THINGS AREN’T WHAT THEY USED TO BE

As a child I would take my Aunt’s back-scratcher and long handled shoe-horn and use them as levers in my mystical rocket ship. The back-scratcher was a special lever since it came equipped with an end similar to a puppet’s hand. The shoe-horn also held great powers as an “accelerator” due to its cupping mechanism. There couldn’t be any other reasons for items like these.

Then there was that funny cane thing with the platform and four tiny legs. Hmm, maybe a broken pogo-stick? And, a small stick with a triangular wire that my Aunt used in getting dressed – couldn’t be anything else but an “ant-trapeze” in my juvenile reality.

Now, long in the tooth, so to speak, I realize the real reasons for those items. I’m affected by the very reasons my Aunt was and need them in my day-to-day living. My “rheumatis” also predicts rain and cold weather and acts as a barometer for humidity.

This condition slows me down a bit and I can see why things aren’t what they used to be translates into more than just the objects I had other uses for as a kid. It also translates into how others perceive those with such maladies.

If you walk slower or have difficulty turning jar lids or car window cranks, you’re probably “over the hill.” Unfortunately, these perceptions are, sometimes, those of our neighbors. “Mrs. Smith at ‘78’ hardly ever comes out of the house.” “Old man Carter can’t stand the noise of the kids on the block – why doesn’t he just move into a home?”

The elders of our community and neighborhoods have far more to offer than we give them credit for. Some are considered elders due to age, while others are considered elderly before their time due to illness. Maybe we just need to reach out to them. Although times have changed and things are done differently than in the past, the knowledge and wisdom our community elders hold in their hearts and minds can provide a brilliant perspective on why things aren’t what they used to be. With that background, new programs can be developed in order to enrich community life, essentially shaping the future for our youth.

They know how things were and have witnessed, first-hand, the changes in society that have seemingly built walls between neighbors. They hold the history of our neighborhoods and can retell the stories of the development of the streets and buildings that surround us. Although having some infirmities may hold them down to simpler physical tasks, their minds are still sharp and ever-searching for new knowledge. All we need to do is reach out to them and respect them enough to ask questions and for help.

Imagine a Story-Telling Circle in your community. The children learn from the stories but also learn the art of story-telling. They also connect with the elders of the community and a mentorship is created that binds generation to generation. The Story-Telling Circle can be done outside during warm weather months and moved to a local library, church hall, or community center in the fall and winter. Many neighborhoods have movie nights for the kids, but this program goes further to connect people, arts, and history. It also provides a village-styled kinship that can go further than a television show or a video game.

Ever wonder about the history of the area you live in? Can you think of what your kids might gather from such knowledge? Have the “village elders” tell the stories and relate the differences and you’ll open up a world to your kids that costs nothing but provides everything for an all-encompassing development of their formative years.

And, let’s not forget that being an elder is not limited to the past, but also provides the individual with the skills and interests of the present. For someone in your neighborhood that may not be able to get around so well, there may be some support and/or background projects they can work on to contribute to the organization. Self-worth goes a long way in allowing an individual to feel as if they are strong enough to contribute instead of being dependant on others. This gets folks out of the house and provides self-esteem that may have been lost due to illness. To see a renewed spark of life in a pair of eyes that have seen much of what the world has dealt out is like discovering a rainbow at the end of a storm. Give yourselves a chance to feel its warmth.

Our elders have lived it – “the life” – and are willing to share their experiences and skills if we just provide an outlet. In doing so, we open the doors to a broader spectrum of what community shaping is all about and enrich the lives of all ages in the “village.” We add the essential components of experience and caring, generational connectivity, and communication to our new community shape. We provide each generation with the whys and wherefores that things aren’t the way they used to be. And so grows the neighborhood.