Putting yourself in someone else's shoes

I've been thinking about putting oneself in someone else's shoes, primarily because I've been sitting at home all day watching TV, feeling sorry for myself (see previous post about having strained/ pulled/ torn a muscle). I was thinking of, for example, my grandmother, who is largely house-bound, and how she gets bored sometimes, even though she has TV to watch, books to read, and people call and visit at home. But the universe is outside -- she largely does not get to control when people come by. So if she's bored, well, then she's bored -- she can't go out and do anything about it.

Which makes me think that growing old sounds awful. In a way, you get to see your life all around you (in the case of my grandmother, she gets to see how her life turned out, and those around her, including her grandchildren). But at the same time, you recognize that the prime (of your health, at least) is past you. And I wonder what that feels like.

For some, I think that means philosophic acceptance. That is my dad's case, for example. He enjoys growing older because he likes when people treat him nicer for being a senior citizen, and he gets to read more, instead of running around taking care of the children. But for others, it just might mean disenchantment.

I think I would be predisposed to the disenchantment route. Must work on that.