By Jerry Yeatts, F390000
FMCA Executive Director
May 2015
FMCA Executive Director
May 2015
Each May, the Administration for Community Living celebrates Older Americans Month to recognize older citizens for their contributions to the United States. This year, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act (OAA), the focus is on how older adults are taking charge of their health, becoming engaged in their communities, and making a positive impact in the lives of others. The theme for Older Americans Month 2015 is Get into the Act.
I recently searched the word “fun” on the Internet, and I couldn’t find anything that identified an age when people should stop having fun. In fact, I read a quote from an unknown author stating, “You don’t stop having fun because you get old; you get old because you stop having fun.” I have witnessed this phenomenon with some of my friends and family members. When you stop having fun, when you no longer have the desire to reach out to your dear friends to play cards, have lunch, or just to say hello, it almost seems as though the wrinkles grow a bit deeper, the memory isn’t as sharp, and the aging process begins to accelerate.
Today, the American dream seems to include living in a two-car household, with a home large enough to accommodate each child in a separate bedroom; having a big-screen television that spans from one side of the room to the other, along with a satellite dish that delivers 500 channels; providing children the special uniforms and latest gear to participate in all types of sports; and owning the most powerful laptop, tablet, or other gadgets available on the market.
If this cycle of spending came to an abrupt halt, what would those chasing this dream have? Debt, most likely, and perhaps disappointment when they realize that even with all of the “things” they have, they haven’t been able to attain the same level of fun and satisfaction that their parents achieved.
The parents of yesterday, including many of you FMCA members, got it right. You were, and still are, the parents who played cards with the neighbors, attended and hosted dinner parties, sat on the front porch on a warm summer night and actually talked. The “Greatest Generation” parents didn’t seem to need to bring work home, and didn’t seem to worry all the time. Siblings often slept in the same small bedroom, without emotional or developmental consequences. As a boomer, it wasn’t unusual to play hide-and-seek, or baseball, or dodgeball, with dozens of other kids in the neighborhood until it was too dark to see.
Today’s parents are more fearful for their children, both in terms of playground and neighborhood security and future economic success. It feels unsafe to allow them to play outside unattended; it feels unwise to skip any of the “enrichment activities” we can cram into their days. According to child psychiatrist Dr. Alvin Rosenfeld, the amount of time children spend on unstructured activities, exploring, and learning important skills such as how to direct their own time and to entertain themselves, dropped by half in the past 20 years. Is it any wonder that today’s children continue to need the constant stimulation of video games. How many times have you heard a child say he or she is bored and has nothing to do?
We do know how to have fun. We don’t bat an eye at spending hundreds of dollars on tickets to theme parks and entertainment venues. We spend money on monthly memberships at health clubs. We love our special lattes and fancy coffee drinks. With casinos and racinos opening all across the continent, it’s not unusual to become consumed with the sights and sounds of the one-armed bandits. Too many of us just don’t give ourselves permission to have fun, or we set rigid boundaries on what is allowable fun and where we are allowed to have it. The biggest lie we tell ourselves is that we can — we should — wait until we retire to have fun.
At the summer 2010 Family Reunion in Redmond, Oregon, FMCA members in attendance exhibited some of the best examples of what it means to have fun, to get engaged, and to make a positive impact on others. Friday, August 13, 2010, was designated “Free Hugs Day” at the 84th Family Reunion. It was amazing to see the smiles and to hear the laughter of folks as they held up signs for free hugs. But the fun didn’t just stop with a friendly hug. Members, tongue in cheek, participated in a wet T-shirt competition . . . with a twist, performing a modern-day version of a water-balloon toss with T-shirts soaked in a bucket of water.
Making a positive impact on others occurred when some willing national officers, national office staff, and U.S. Olympic hopefuls took their turn at being the recipients of a dousing in some pretty cool water on a warm August day while staffing a dunking booth. Donations benefitted the Oregon Nordic Ski Foundation. And, what a surprise for an overflow crowd to hear Debbie Reynolds reminisce about her successful and colorful career. Who says there is an age limit to having fun?
National president Charlie Adcock has written about his experience racing cars around the oval at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. And I just shake my head in awe when I watch the YouTube videos of members of FMCA’s 4-Wheelers chapter (fmca4wheelers.com) climbing mountains and maneuvering through canyons. Bus ’N’ Bikers chapter members enjoy the adventure and freedom of the road with friends sharing a common interest in unique motorhomes and motorcycles. Their gatherings in 2015 will include a rally in Spearfish, South Dakota, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Sturgis bike week, officially known as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Members of FMCA Chapter: Habitat for Humanity® make a difference in the lives of families by building homes throughout the United States. I, along with other FMCA national office staff members, witnessed firsthand the hard work and fellowship demonstrated by this chapter when a build took place in the Greater Cincinnati area several years ago.
A member recently made a comment that FMCA isn’t relevant for him. He noted that he has children, and it seems as though we talk more about grandparents and grandchildren. The impression I received when I read his comment is that he was implying that FMCA members don’t know how to have fun. Four-wheeling? Motorcycle riding to Sturgis? Taking a race car for a spin at 100-plus miles an hour around a track? Running competitive races or scaling the “great warrior wall” on an obstacle course? Age isn’t a number!
So, in the spirit of “Older Americans Month” and the Association for Community Living’s theme of Get into the Act, let’s laugh, misbehave, make mistakes, and through it all discover our very own potential for health, healing, and wholeness.
Safe travels.
FMCA National Office Closed For Memorial Day
The FMCA national office will be closed on Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day.