Being Is Meaningful Work

For many years, my mantra has been, “Meaningful work, paid or unpaid, through the concluding breath.” For most of that time, I’ve been thinking nearly locomote every bit purposeful doing.

During the concluding twenty years since I shifted my professional person focus on life-work planning from youth to older adults, I’ve wanted to counter ageism yesteryear showcasing the productivity together with potential of older adults who are teaching together with learning, doing together with caring for themselves together with others. The Census Bureau described all of us nether historic catamenia sixteen or over 65 every bit “dependents.” It seemed of import to exhibit a unlike perspective. Whatever their age, people who were doing meaningful locomote that tapped their skills together with interests – whether paid or unpaid — were benefiting both themselves together with their communities.

So at historic catamenia 69, inwards 2001, I completed my PhD inwards Minnesota amongst a survey study on “Productive Aging inwards Rural Communities.” We quantified the economical value to the community of the fourth dimension devoted yesteryear historic catamenia 55+ adults to employment, volunteering, together with caring for grandchildren together with sick/disabled adults. We too asked people nearly their wellness together with how they were feeling nearly themselves. In these rural communities where both younger workers together with aging services were sparse, older adults were oftentimes the entirely ones some to practise what was needed. Older adult productivity was extraordinarily high together with along amongst it, the health, positive attitude, together with self-reliance of older adult residents.

Those survey results nudged me to commencement organizing pedagogy together with advocacy to back upwardly self-determination, creative expression, together with meaningful locomote for together with amongst older adults. Since then, I’ve co-founded iii older adult networks to enhance awareness nearly our potential together with cultivate leadership for positive aging: the Vital Aging Network, the SHIFT network, together with the global Pass It On Network.

This year, whether because of my historic catamenia (85) together with phase of life or because of the tensions that seem to endure growing inwards this splintered world, I’ve been hungry to listen nearly the changes that people are perceiving both inwards the basis some them together with inside themselves. During my recent watch to the Seattle area, my miss responded to my demand together with convened a Circle of wise women who voiced some deep questions for all of us to ponder:

• How tin nosotros create a futurity that volition endure worthy of the potential of human life? By what narrative are nosotros going to alive together with decease that volition accept the cosmos into account?


• Am I laid upwardly to pace upwardly to my existent life? As an artist, am I laid upwardly to spin the yarn of the novel realities together with nevertheless limited the nature of belonging together with sense of home?


• What does it accept to exhibit upwardly full-hearted amongst people unlike from me? To dyad differences together with locomote a peacemaker? To discovery spaciousness?


• How tin nosotros pace upwardly every bit women amongst heart, somebody together with body? Will nosotros possess got our posse at our dorsum to back upwardly us?


• What are the stories that nosotros volition acquire out for the futurity to find? What volition hint of our deep past? How volition l deposit things that volition endure useful? We are Thresholding!

As stated yesteryear 1 of the wise women, Christina Baldwin, co-founder of The Circle Way together with creator of Peer Spirit Circles, “The Circle is a sacred container where magic happens.”

I am trying to brand changes to alive my learning every bit fourth dimension goes on.

And where are you lot inwards the procedure of living this life?

- By Janet chiliad Hively, PhD

Jan Hively is a social entrepreneur who has co-founded iii non-profit networks for older adults to part their strengths together with assist each other, themselves, together with their communities since she earned her PhD at historic catamenia 69 inwards 2001 amongst a dissertation on Productive Aging. Her global Pass It On Network is based inwards Paris amongst its co-founder together with International Coordinator, Moira Allan.