I don’t know the names of many people in the village. I give them names, names that I can remember. Today I want to introduce you to Carl Fredricksen. You know, the guy from Up.
Up was one of my favourite animated movies. Generally I am not a fan of animation. I am probably going to be vilified here by saying I did not like The Lion King. No I did not. But I enjoyed Up. I cried in Up. This movie is a good example of western society and our treatment of the elderly. Too many of our elderly are discarded and forgotten in our rush to continue with our own selfish lives. I find that in Turkey, society as a whole look after their elderly as is their tradition and custom. The majority of elderly live with their family, their children or their grandchildren. They are looked after with love as it is the family’s duty to do so however even in Turkey some elderly fall through the cracks merely because they do not have any family.
Like Carl Fredricksen my “Carl” is a lonely old man. I have met him many times, he used to be a regular visitor at my mother in law’s home. She told me that he had few friends and no family so she always made him feel welcome in her home. He cannot speak. He has no tongue. I do not know if it was removed for a medical reason or if it was removed for other reason. He was a toy maker by trade. He used to make toys for the village children and his house is, apparently, filled with the toys intended for his own children however this was not meant to be as he never married. How sad is that?
He spends his days walking through the village and I would often see him while I am on my walks with My Hurley Dog. He would stop and pat My Hurley Dog and give me a smile and a grunt when he sees me.
Daughter always makes a point of running up to him and calling him Dede (Grandfather). Those of you who know us personally are aware of Daughter’s abilities and one of them is her ability to be empathetic. She has always been able to channel other people’s feelings, whether it be tears of sadness or excitement and joy. Since moving here I have witnessed her many times see Carl from our window and run downstairs to give him a hug. She took this photo of Carl a few weeks back and he was so very excited to see himself on the screen. We realised that he did not have a photo of himself so Daughter is waiting until she sees him next to take another photo of him, have it printed and present it to him in a photo frame.
We only have one life, one chance. What we do with it is up to us isn’t it?
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janeyinmersin 
Sounds like you have a very sweet daughter. And it is beyond sad that too often the elderly in our society are pushed aside.
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I am always surprised by the things that Daughter does. She can be so sweet, so kind and then with the blink of an eye . . .
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That’s really beautiful. I hope I can raise my daughter to be as kind and empathetic as yours! Maybe you can write a post where you give us your parenting secrets 🙂 She’s lucky to have you as well. In just the short time I have been reading your blog I can see that your positivity and sense of humour just shines through. You seem to embrace your new life and roll with the punches in a way that few of us are able!
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It is always a matter of finding that one thing to make your day shine but thank you for your kind words Lori.
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What a lovely gesture, I bet Carl is really happy you guys moved into the neighbourhood!
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Daughter has the right idea, a hug or a “Gunaydin” is all most people need to brighten their day here. I have taken to smiling at every single person I walk past (even those grumpy old women who give me the evil eye when I walk past their house). The women are always more grumpy than the men here.
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I know what you mean. There are three widowed old ladies that live near me and they wouldn’t look or talk to me for quids but every time I see them I wave and say a big grinning CIAO!! and after three months they are waving and grinning right back at me…it’s my favourite time of day seeing them. I hope people treat me like that when I am old x
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Lovely post Jane. You have a beautiful daughter, inside and out.
The way they treat the elderly in the UK these days is disgusting. I gave a guy (about 85) a hug in the Co-Op the other day, apologizing to him for missing out on Hug Day. Judging by his smile, it made his day. I can be a little impulsive sometimes.
In my banking days, a lot of my regulars were pensioners, several told by their friends to come and see me if they had a problem with their rates (I was the standing order clerk as well as a cashier). For many, it was the only interaction with other people.
‘Up’ is also one our favourite animated films (didn’t like The Lion King either). We both cried, and often meet up with a lady whose dog Bridie is the spitting image of Doug.
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The Turk hates shopping with me. He says it takes 3 times longer than it should because I always stop and have a chat with the oldies in the line or help them with their trolley. You are right though for many this is their only interaction and it takes but a moment out of your day.
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Hear, hear.
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Such a lovely post. And bless your daughter for taking the time to say hello to him, and to give him a photo of himself. Such a simple but profound gesture! 🙂
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🙂 Warmed my heart!
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