While walking down the creaky wooden stairs to get to the Martin Johnson house, I tried not to step into the puddles that were left after the storm last night. I looked out and thought about was how beautiful the scenery was, and how despite living a mile away from the beach, I do not come here enough.
We started off the retreat getting a word taped to the back of our shirts. Mine was “pepper” and I eventually found my “salt”. We got to know each other better by talking about what we had in common, and I loved getting to know a little bit more about my fellow LCS’ers through this activity.
Dr. Lewis then framed this course with her lecturette about why it is important to learn about the life course as she presented graphical data on how the aging population in many countries have increased tremendously over the years. How can we, as individuals, or as a society, provide a sustainable world where the number of people over 50 equates to or even exceeds the number of people younger than 50? To provide solutions, we must first learn about how people age, what accommodations are needed for the elderly, and how we can apply this knowledge to improve what we have today. Dr. Bussell then takes over and further answers the question as she talks about accessible transportation, affordable housing, and intergenerationally accessible parks as just three aspects of what we can strive to create.
What really made the biggest impact on me from the retreat was the activity Dr. Benesh guided us to do, which was to find a photo of yourself and tell a story. I chose the most recent picture I have of myself, and that is with my best friend on top of Twin Peaks in San Francisco. At first, I didn’t really have much to say except how pretty the view was. But through her guided questions, I was able to reflect more on that experience on top of the mountain, and recall just how valuable that experience was with my best friend. Though we now live hundreds of miles from each other, and could barely see each other because of our busy schedules, we were able to share a sunset on top of our home city on a rare, cloudless day in San Francisco. It got me thinking about how important, and somewhat therapeutic it is to share a personal story with someone, as well as listen to my partner’s personal story. Just by hearing her story, it gave me a better idea of who she valued, what she valued, and why she valued it. This got me excited about how I would be doing the same with my EP. A picture carries on more than just a memory, but stories that frame a world.
“What would your life be like when you are 80?”, Dr. Lewis and Dr. Bussell asked us at the very end of our retreat.
This question lingered through my mind as I walked out of the Martin Johnson house, back up the creaky wooden stairs, still wary about my future. I thought about my grandpa, who has knee issues making it difficult to walk up and down the stairs. I thought about the coastal walk even more, and how he would have a hard time because of the uneven pavement and steep stairs. Though I am uncertain about my future, I was certain that I would want to live in a world that is accommodating for everyone so that everyone would be able to find beauty in the world they live in when they step out of their house.
We started off the retreat getting a word taped to the back of our shirts. Mine was “pepper” and I eventually found my “salt”. We got to know each other better by talking about what we had in common, and I loved getting to know a little bit more about my fellow LCS’ers through this activity.
Dr. Lewis then framed this course with her lecturette about why it is important to learn about the life course as she presented graphical data on how the aging population in many countries have increased tremendously over the years. How can we, as individuals, or as a society, provide a sustainable world where the number of people over 50 equates to or even exceeds the number of people younger than 50? To provide solutions, we must first learn about how people age, what accommodations are needed for the elderly, and how we can apply this knowledge to improve what we have today. Dr. Bussell then takes over and further answers the question as she talks about accessible transportation, affordable housing, and intergenerationally accessible parks as just three aspects of what we can strive to create.
What really made the biggest impact on me from the retreat was the activity Dr. Benesh guided us to do, which was to find a photo of yourself and tell a story. I chose the most recent picture I have of myself, and that is with my best friend on top of Twin Peaks in San Francisco. At first, I didn’t really have much to say except how pretty the view was. But through her guided questions, I was able to reflect more on that experience on top of the mountain, and recall just how valuable that experience was with my best friend. Though we now live hundreds of miles from each other, and could barely see each other because of our busy schedules, we were able to share a sunset on top of our home city on a rare, cloudless day in San Francisco. It got me thinking about how important, and somewhat therapeutic it is to share a personal story with someone, as well as listen to my partner’s personal story. Just by hearing her story, it gave me a better idea of who she valued, what she valued, and why she valued it. This got me excited about how I would be doing the same with my EP. A picture carries on more than just a memory, but stories that frame a world.
“What would your life be like when you are 80?”, Dr. Lewis and Dr. Bussell asked us at the very end of our retreat.
This question lingered through my mind as I walked out of the Martin Johnson house, back up the creaky wooden stairs, still wary about my future. I thought about my grandpa, who has knee issues making it difficult to walk up and down the stairs. I thought about the coastal walk even more, and how he would have a hard time because of the uneven pavement and steep stairs. Though I am uncertain about my future, I was certain that I would want to live in a world that is accommodating for everyone so that everyone would be able to find beauty in the world they live in when they step out of their house.