No More Time For TV

By Lawrence Bienemann During a recent visit to a local coffee-shop I overheard an interesting conversation between two women. Actually, it was more like a monologue by one of the women, for an audience of one, who punctuated and supported the others’ remarks with a series of nods and ‘uh-huhs.’ The first woman seemed to be making a lengthy, verbal “to-do” list of everything she needed to get to in the near future. It sounded almost like a project manager’s punch list. She talked about goals and objectives. Committees and minutes. Commitments and appointments. Coordinating schedules. There was some sort of interviewing process going on. Several of the things on her laundry list sounded hospitality-related. They two women laughed as the first woman made a comment about having “no more time for TV.” Having never owned one (a TV, that is) maybe that’s what caught my attention. I watched and listened, daydreaming a little, and formulated several different scenarios in my mind’s eye. Was she a captain of industry, meeting with a mentor to talk about the challenge of balancing her life while juggling her responsibilities as a CEO? Or perhaps she was a life partner of a business executive busily conducting the critical ‘behind the scenes’ chores that made their partnership appear to function effortlessly? Was she using new skills? Or were they things she had done for most of her life? What’s the point? None, really. Just a few observations. The woman with the list (who looked about seventy) was healthy and vibrant. She was well-groomed and ‘put together.’ She was active and engaged in the world around her. The conversation was not about doctors' appointments or aches and pains… and it occurred in a public place, in the company of a much younger person. It turns out that the list really wasn’t about the woman at all. She was talking about volunteering. And she was laughing. Talking about being busier as a retiree than she had been during the years that she worked full time. Who needs a study to tell us that volunteering is good for your health? Certainly not the woman who has “no more time for TV.” Lawrence Bienemann is a program coordinator for RSVP in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. He also speaks and writes about issues related to aging well and can be reached via e-mail This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Comments (0) >> Write comment Name Email Website Title Comment Write the displayed characters Add Comment

 

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