Enrich your own - and others' - existence
By Herschell Gordon Lewis

Isn't it time to recharge your batteries?

We have opportunity after opportunity to retain (or regain) the activities and life-enhancers that keep us young, vigorous and yes, competitive with those half our age.

After all, we have a lifetime of experience. Why not put some of that experience to use? We can continue our education (our contemporaries in almost every other country can speak two languages) or we can transmit some of our education to those who haven't had the benefi ts we've had.

You might think it's time to play shuffleboard and sneer at “Desperate Housewives.” Think again. You have time to do more - and leave a proud legacy.

Don't automatically say, “I'm content,” or, “I don't have time.” This can be the difference between staying sharp and gradually submitting to dullness. For example…

The Senior Corps option.
Ever hear of Senior Corps? If you want to have that exhilarating feeling of actually accomplishing something during your golden years, Senior Corps is a good place to start. It's the connector between the over-55s and those who can benefi t from not just our experience but, more significantly, our compassion.

One facet of Senior Corps you may regard as a turnoff is the requirement that to volunteer, you need their training. It isn't comparable to going back to school, but the irritation factor blossoms in ratio to the amount of expertise you actually bring to their arena.

If you do align yourself with Senior Corps, you can assure yourself of a position in heaven by participating in its Foster Grandparents Program. You'd help children who will remember and love you forever… because you cared enough to be a “grandparent.”

Maybe you'd prefer to lend a hand and a smile to a contemporary. The Corps has a Senior Companion Program, in which you'll put a helping arm around another member of the over-55 community who hasn't retained the mental and/or physical sharpness you've been lucky to preserve.

Or, perhaps more exciting and challenging, take a look at the Corps' RSVP Program, which will put you smack in the middle of civic activities, from helping preserve the environment to volunteering at hospitals and public housing developments. Check it out: www.seniorcorps.org.

Get online.
What? You say you don't have a computer and Internet access? Stop right there! You've answered the question. Today, visit a discount store, or check “Computers” in the classified ads of your local newspaper. Pick up a cheap but serviceable one, and move into the 21st century where you belong.

If you say, “I'm too old to learn all that stuff,” you're dead wrong. You wouldn't be reading this newsletter if you were out of the loop.

When you're online, take a look at your state's Department on Aging. This is a sort of clearinghouse for volunteers who don't want their skills to vanish just because they've retired. Some of the types of people this organization needs are accountants or bookkeepers, carpenters, data-entry workers, counselors, nutrition site aides, friends to out-of-town visitors, writers who can edit newsletters, or just about any helpful proficiency, including help at the polls during elections.

As I said, most of these require an indoctrination session. That does make sense. You wouldn't want to make a statement (worse, an offer) that puts your foot in the organization's mouth, any more than you'd be happy if a volunteer called on you and eventually left you feeling annoyed.

You're never too old. Now for the frosting on the cake: Improve yourself.

There isn't a community in the country that doesn't have adult education classes. Until you drive or walk home from your first class in a foreign language, or geography, or astronomy, or eco-biology, you can't imagine the invigorating feeling. You shave 20 years off your mental age, and that's as worthwhile an activity as ever existed.

The point of all this is: Don't let yourself get stale. We hear repeatedly, “I've worked all my life and it's time to quit.” No, it isn't. If your mirror is telling you that, move over to a friendlier, more exciting, more in-tune-with-today mirror. Then congratulate yourself: You're younger, more vigorous, and for that matter more useful to yourself and the community than you were before you looked in the mirror.