Home Is Where The Music Is

This is a really amazing youTube production by Sound Affects, a local organization dedicated to bringing music into the lives of isolated elders. It is a two hour musical event where young local musicians perform music that speaks to the generation most impacted by current quarantine rules. Local nursing homes made an event out of the original performance on June 11. The music is wonderful and the intergenerational aspect of this 2-hour concert is very touching.

https://youTube/SYokdzKR2p4

By: Bonnie Shetler

Apart

 

Apart

 

Brenna James, my youngest grandchild, has lived in Tokyo since she was two. She and I have not had many chances to hang out together over the years. She will be 15 in a couple of weeks. I have watched from afar as she grew into a beautiful young woman.

 

Gradually, over time, I have come to realize that while her heritage is both Japanese and American, she was becoming Japanese in her everyday life. Her lifestyle, language, and cultural orientation, I thought, had become totally Japanese.

 

While I understood this was only natural, it saddened me to think that my relationship with her was practically non-existent and would only grow more so with the passage of time.

 

And then, a few months ago, things began to change.

 

Brenna wrote a poem she titled I’m two but full. Below are a few lines from her poem that surprised and delighted me.

 

“I’m two pieces, like the way you split KitKats into two equal pieces.”

 

“I have two countries to represent in my body.

I have the responsibility to be able to know that nationality

I have the right to choose which one I want to make my home

But I don’t, because both of them are equally my home.”

 

“I have a full heart

Even if I have to change who I am between cultures

I will never change the kindness I have towards anyone in the world.

 

My outside might change but my inside won’t.

I’m always going to be two pieces

But always full—at the same time.

 

I was inspired by her words and grateful to know that she embraced her American heritage along with her Japaneseness.

 

And then, what seems to me like a small miracle occurred. She and her dad, who lives in the US, had been in touch daily via an app that allows both visual and audible international exchange. Brenna wanted to increase her English vocabulary. In order to do that, father and daughter were sharing articles. Brenna read aloud and when she came to an unfamiliar word, they discussed it, she learned its correct pronunciation, and then she wrote a sentence using the word. They set aside a time every day to do this. I was thrilled when they invited me to join them.

 

Together we have been reading excerpts from Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers. He writes beautifully, with great clarity, and he uses plenty of “hard” words. Brenna takes them all on with glee. We laugh about alternate meanings and some of the craziness of the English language. Is the word “read” past or present tense? Or both? And how do you spell the past tense?

 

Sometimes our conversation strays. “Yuk,” said Brenna. “Dad thinks uni (that’s raw sea urchins) are delicious. I think they are disgusting.” And then they went on to talk  about durian, a fruit that is prized b y many but that smells so bad that by law you cannot carry it onto a train in Singapore. This morning we were together for more than an hour and a half.

 

She’s a long way away, and who knows when she will be able to travel to the US? No matter. 

 

I have my granddaughter back. 

By: Libby James

We Need Our Grandmothers

What strange times we’re in.  In my home in Fort Collins I feel like I’m in a little bubble surrounded by turmoil and pain.  Yes, I pay attention, but I feel so protected from the direct pain suffered by people who have lost their jobs and income, people who have to put themselves in danger just to support themselves, and people who live under the threat of violence and discrimination every day.  A friend sent me a video the other day of a poem that highlights a commonality of grandmothers.  I am not a grandmother, but I would love to be and grandmothers have had a distinct influence on my life.  The poem made me feel a little better about the world, and the influence we can have on it as older people who share our love and experience with others.

https://vimeo.com/426276718?fbclid=IwAR23LOVTxPkkMiJtNB0tGQzKSE_5M3Dw0GSg6-aj12w5NaHYk7Xs2cAZZPg

From Sue Ballou

By: Bonnie Shetler

Zooming Right Along

For many of us  Zoom has lately been the only real connection to the outside world. And so to PAFC it seemed important to assist isolated older adults unfamiliar with Zoom to use it to communicate with family, friends, service providers and fellow travelers. We are now in the midst of a short term project, funded by the Larimer County Office on Aging, to identify isolated individuals who have yet to meet up with this free, easy to use program and get them on board.

