Veronica's Transformation
Capturing Antarctic Moments
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Listen to Veronica’s story as you read it (below).
Veronica stared at the penguin, a waddling, tuxedoed comedian, and nearly choked on her lukewarm tea. "Well, I'll be," she muttered, her breath forming a tiny cloud in the frigid air. "Who'd have thought I'd be having tea with a penguin in Antarctica?"
It had all started with a blank journal. A gift from her granddaughter, Emily, after Arthur had passed. "For new adventures, Grandma," Emily had said, her eyes bright. Veronica, however, had filled the pages with memories, reliving the sun-drenched beaches of Italy and the bustling markets of Morocco, all with Arthur by her side.
But the memories, once comforting, began to feel like a heavy blanket, suffocating her in the past.
Then, one evening, while flipping through an old travel brochure, a picture of a majestic iceberg caught her eye. "Antarctica," she whispered. It was the place she and Arthur had always dreamed of visiting.
"Why not?" she thought, a spark of defiance igniting within her.
And so, she found herself on a small expedition ship, braving the Drake Passage, a place known for its tumultuous seas. Veronica, who had always preferred calm cruises, found herself clinging to the railing, her stomach doing somersaults.
"Arthur would have loved this," she mused, then caught herself. "No, Veronica. You are loving this."
The moment her ship reached the Antarctic Peninsula, Veronica’s world changed. Towering icebergs, sculpted by wind and time, floated like ghostly cathedrals. The silence was profound, broken only by the squawks of penguins and the occasional crack of caving ice.
Veronica, armed with her new journal and a borrowed waterproof camera, felt a sense of liberation she hadn't experienced in years.
One afternoon, the ship's crew organized a landing on a small island. Veronica, bundled in layers of thermal gear, joined the other passengers as they trudged through the snow. She found herself surrounded by a colony of gentoo penguins, their comical waddle and curious stares bringing a smile to her face.
It was then that she noticed a lone penguin, slightly smaller than the others, staring intently at her thermos of tea. "He looks thirsty," she thought, and, with a mischievous grin, she poured a small amount into a snow-filled crevice. The penguin, after a moment of hesitation, dipped its beak and slurped the warm liquid.
"A penguin with a taste for Earl Grey," she chuckled, snapping a photo. The other passengers, witnessing the scene, burst into laughter. Veronica, usually reserved, found herself joining in – her laughter echoing across the icy landscape.
The remainder of the trip was a series of delightful surprises. She kayaked among the icebergs, feeling the chill of the water against her face. She learned about the fascinating wildlife from the ship's enthusiastic naturalists, who treated her with a respectful, if slightly amused, patience. She even tried snowshoeing, a comical affair that ended with her tumbling into a snowdrift. She laughed until her sides ached.
One evening, during a lecture about the effects of climate change, a young scientist approached her. "Mrs. Thompson," he said, his eyes filled with genuine interest. "Your photos are amazing. You've captured the spirit of Antarctica."
Veronica, who had always considered herself a mere amateur, felt a surge of pride. "Thank you," she replied, her voice trembling slightly. "I've been trying to see the beauty and capture it with my camera – not just try to remember it when I get back home."
As the ship began its journey back, Veronica sat on the deck, watching the last of the icebergs fade into the horizon. Her journal was filled with stories of penguins, ice, and laughter. But more importantly, it was filled with the promise of a future, a future she was now eager to embrace.
She realized that Arthur would always be a part of her, a cherished memory. But he wouldn't want her to live in the past. He would want her to explore, to discover, to live. And that's exactly what she intended to do.
Back home, Veronica’s photos became a hit with her retirement community’s photography group. She was invited to give a talk about her trip and even started planning a trip to the Galapagos.
She had found the joy of discovery and the freedom of letting go. The blank journal, once a symbol of loss, had become a reminder that life, like the Antarctic landscape, was full of unexpected beauty and endless possibilities.
Also hear and read Veronica’s “parent story” from 2024
Go to “Vi’s New Place in Life”
Age: Our Greatest Asset!
Jim Hasse, ABC, GCDF retired, author of “52 Shades of Graying”
Weekly Stories About Aging Well
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My thoughts about how to live the fourth quarter portion of my life have gradually evolved over the last five years – all from a writing perspective.
When Pam and I joined The Pillars of Prospect Park (PoPP), a senior living community in Minneapolis, in July 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, I thought there was potential in becoming a scribe for community residents, helping them to write and publish their memoirs.
The pandemic forced an artificial separation among our PoPP community members, so interaction was somewhat limited, but, during those difficult first months of separation, I kept hearing terrific personal stories about lives well lived from our residents.
That prompted me to review my own personal stories about living with a disability and to frame them as fiction from an older adult perspective with discussion questions to encourage reader participation – a gateway to memoir writing for readers.
Now, five years later, “52 Shades of Graying” still provides meaningful prompts for memoir writing. And, it has evolved into an audio-and-text online resource for those who seek to understand and rise above ageism as well as ableism so they can continue to pursue a fourth-quarter life of transcendence and purpose.
* What incident spurred a change in your thoughts about how you want to live your fourth-quarter life?