Now is the Time

Turning What You Love into What You Do
By Patrick J. O’Connor

Aunt Aggie was in her mid-60s when she decided to play the button box. She wanted to celebrate a lifelong interest in the instrument, her Slovenian heritage and meeting new people. The button box is a small lap instrument that looks like a concertina and plays a bit like an accordion. It’s very popular in Slovenian culture. Her church sponsored a button box group that accompanied their Slovenian dance troupe.

After a few lessons, it was obvious she made the right decision. She caught on quickly, practiced more than expected and was soon playing along with the church group. In addition, everyone was pleasantly surprised to see what a stage presence shy, quiet Aggie had. It seemed like Aggie the performer was a different person on stage. For the next few years, she performed with the group at churches, retirement centers, schools and even some of the big Slovenian heritage festivals in greater Cleveland. Among her other delightful qualities, family and friends also fondly remember Aunt Aggie the button box performer.

Now is the Time
Retirement is a ripe time to take up that painting class you always wanted to take. Get involved in community theater, join a choir, or play a musical instrument. Rewind to your youth and ask yourself if there were artistic things you wanted to do but were unable to do. Now is the time!

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Fr. Thomas Merton

Personal Benefits
Research shows there is a clear, long-lasting connection between creative pursuits and a sense of well-being. People who engage in creative endeavors experience increased positive emotions including energy, enthusiasm and excitement. Creative activities foster a sense of meaning, purpose, engagement and social connection. The arts are a wonderful lifelong learning opportunity to “keep the wheels turning.”

It is also well established that the arts have a therapeutic quality. This can be personal as well as  professional. There are many forms of arts-related therapies involving music, pets, art and even plants. Many hospitals have music and art therapy departments designed to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages.

George Miller II is a child advocacy  artist devoted to supporting traumatized youth. He says, “My art is therapy for me as much as it is for those who view it.”

Road Less Traveled (RLT) and Blog Subjects
The arts are very much a part of the lives of RLT subjects. For some it is professional, for others just a hobby or pastime and for some, both. In addition to entertainment, the arts often serve as a form of relaxation, inspiration and even a personal therapeutic benefit. The importance of the arts  is also evident in this NEO Boomer Blog. The May blog, for example, featured three retirees who volunteer their artistic talents: theater at retirement centers, playing/singing at nursing homes and prisons and knitting wool hats for those in need.

Some of the RLT subjects are arts professionals such as Tom Fulton in theater/performing arts. Rachel Brown is a middle school choir director and music teacher. She continues to perform with her band Rachel and the Beatnik Playboys. She also supports the Drew Project which uses music/songwriting as therapy for returning combat veterans. Ann Kent has a master’s degree is Music Therapy and used music as a counseling tool for teens in drug therapy programs. Kara Cea and Joan Meggitt are  dance professors and performers. They also volunteer to share the arts with others. Kara directs the ArtSparks dance group. Joan blends music, dance and singing into therapeutic dance/movement programs for people with Parkinson’s. Bill and  Edie White have five comfort dogs that are part of the Love on a Leash program at University Hospitals Portage. These activities are excellent examples of the psychic income people derive from doing something for others without expecting anything in return.

Get Involved
One popular way to get involved in the arts is to take classes for personal growth and enjoyment. No requirements, credentials or degrees to earn. No tests, attendance, homework or grades. Colleges  are excellent places to take classes. For example, The Institute for Learning in Retirement at Baldwin-Wallace and the Encore 55 program at Tri-C have lots of arts courses.  Their purpose is to provide senior adults the highest quality, most-accessible and least-expensive educational,social and cultural experiences possible. Sample topics include Irish dancing, photography, card crafting, music/playing instruments, line dancing, gardening, sketching and others.

Ready?
The RLT and this blog offer robust examples of the important role the arts perform in everyday life. They frequently provide That Fluttery Feeling, which is when everything in life just seems to go as it is supposed to go. Time and other “normal” activities are suspended. Whether it is listening to a beautiful piece of music (Ave Maria, Waltz of the Flowers), reading an inspiring poem, or playing a guitar around the campfire, artistic activities round out life. For retirees, the arts are a delightful complement to the Encore Retirement Lifestyle.

This doesn’t happen overnight — it takes time and effort but remember, it requires “a lot of effort to make something look effortless.” -Chenowith

Image courtesy pexels.com