Growing Old In Brooklyn

Yesterday’s entry made me think about my twenty years in the neighborhood. So many neighbors have come and gone during that time. Many young couples who bought a house on our block moved as soon as their kids reached school age, too afraid to take a risk on their children’s education. Then there were the old timers. Over those twenty years, many have gotten weaker, more hunched over, and then, one day, they do not come out of their house anymore for their daily walk. Sometimes, they are sequestered in their home for years. You almost forget about their existence, until the ambulance takes them away from their beloved street for the last time. Sometimes, I force myself to remember each one: Joseph from next door who taught me much about gardening , Louis from across the street who yelled at his tenants for putting garbage in his trash cans instead of dumping it in the public can at the corner, Laura who had a wonderful quick wit until she lost it to Alzheimers, her sister Antoinette, Betty who struggled with Lupus and her brother who committed suicide after her death ( but I was not supposed to know about that.) There are countless more....
So here I am, after raising a family on this block, wondering if we will stay in this old house after the youngest goes off to college. When we first moved in, we figured that we would live here for five years. Back then, that seemed like an eternity. Now, in my mid-forties, without plans of moving anytime soon, I am wondering if I will become one of those old timers myself. My friends and I joke about meeting at the corner of Smith Street with our walkers, bickering and catching up on each others children. Wouldn’t be the worst thing. At least here in the city, culture comes to you and one can stay mobile for as long as possible with the help of public transportation. And its so close to the airport that we can continue traveling overseas till the bitter end.
Here's to becoming a feisty old Brooklyn lady myself. And here's to you, Joseph,Louis, Laura, Antoinette, Betty and all the others. You are missed on this block.



"Two Women" Sculpture by Ron Mueck from the one-man show at the Brooklyn Museum