Co-housing initiatives began in the 1970s in Denmark. Elder co-housing projects are the latest take on this popular type of housing development. With an emphasis on cooperative living arrangements, these projects allow like-minded people to live in an intentional community of their own creation. The idea is that individuals have their own living areas, but share common facilities like dining rooms and kitchens. Developers often allow residents to help plan and design the common areas. The
Monthly Archives: February 2008
Vitality
By Don Arnoudse | Bio
There
is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated
through you into action. And because there is only one of you in all of
time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never
exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it.
It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable
nor how it compares with other expressions.
It is
Fear of Dying
By Rick Fullerton | Bio
For much of my life, I have had a private conversation about dying. It began as a young child, probably triggered by overhearing my parents talking about people fighting cancer or other scary diseases. When I was 12 and our family doctor knocked on the schoolroom door, my first thought was that he had figured out I was going to die. I was shocked to discover he had come to tell me my father had died of a heart attack at just 53. I was devastated! Our family survived, mainly due to the strength and resourcefulness of my mother, along with a supportive extended family and local community. As for me, I learned to deal with my fears mainly through my internal conversations. Never as I child did I talk about this secret and only rarely in later life. Yet looking back, it is possible to see how this fear of dying influenced many of my life decisions and shaped the person I am today.I
got married when I was 21—much too young according to my Aunt Laura!
But my wife and I were anxious to get on with raising a family. No time
to waste seeing the world or pursuing idle interests! In those days of
single incomes and stay-at-home moms, my role was clear and I was
determined to provide for my family. Duty called!
As life’s
milestones passed, my conversations about dying changed. At 30, I was
apparently in perfect health—no evidence of cancer,
Is It Possible to Over Commit?
I heard a friend saying that they were ‘over committed’. I got to thinking that this is a common notion and one that we rarely question. Is it possible to over commit? I can understand being busy. I can understand not being competent to fulfill a commitment. I can even imagine that I have made commitments that seem to conflict, although other than being able to be in two places at the same time, most of the conflict is in how I am thinking about it.
One of
Experimenting with Intention
Hot on the heels of neuroplasticity is the paperback release this week of Lynne McTaggart’s The Intention Experiment, an investigation into intentions manifesting into reality. The Intention Experiment’s website
is an open invitation to get involved in a worldwide experiment into
the ‘science
The Plastic Brain
By Shae Hadden | Bio
The other day a friend mentioned a term I’d never heard before: neuroplasticity.
So I looked it up on Wikipedia (yes, click on the link and you can go
there too) and was amazed to find out that scientists are now proving
that our thinking can actually change our brain anatomy.
Neuroplasticity
challenges the conventional wisdom that specific brain functions, such
as speech and vision, are located in a
specific cortex (or center). The traditional medical
Being 21 in the 21st Century
By Lauren Selman | Bio
I was walking through beautiful San Francisco yesterday, humming
to myself and thinking, "Wow, I’m 21 in the 21st century." And then I
thought:
- What does it mean to be aging with time?
- What does it mean to be getting older with each century that passes?
- How am I part of the "next generation" as well as being a witness to the upcoming generation?
- What is it like to be a teacher and a student?
As I pondered on where to start, I, like Alice in her mysterious Wonderland, began at the beginning.
What does it mean to be 21?
I
am no longer a teenager and people are beginning to look at me more as
an ‘adult’. At this point in life, I can legally go to the bar and
drink
Caring for Your Parents
Do you have a unique perspective or a provocative question about caring for elderly family members?
WGBH Lab, part of the Boston-based PBS station, is looking for ‘real people’ stories. They are inviting anyone who cares for or has cared for aging relatives (or knows someone who has) to submit a 3-minute video story by February 22nd about how the experience has changed their lives and relationships. A selection of 10 to 20 of the submitted pieces will be posted on the WGBG Lab website
Legacy
I was having a conversation recently with an old friend who is deeply committed to a spiritual practice intended to release us from the vicious cycle of ego and our addiction to the material world. I was sharing about Serene Ambition and my commitment to do what I can to encourage our generation to ‘make a difference’ and leave the world in better shape than we found it—to leave a legacy of possibility to those who come behind us.
My friend pointed out that this is a terrific focus for service
Curiosity
I have been thinking about the process of growing older for a long time. In my 30s, I discovered I had all sorts of stereotypes about old people (which for me at that age was anyone over 60) and that most of my notions were just plain wrong. For example, I learned though conversations with a number of older friends that most people aren’t afraid to die after a certain point—but they are afraid to die without having left a mark or without having been able to pass on their life’s experience