“May I Feel Healthy; May I Be Happy!”
In my mind, this mantra reflects the most critical aspect of getting old, which is one’s attitude about getting old. Finding that happy middle ground between accepting the reality of physical and maybe even intellectual diminution on the one hand and retaining and enhancing one’s youthful attitude and curiosity on the other is central to enjoying these latter years of our lives. It is important to live in the present and to resist dwelling too much on the future. I, for one, am determined to be in the here and now.
I know from personal experience that OLLI @Berkeley is one way to enhance the meaningfulness and enjoyment of our later years. For me, attending an OLLI course is a bit like going back to college. I feel the excitement and openness I did oh-so many decades ago when I first attended school. When I look through all of OLLI's course offerings, it’s not easy to know exactly what classes I might enjoy most. There’s uncertainty in just about everything we do, but being adventurous, both intellectually and physically, tends to have more upside than downside, so pick your classes as if you were going on an exciting new journey. It will intellectually be well worth it! Look for classes that may inspire you, challenge you, intrigue you, enhance your knowledge base, or are simply enjoyable and something you know little about but have some curiosity for.
For me, the teacher can be as important as the subject matter. The quality of the lecture, the content of the selected material, and even the duration of the class can make the difference between loving that class or just liking it.
See you on our adventure trip. Bon voyage!
Dr. Hugh Winig is a retired psychiatrist, a longtime OLLI @Berkeley member and volunteer, and a regular contributor to the OLLI Blog.