Reflections continued from page 14 paper articles --personal and work related, files from Gan HaLev since 1992. Files from 1997 when I worked at the Community Center until 2007. I’m not one of those people that I deeply admire that have very nicely created albums and loose leaf binders. Instead, I have file cabinets and drawers full of folders and storage cartons filled with old photographs, decades worth of historical material about my life. I’d actually begun to tackle this problem by throwing out things and tossing them in the garbage, but it’s taking me forever. Every time I pick up an old newspaper article or a photograph, I get stopped in my tracks and instead of continuing with the process of elimination I get lost down memory lane straying off the intended path of purging, and no longer needed and “essential” materials. It’s endless. Grade C- 3. Clean house and get rid of unneeded stuff My house is kept clean thanks to the help that I get from my good friend Martha Galvez who has been helping me for decades. While my house gets a good cleaning every couple of weeks, the job of getting rid of unneeded stuff is not so easy. Having grown up in the depression and the war years, we held on to everything because who knows when we might need it again or whether they will ever be available? I have boxes of office supplies, dishes and pots and pans that I haven’t used in many years, tchotchkes that are precious to me but not of interest or use to my daughter and grandchildren, at least not now. If and when I move again a lot of this stuff will just get tossed into the garbage. And when I die, except for a few items that are designated “family heirlooms” like the silver candlesticks that my grandmother brought with her from Poland when she arrived at Ellis Island in 1911, or some of the original art like Connie Smith Siegel’s pastel, my stuff will maybe get donated -- or most likely just sent to the dump. I am deliberately and intentionally continuing to address this problem– getting rid of stuff. Grade B 4. Take care of business I give myself an A plus. I handle my financial situation reasonably well. I’m able to buy what I need, handle all of my bills and I have saved a cushion for emergencies. I have a trust which I’ve updated a few times in the past couple of years and I’ve made arrange- ments for the end of life including a burial plot at Fernwood Cemetery in Mill Valley. I don’t have to worry about any of that stuff. It’s all taken care of. 5. Keep knitting Sadly, I’ve given up on knitting. I used to love to knit. I did argyle sweaters and socks, even Irish fisherman sweaters, scarves of various kinds. I have dozens of sets of knitting needles, pattern books and wonderful different yarns. But knitting is no longer some- thing that I choose to spend my time with, at least not now, and besides, my peripheral neuropathy is a hindrance. So this is something that I need to let go of. If someone would like knitting needles, skeins of yarn and books of patterns, they should get in touch with me and I’d be happy to turn them over. Grade B 6. Step down from being in charge Letting go. Most of my adult life I have been in leadership roles. The other day, a mem- ber of Gan HaLev, my local Jewish congregation, suggested that I may be suffering from Founders Syndrome. I’m happy to let go -- but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t have a voice. I am reminded that I need to consider things that I no longer want to handle so that other people in the organization can take on more of the tasks that I have been handling. I need to figure out how to make that happen, how to facilitate the transfer of leadership. Grade B 7. Keep in touch with old and new friends At 8:00 AM a few weeks ago my phone rang. It was my friend Robert calling from Fayetteville, Arkansas just to say hello. We’ve been friends since 1953 when we were stu- dents at Alfred University. Robert turned 90 this past March. Harvey, who is the widower of my best friend Esther, called to see if I could come to his 90th birthday celebration in Yellow Springs, Ohio in September. I can’t go. Travelling is hard for me these days. So many of my old friends are gone: Esther, Mary, Ethel, Marion, my brother Edward, my cousin Myra. People are dropping like flies. I think of them a lot when I see a movie they might like to have watched with me or a book that I’ve read. Like me they would be despairing of the state of the nation and the news in today’s world. Unlike many people my age I am not socially isolated. Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to make many new friends here at home, aging in place in the San Geronimo Valley. I am very engaged in our community, and very close to my family. I am so very blessed. Grade A+ 8. Breathe… Some days I just love to sit outside in my garden and listen to the birds, pay attention to the scurrying lizards and take notice of the spider webs. Outside my bedroom window there’s a large family of quail. When I open my garden gate a local deer or two will stop and take notice of me and stare, waiting to see my next move. I believe that these crea- tures are as aware of me as I am of them and so I greet them and say hello as they stop and stare at me, cautiously wondering if I am a friend or a predator. I have begun a prac- tice of refraining from doing work on Saturdays. My health is pretty good. I have arthritis. I started doing physical therapy exercises for my shoulder. (I’m not sure if it’s helping). I “swim” (more of a wade) in the pool at the WIC from time to time and I have recurring digestive issues. I’ve come to accept that most of my aches and pains are not going to get better. I manage them as best I can. I’ve fallen a couple of times. I have mild to moderate hearing loss. I’ve become more conscious of my balance and I use a cane. My long-term memory is clear and intact, but I’m often forgetful of peoples’ names. My body with all of her scars and infirmities is my friend and I will aspire to take care of her as best I can. She has kept me alive for more than 90 years. Mindfulness is a word that keeps coming up for me a lot. Paying attention, consciousness and the mystery and magic of creation and regeneration, of breathing and of life itself. Grade A
SGV Community Center Stone Soup Page 19
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator