Assisted Living

Once a month I volunteer to lead a workshop at an assisted living center for senior citizens here in South Florida.

I am not the only metaphysical entrepreneur to volunteer here.  The activities director is a powerhouse of networking.  Because of that, her seniors enjoy concerts, sing-alongs, Reiki, astrology, numerology, meditation, past life regression, and many other interesting topics, all provided by local volunteers.

They are also some of the most engaged seniors I have ever met in an assisted living facility.

Corporate is not always completely aware of the programming.  For instance, the class I teach is called “Creative Meditation.”  In truth, it often involves tarot.

I do many different things with this group.  I get them to tell stories from their younger years.  I get them to talk about their feelings.  Often tarot is a good way of doing both those things.

Today we did birth numbers, and the Major Arcana cards associated with them.

Everyone got a kick out of 97-year-old Arthur, whose card is the Hierophant.  They spent the rest of the class referring to him as “The Pope.”  He accepted the title with good humor, knowing how well it fit him.

When I first starting teaching there, I didn’t enjoy wading through the sea of old people in wheelchairs.  Now, I don’t notice the sea of old people in wheelchairs, I simply see my friends and students.  It is so easy to ignore the contributions of the disabled, or the elderly, or any other disenfranchised group.  When we do, we do ourselves a disservice, as well as them.

Assisted Living is so named because the residents require a varying measure of assistance in conducting their day-to-day lives. At the same time, interacting with them has assisted me as well.  The opportunity to connect with people who were born almost a century ago is life-shaping.  The opportunity to share tarot with them is nothing short of a gift.