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94-year-old man builds pool for neighborhood kids so he won't get lonely
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As we get older, many aspects of our lives will inevitably change.
Gone are the days of blithe social abandon, of sunny days playing in the park and alcohol-fulled nights in city bars. Instead, keeping in touch with friends and loved ones as we move further into old age becomes an increasingly difficult challenge.
There are many reasons for this, not least that people naturally drift apart, lose contact, or else move away. When we are young, while still potentially saddening, this does not present quite so much of a problem, as the presumed likelihood is that young people will generally operate in larger friendship circles that their older counterparts. Moreover, as one group drifts apart, so another is formed; the lives of the young are perceived as more transient and adaptable than older generations.
But loneliness does not have to be an inevitable tragedy for the elderly. If we are being honest with ourselves, a great many of us could do more to alleviate the isolation of older people; a relatively simple act that demands very little of us.
Recently, a heart-rending story emerged of an old lady who, in a desperate bid to make friends in her neighborhood, wrote a letter to her neighbors that would surely bring a tear to anyone's eye.
Now, though, a 94-year-old man has come up with an altogether more hi-tech solution to combat his loneliness.
When Keith Davison lost his wife Evy to cancer in April of 2016, the feeling of isolation was crippling; “You just can’t imagine what it’s like,” he explains, "You cry a lot. That’s just the way it is because she’s not here.” Above all, the silence was proving unbearable, so the retired judge decided that enough was enough, and promptly set about installing a swimming pool in his backyard.
The 16ft x 32ft pool was unveiled in July to neighborhood children, to whom he has granted carte blanche to use the pool as they wish. Now, silence is no longer a problem for the 94-year-old. As one neighbor told him, "you kind of adopted our whole neighborhood of kids. These are your grandchildren."
Keith's pool has ensured that he will never have to endure long period of lonely silence again throughout the days, and he says that enjoys taking a dip in the water himself whenever he gets the chance.
Of course, not everyone has the disposable income with which to build a large swimming pool in their very own backyard, but Keith has found an ingenious - and extremely generous - solution to his isolation.
It should be remembered the countless other older members of our society are living a terribly lonely life, particularly if their family and friends have moved away. Doubtless, if one takes the time to visit them, they will have countless fascinating stories to tell; all they need is a willing audience.
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