"Can the Environment Hold the Vision?"

©  Imelda  Maurer, cdp  August 23, 2016

One of my Facebook friends posted the following poem this morning.  

You Start Dying Slowly by Pablo Neruda

You start dying slowly

if you do not travel,
if you do not read,
If you do not listen to the sounds of life,
If you do not appreciate yourself.
You start dying slowly
When you kill your self-esteem;
When you do not let others help you.
You start dying slowly
If you become a slave of your habits,
Walking everyday on the same paths…
If you do not change your routine,
If you do not wear different colours
Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.
You start dying slowly
If you avoid to feel passion
And their turbulent emotions;
Those which make your eyes glisten
And your heart beat fast.
You start dying slowly
If you do not change your life when you are not satisfied with your job, or with your love,
If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain,
If you do not go after a dream,
If you do not allow yourself,
At least once in your lifetime,

How true all of this is. I read it through the lens of any older adult.  That passion, that purpose and meaning is so vital to being fully alive as long as we have breath.

There are two necessary factors necessary for living with purpose and meaning: the initiative required on one's part to live  precisely with that passion, and the environment in which one finds oneself.  If elders are to find purpose and meaning, there must be possibilities within their environment for that to be present, facilitated and nurtured. I am reminded once again of the statement repeated again and again in a presentation I heard on a totally different topic two years ago:  "Can the environment hold the vision?" This question should be posed and studied and returned to often by any individuals or teams responsible for providing aging services -- in any setting!