Over the past year, in wrestling over the idea whether I would do a major research paper or a thesis for my graduate level degree, I have been delving into the idea of what the lived experience of growing old looks like from a mental health perspective. I was drawn to the topic through the observation of my 90-year old grandma's sense of despair that she articulated to me in reflection of her past and future. Was this a common experience, I wondered. How prevalent is depression in old age? I explored my questions a little further by interviewing my 85-year old nana for a school assignment that invited her to tell me stories of how she found meaning in life. The themes she gave me resembled that of my other grandmother and yet the tone was radically different. My nana found hope in her daily living, even with the loss of a husband and physical and cognitive decline threatening her independence. This stood in stark contrast to the lament...