We are in the process of showing folks how to subscribe to Zoom and then demonstrating its use through brief Zoom classes for the totally uninitiated. We are matching individuals up with volunteer neighbors/caregivers/friends who will attend classes with them and be available for ongoing support when needed. While access to wifi is essential, having the right equipment is not. Part of the grant enabled us to purchase a limited number of Kindle Fire notebooks to distribute to those who are unable to purchase their own devices.

If you or anyone you know is interested in participating as a volunteer (no expertise required, just a kind heart and interest in learning) or  recipient, more information is available on the PAFC website at https://www.pafclarimer.org/tech-project-info.  Our mission is that no one remain isolated from the outside world unless they choose to be.


By: Partnership for Age-Friendly Communities

A Happy Mother's Day

It’s not even mid afternoon and already I’ve had an amazingly wonderful Mother’s Day—one of the best I can remember.

It began with a Zoom gathering with my two sons and two daughters, ages 55 through 60. I could not be more proud of them. They have produced six granddaughters and six grandsons, 11 of them between 21 and 31 and a “caboose,” who will be 15 this summer.

This morning my kids each shared the good things that have grown out of the lifestyle they have been living for the last couple of months. Most of their children have returned home and are working or studying remotely. The families have been having a blast!. They play cards, piece together enormous puzzles, cook, garden, do crafty things, and run, bike, golf, and hike together.

Fortunately, none of them have lost their jobs though there has been a pay cut, and there are changes afoot. One had to furlough 200 people. Painful. Another is investing in a farm produce-food truck business. And two are looking at new opportunities—in a law firm and in an online teaching position.

They report sleeping a little later, learning to “go slow,” spending less time in their cars, and gaining new insights into work activities, sorting out those that are the most important and letting other things go.

To one degree or another, all of them are extroverts who thrive on their relationships with others. But for now, they are thriving on being at home and enjoying their offspring.

It will be interesting to see how this episode will change, and perhaps enrich, their lives.

Here they are 50 years ago!

By: Libby James

Avoiding the Risks

It seems as we 'open up' to more potential exposure to this virus we are to be increasingly dependent on our own judgement. Walk into any public arena and it is clear how widely varying those judgements are. Even in my own home. Several days ago I announced my attention to return to an exercise class which I dearly miss. I know that the trainer is taking every precaution including limiting the number of students to a few who know each other and have shown no symptoms, sanitizing the area, creating the appropriate physical distances.

This morning my husband Terry forwarded me this link to an article about what is risky and what is not so risky as you might have thought and why. Very helpful information. But in addition to wanting me to be informed I think he also wanted me to re-consider my first public activity beyond grocery shopping. I have been sneezing for weeks and just the description of what happens to a sneeze was enough to change my mind about exposing/terrifying my friends even though I have no other symptoms. I also realize that he and I need to consider each other's individual concerns. If one of us becomes ill, the other is likely to become ill as well. Apparently contagion occurs before symptoms are obvious. When you live with someone the risks you take are no longer entirely up to you.

I really do miss that class.


https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them By: Bonnie Shetler

Conversations with my cat

Living alone during the pandemic is challenging to say the least. Introvert though I am, I find I need to be with people from time to time to nourish my spirit. Zoom is great, but it's just not the same as in person. So I find myself talking to my cat, Shadow. He is 15 years old, a gray ball of fur who sits on my lap just about every time I sit down. I tell him what's happening and he looks at me with his catly stare, rarely responding. Sometimes, he starts washing himself vigorously. Inviting me to stop talking? Then, later, he will begin meowing at me. He has a wide repertoire of meows, from plaintive to demanding, and I can often interpret them reasonably well. The most puzzling is the silent meow, when he opens his mouth and no sound comes out. What is he trying to tell me? I expect he is asking himself the same question: "What in the world is she yammering about?" Still, we both persist. I look to the day when I can have two-way, in-person conversations with another two-legged creature, but in the meantime, Shadow and I are endeavoring to keep calm and carry on. At least we have each other. By: Barbara F