Buellton Senior Center
Expanding Borders
There is nothing wrong with being a private person. But we all need to be aware of the negative
consequences of isolation. Someone once asked "what are we without our relationship to our
environment?" apparently taking the position that we are defined by our environment. While I personally
don't agree with that if taken too far, I do agree to a certain extent. Much of our character,
preferences, values and experiences are directly related to our environments.
If indeed that is true, then bounderies becomes a defining factor in our lives because it will
determine many things. For example; when we bring our bounderies in tightly around us and confine
our exposure to a very small limited number of influences by isolating ourselves from other people
and places, we deny ourselves the stimulation we need to learn and grow and where there is no growth,
decay sets in and thrives.
View From The Brain
Many of us older people have not kept up with the expanding knowledge of the Human brain resulting
from ongoing research in this area. But one thing seems to be abundantly clear; our brain is a
muscle and needs to be exercized or it will atrophy, otherwise known as 'use it or lose it'. So,
if you think that rattling around in your house everyday just you and your thoughts and perhaps
a phone conversation with a friend who expresses the same views over and over and to which you
respond in the same way over and over is living life, maybe you could use a wake up call?
I know, I love my little bubble reality too. It's so safe and secure, or at least it seems to be,
and even if it isn't, the illusion has served me for a long time now. But, even so, I sometimes
feel like life is passing me by and I can't quite put my finger on just where I spend so much of
my time, it all seems to blur together while the days turn into weeks and the weeks turn into
months, years, decades. And this is the landscape we will look back upon rather than a rich
tapestry of vivid experiences both good, bad, happy and sad?
Wait! Let Me Check My Pulse
Not many of us make the distinction between just being alive, which is a passive condition, and living life, which is an active participation in a process. It's not enough to just check our pulse to varify the fact of life. We need to check our feelings, our thoughts and our spirits to see if they're still on line and functioning as advertised because these are indicators of whether we are just alive or whether we're actually living life. Do we still feel the passion for life? Do our minds still explore the bounderies of the unknown with the youthful hopes of discovering something new? Do we still have the courage to have faith in the basic harmony and rightness of creation?
The Little Known Critical Element
Funny how the obvious can be sitting right in front of our eyes and we just can't see it. The impact
of volunteers is not usually noticed because they are not on tax rolls or payrolls, they don't go
around shouting 'hey notice me!'. They just quietly go about giving service, and together they constitute
an army without which huge sectors of our society would crash and burn. Think about it! Millions and
millions of hours volunteered that cost nothing but generate huge benefits to communities all across
the nation.
So the next time you catch yourself ignoring this invisible force, you might stop and consider what
these people who give of themselves are all about. You might wonder just what is really going on
with all this. You might wonder .....
Harmony And The Rhythm Of Life
If our individual character is defined by our deeds, is not the character of a community defined in the same way? If it is easy for us as individuals to lose track of our values and thus our priorities, then how much easier is it for us as a community to do the same. The balance and harmony that defines the rhythm of life is maintained by one of the components of power, which is service. It's like the conservation of energy, where nothing is lost but simply transformed. Something is taken and something is given, if we wish to recieve we must be prepared to give. Freely giving of ourselves is a purely spiritual act and in the spiritual world there are no price tags or balance sheets, no IOU'S, no expectations. It is a stand alone act that demands only respect and leaves behind only ... grace.