FERNDALE SENIORS: All that X-Mas Stuff!
By Jeannie Davis
IN TODAY’S YOUTH CULTURE so many seniors feel irrelevant, al-most invisible, left in a corner until hey are needed by their children for babysitting, cooking, and (dare I say it?) financial assistance. Our opinions don’t matter. Our past experiences are barely listened to. How many of us have heard: “Oh Mom, it’s not like that now”? Our efforts at conversation fall flat, and camaraderie is out the door. Oh, we have great conversations with our peers, fellow travelers in this thing called old age. We prattle on happily about our ailments, daytime TV, and how cute our pets are. I heard these conversations as I worked the room at our senior meetings. I fit this picture perfectly several years ago. My children tolerated me, barely listening as they phoned from the road, checking off one more thing on their “to do” list. I didn’t exactly feel lonely, just a little adrift. I joined the Ferndale Senior Group to have something to do and quickly found a niche.
When I became president, I was aware the majority of the members felt as I had, and I did some serious think-ing on how to remedy this.
I was determined to make the senior group more visible, to be regarded as pertinent in our city.
I started by volunteering us to help with city events. We started small, helping on Pub Crawl night, serving an evening at the Blues Fest, helping at Music in the Park. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and we were on the way.
Along the way, I noticed a change in the dynamics with my children. They were bitching about the difficulty in reaching me. YAY!
Now, the Ferndale seniors are on the map. People who plan events not only ask us to help, but, they cater to us, and treat us with respect and care. Our opinions matter because we are visible, we are of service, and we are real flesh and blood people. Virginia and myself recently helped with Dean Bach’s rib roast. We were given plum jobs in the sides truck, checked on frequently, fed, and in gen-eral pampered. We had such a good time, that when our replacements showed up, we were amazed at how quickly the time sped by. Michael Lary asked the seniors to cook hot dogs for the annual “Clean the Ferndale Up” event. Virginia, Joyce, Mike, and myself volunteered. Again, we felt pampered and cared for. Scott, our official young strong person, took care of us. Great time, great day. Now whenever we enter the Kulick Center, we take special pride in know-ing that we helped make this makeover possible.
Just as our group perception has shifted, so have our own personal perceptions. We are involved, we are recognized, and we feel good about ourselves. Our conversations are varied and interesting, and we are sharper.
We need to stay connected to some-thing. It doesn’t have to be our city, it can be church, a theater group, a walk-ing club, even a book club. If we keep moving, and doing, we keep growing. The worst thing in the world is stand-ing still. As Auntie Mame says “Life is a banquet and most poor fools are starving.”
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