Yesterday, February 1st already, I made a point to stop by our gorgeous new Senior Center. Built by the community with the best intentions, each day, a safe place is provided for Senior Citizens to come together. Sometimes it seems the people running the place have never met a real Senior Citizen in their life.
Real Senior Citizens are not dead fish that are happy to sit in the corner and string beads or weave baskets. Don’t think you can put us in the corner and set a plant on our heads. We have the same worries and life concerns we’ve had our entire lives. Compound those daily worries and concerns with changes in eyesight, hearing, mobility, or general health. Many Seniors work twice as hard to keep up with conversations around them because of hearing loss. Take the crispness out of our sight, or the sureness out of our step and life becomes a little more challenging in the later years. We may not all have the best health or the most money, but, we certainly have TIME.
Next to the front door of the Senior Center a monthly calendar listing activities and meals is offered. Someone should let the Director know Senior Citizens still do have good appetites. The few times I’ve tried their meals I’ve gone away hungry. As my Dad would have said,
“Not enough to keep a bird alive.” Truly so, in this case. The variety is interesting and with a cost of $2.00, one can’t complain too much. Comfort foods like Beef Pot Pie or Chicken Noodle Casserole are included in February’s entree’s. Nothing sounds enticing enough for me to mark on my calendar. A few of them would definitely keep me away, like “Flounder in Cilantro Sauce”. Who chooses these recipes? Maybe the same folks that designed the building.
The Senior Center used to be in a house. I’ve had more than a few women tell me they found the cutest clothing at the Thrift Store there. If the new crew would plan such a place, I’d have a load of things to donate. No plans were made to continue that at the new facility.
Whoever designed the building really missed the mark. With extremely high ceilings, the cavernous room reminds me of a high school gymnasium. On the times I’ve been there when music was playing, the echo could make ME deaf. Just what do those with hearing aides do to adjust to that? The tables are okay, but the chairs are hard plastic and extremely uncomfortable. When I’ve visited, there are but a handful of Seniors hanging out. Sad, because the Golden Years can be a really lonely time in life. A comforting and lovely place is a necessity.
Holiday meals have been interesting. On March 1, there’ll be a Mardi Gras Dinner. Cajun Gumbo, Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya, King Cake, and Virgin Hurricanes. What? Shirley Temple’s next??? Sounding very spicy, another idea bites the dust. Done with the monthly menu, I moved on to the monthly activity portion of the flyer.
I will say, there was one activity that did sound interesting, but it’s offered only once a month. Commodities. I’ve marked it on my calendar and plan to attend that one. Line Dancing, Resistance Exercise, and Chair Yoga will get a try. Penny Bingo might be a place to meet some new friends. A Computer, Smart Phone, and Tablet Class is something that anyone could use. You don’t know what you don’t know and you may not even know you should know it. Ya know???
On our town’s Face Book page, I did find it interesting that a church in town is teaching “Grandma’s Cooking”. They limited the class to 20 and it filled up immediately. Ladies will be teaching cooking skills from the 1900’s such as canning and candy making. Now, that sounds like a Win/Win. The elders of the church can dust off their antique skills and share them with the youngers. That is the kind of Service to Community through which Senior Citizen’s thrive. Being relevant and appreciated will enrich anyone’s life and give a reason for getting out of bed in the morning.
There is one more activity that I plan to attend, front and center. It’s one in which I might be brave enough to add a few suggestions.
“Meet with the Manager — 12:30 PM — 2nd Wednesday of the month”
I plan to be there listening to what the Senior’s in my community desire. I, for one, would love a literature class, or an interesting book club. I’d love a writing class for memoirs or a math class. A Sudoku group. A chess club. Even a jigsaw puzzle room. Something to keep the brain working, while encouraging new friendships. Yes. I plan to be front and center at that little meeting on the 2nd Wednesday of the month.
If you find your days of retirement boring my Auntie TJ would have something to say about that. Boredom, in our opinion, is the sign of a lazy mind. So, get moving. Look online. Find out what your town has to offer. If it offers nothing, which is unlikely, then find out how to make some noise and fix the situation. It takes a person willing to change things for things to change. That just might be you.
Have a great today.
More tomorrow.