After my father retired, he lived a life of two o'clock and one line of work every day. His home is close to the vegetable market, so he spends most of his time at home. But after watching TV for a long time, his spirit became very decadent and he was listless all day long.
That day, a friend came to visit my house. Hearing my father sigh, he started talking to my father. Later, he suggested to me: "You should think of a way to make your father's life more colorful." He told me that his mother was like this when she first retired. Later, with his help, her mother's life became richer. And interestingly, the mother now arranges herself well and lives a fulfilling and happy life every day.
When asked further, he answered mysteriously: "In a word, if you want your parents to be happy, be their "palette" and bring out the colors in their lives." I nodded in understanding.
On the weekend, when I took my children out for a barbecue, I had an idea in my mind that I wanted to take my father with me. The father refused at first, but then he couldn't stand the child's repeated pestering and agreed. When we arrived in the suburbs, the air was very fresh and my father was very excited. The whole family had a barbecue together, and my father felt very happy. I am also very happy to finally let my father participate in the life of our little family. After that, whether we went out to watch movies or travel around, we always brought my father with us. My father saw new things and had many more topics to talk to, so he was naturally overjoyed.
When my father was young, he liked to write and draw. A long time ago, I intended to take my father to attend a senior college, but he always felt embarrassed. Seeing what my friend said, I decided to think of more ways to give my father more friends and interests. That day, I made a special trip to the University for the Elderly and found out that there was an uncle named Li in our community who often came to class, so I took the initiative to visit and made friends with Uncle Li.
Uncle Li often ran to my house to instill new ideas into my father. When his father saw the high-spirited Uncle Li, he gradually felt that he needed to change his lifestyle and live out his own style. Seeing that Uncle Li and my father were getting acquainted, I asked Uncle Li to invite my father to go with me. Because I had a companion, my father hesitated and went along. After he came back, he began to waver. Early the next morning, Uncle Li greeted him and went happily. That day, he learned calligraphy and erhu. After he came back, his mental state was much better, and he kept praising the University for the Elderly.
After that, my father fell in love with the Senior College and went there every morning. He made many new friends and learned a lot of new knowledge. His life began to become busy.
When parents are old, we cannot watch them find life boring, but let them go out to see new things, make new friends, and experience new life. Being a parent's "palette" brings out the colorful life of the parents, so that no matter how old the parents are, they will feel that there is still progress in life and there is still something to look forward to in the future. (Liu Yahua)