AGE AIN’T NOTHING BUT A NUMBER

Sheila Hayes-Smiley and family

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It's inevitable that as you age, you will make memories. Some are happy, some are tragic, but all are unforgettable and stick with you forever.

I remember at three years old. The police responded to a call at my home. I see them standing side by side, waiting for my father to arrest him for domestic violence. They waited while he looked for a book to take to jail with him. I still see the smirk on his face.

At the age of six, I befriended a classmate who lived three blocks away. I walked to her house without telling anyone. My parents were frantic! I found out later that it was because the classmate was caucasian and my family had just moved to a neighborhood that was in the middle of integration.

When I was 13 years old, I went to Jackson Park Beach (without permission) and a classmate drowned. Every time I hear the song The Elephant Walk I see that scene. I never learned to swim, and the closest I came to water was putting my feet in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Senior Portrait

At sixteen, I went to the beauty shop for the first time, in preparation for my senior prom. My date was the person whom I thought was my forever love.

At 22 years old, I was no longer looking at the world through rose colored glasses.

As the years passed, bucket list dreams were fulfilled. Road trips to places I had only read about in books. Niagara Falls, Hoover Dam, and the brilliance of Mt Rushmore. A queen on a cruise ship is eating Eggs Benedict. On Broadway, seeing Funny Girl, imagining that was me!

Seventy-five years snuck up and I didn't see it coming. A surprise party included people I had met along the way. High school, Klan Koeds, cousins, Girls Night Out, STAR book club, Michael Reese, and of course, my family. Memories do light the corners of my mind!

AGE AIN’T NOTHING BUT A NUMBER

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Sheila Hayes-Smiley

Sheila Hayes Smiley

My most recent occupation was as a financial counselor at Advocate Trinity Hospital on the South Side, where I assisted patients in applying for state medical or financial assistance through various government programs. Retired in 2013, and I desire to complete my wish to visit all 50 states. I have 11 states to go. I'm married, have two sons, three granddaughters, and one great-grandson.