an example when it comes to a strong primary relationship,
she sets the standard for aging gracefully. Without a partner.

Your Relationship with Yourself

Don’t
forget, relationships include the one you have with yourself. As we age, it
becomes a struggle to accept the changes to our body, and our physical
limitations loom greater. Maintaining relationships in spite of a loss of
independence becomes crucial.

“That’s
really important,” Mom said when I mentioned this. “That’s why I take the
special senior bus.” When she and her friends could no longer drive, they had
to find ways to visit one another, a real challenge.

Mom
recently lost a childhood friend, Florence, whom she’d known since they were
kids, and I’m sure she thinks of her every day.

My
mom has nurtured her relationship with my cousin, Dusty, who comes over every
couple of weeks and has a tuna sandwich with my mom. He stays a couple of hours
or takes her on an outing.

This
past fall he took her to the beach, and they strolled the boardwalk together;
she with her walker, a bent-over, tiny silver-haired lady and my six-foot
cousin in his customary jeans and T-shirt.

When
she told me the story, I imagined them, pictured the stir they made. “A lot of
people said hello,” my mom said, and I could feel her pride in knowing she
board-walked along with a much younger crowd.

Seasoned Characters Have Stories

Older
people, meaning those significantly older than I am, interest me these days.
Perhaps it comes from living in an area with an older population. A daily
reminder not to take anything for granted.

I
need to gather together the old family recipes for coleslaw and potato salad,
and the prune hamantaschen from my grandmother. Even if I never make them. Part
of cherishing our relationships is having them live on after we’re gone.

Living
a long life is not easy. I’m inspired that my mom finds the best, not only in
each day, but in all of us.

Excuse
me, please, dear reader. My mom just texted.

Which
relationships do you find easies to maintain? What do you do to show your loved
ones you appreciate them? Please share your thoughts.