A SENIOR MOMENT

I was on the phone catching up with my daughter Lindsey recently and in the middle of a story I was sharing with her, I couldn’t remember what I was about to say next and instead chirped, “I’m having a senior moment…” She quickly reminded me that senior moments don’t have to be negative. By golly, she’s right!

Senior moments can be when we’re engaged in joyful conversation with our kids, or at full throttle on the floor chasing our grandkids or sitting across from an amazing partner to suddenly take the win in canasta. Consider all those senior moments of glee when we find ourselves clicking our rings on the steering wheel or snapping our fingers to a favorite old tune (pick your decade) on the car radio. If you’re like me, you turn up the volume and sing along LOUDLY, and happily recall the time so long ago you danced to that same song in college with the cute guy you just met in the dorm at Michigan.  Why are so many of our most cherished memories clustered into brief periods during our youth?

We should always take the opportunity to build new memories that can continue to change and enhance our lives.  I think of recent senior moments when dining with friends and laughing heartily through tears to well-told stories.  I remember how good it is sitting on the beach in Sarasota during a Sunday drum circle or one of our backyard patios on a particularly perfect star-filled night, watching and listening to the flames around the campfire, totally captivated by the glorious world around us.

These are the senior moments to recall and remember. It’s these brief experiences of connection with each other and the universe that can jolt us out of difficulty and elevate us and change us and remind us why it’s good to be fully present in each moment of the day.

Let’s continue to create meaningful, memorable “senior” moments like the ones more than 100 of us shared yesterday at JSL during Volunteer Appreciation at Hechtman Apartments. All the fabulous volunteers came together for a rock n roll bagel brunch so that we could recognize, acknowledge, and appreciate how valuable they are (you are) to us all.  We mined meaningful and memorable milestones. And we learned that one of our esteemed volunteers, Geri Margolis, has been devoted to JSL for 50 years!!!  And another, Hannah Moss has given us 31 years!!  We are so fortunate and grateful to host many dedicated humans who care deeply about spending their quality time with us… and they are a big part of the reason why Jewish Senior Life is such a remarkable and special place to live, to work and to volunteer. Looking forward to seeing you on the campus in West Bloomfield or in Oak Park!

Shabbat Shalom.