WELLNESS

Why must we age? Or is it our minds alone that Recognize the seasons? Perhaps in life we really are the same as in death. A time-warp created by history Images created by images of our past A past that does not have to grow old in our minds.

Ron Jeffery Chair, Wellness Committee, ARTA

Nearby, there was a young mother with a crying baby; a family gathered around an elderly parent reading from a book to calm them; a young adult worried about missing work from a sports injury; and the nurse attending me talking about her family and her struggles to manage her shifts so she could be with them.

As I lay there, I couldn’ t help but see the stages of our lives playing out, from birth onwards. I began to reflect on the connections that we have and make throughout our lives— the unbreakable chain of relationships we develop in our own families, in school, at work, in our community, and in our world.

Reflecting on the past with the objectivity of age can help us not only create a context for our own lives but also connect to and preserve the essence of who we are and whom we have touched, as well as provide hope for the new generation. Along with the generations in my own family, during my thirty years as a classroom teacher, I have seen the growth and connections of many of my former students.

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