Where do I begin? The Life Course Scholars Program has been so impactful for me in so many ways. The only solace in its ending is our opportunities to apply what we learned and change the world.
I won’t remember everything. I hope I never, but I may forget that 1 in 5 seniors face retirement without savings. I might forget that a third of senior houses have no money left each month after paying essential expenses. I will try to remember that globally, 1 in 2 people exhibit ageism against older adults. I know I will never forget the people I met and the stories they tell.
When at the start of this class I first imagined my life when I am 80, it was difficult. I couldn’t. I imagined why it would be different, but no life sprung to mind. I still find it difficult because I know I lack direction and I know I have most of a lifetime to change, but I see the simple things, and I see acceptance. Acceptance is a powerful tool to choose happiness. In our reading Happiness is a Choice You Make, every interviewee, whether content and thankful or ambivalent about death, learned acceptance in the course of their lives. I feel better knowing that I may not know my future, but I do know that I will learn that whatever my future brings, I will be accepting of it.
Looking to the future, I look forward to monthly meetings at Casa de Manana. It was truly wonderful talking with the residents, and I hope they got out of it as much as I and other LCSers feel they did. This class, having opened my eyes to the beauty and power of engagement with people, made me originally want to do my HAP project with this goal in mind. I wanted to do something that made me engage with people and talk with them. I wanted to hear more stories, but I also realize that I am better suited to some tasks than others. In the first step towards the rest of my life, it is naturally the case that one foot is still in known territory.
I won’t remember everything. I hope I never, but I may forget that 1 in 5 seniors face retirement without savings. I might forget that a third of senior houses have no money left each month after paying essential expenses. I will try to remember that globally, 1 in 2 people exhibit ageism against older adults. I know I will never forget the people I met and the stories they tell.
When at the start of this class I first imagined my life when I am 80, it was difficult. I couldn’t. I imagined why it would be different, but no life sprung to mind. I still find it difficult because I know I lack direction and I know I have most of a lifetime to change, but I see the simple things, and I see acceptance. Acceptance is a powerful tool to choose happiness. In our reading Happiness is a Choice You Make, every interviewee, whether content and thankful or ambivalent about death, learned acceptance in the course of their lives. I feel better knowing that I may not know my future, but I do know that I will learn that whatever my future brings, I will be accepting of it.
Looking to the future, I look forward to monthly meetings at Casa de Manana. It was truly wonderful talking with the residents, and I hope they got out of it as much as I and other LCSers feel they did. This class, having opened my eyes to the beauty and power of engagement with people, made me originally want to do my HAP project with this goal in mind. I wanted to do something that made me engage with people and talk with them. I wanted to hear more stories, but I also realize that I am better suited to some tasks than others. In the first step towards the rest of my life, it is naturally the case that one foot is still in known territory.