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Village Orientation Sessions
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The next Village Orientation Session is scheduled as follows:
Sat. July 8th
at 1:00 at the Hollywood Library.
Anyone interested in learning about the Village movement, and the Northeast Village PDX in particular is urged to attend. No reservations are necessary.
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Members and Volunteers only
CHAMBER MUSIC NORTHWEST CONCERT:
Variations on a Russian Theme
Thursday July 6. Picnic at 6:00, Concert at 7:30 pm
Gather with fellow Villagers for a pre-concert BYO picnic or join us just for the concert.
Open to All
NORTHEAST VILLAGE COFFEE
Friday July 7, 10:00 - 11:00 am
Members Only
MEN'S COOKING I and II
Friday July 7, 6:00-8:00 pm
Men's Cooking I is at capacity, but if you are interested in having a second Men's Cooking group, please contact Peter Anderson at
annpetera@comcast,net
Open to All
NEIGHBORHOOD WALK: Ladds Addition
Monday July 10, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm .
Explore this lovely neighborhood that features an unusual radial street layout, historic buildings, and rose gardens
Open to All
CHAMBER MUSIC NORTHWEST
FREE REHEARSAL
Tuesday July 11. Arrive by 10:40 am to gather with other Villagers, rehearsal runs from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
As part of its Summer Festival, Chamber Music Northwest will have an open rehearsal of Rebecca Clarke's Sonata for Viola and Piano.
Members Only
GATHERING FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSONS (VIPs)
Friday July 14, 10:00 am -12:00 pm
Members with early or advanced visual impairments are invited to meet and share their personal stories about challenges, successes, and resources. Those interested in learning what it is like to deal with loss of vision may also attend.
Open to All
COFFEE WITH EASTSIDE VILLAGE
Tuesday July 25, 9:30 - 10:30 am
Members Only
SINGING GROUP
Wednesday July 26, 1:30 pm
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Membership Survey Results Are In
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In April, the village began a membership survey with much success. Over half of NE Village members responded, and our overall "grades" were high. Members gave feedback on their satisfaction with village services, transportation, programs, volunteers, and communication. We appreciated learning what was working well and what we need to improve. Thanks to all who participated in the survey and/or made follow-up phone calls.
NE Village PDX continues to enjoy new members. As of June 15, the village has 112 members. An orientation session was held June 14 just prior to the potluck dinner. New members sat down with existing members to review how the all-volunteer support system works.
"I've been here since the beginning," said Jean Powers, who's been involved since NE Village opened its doors last November. "I've used the driving services the most, and every driver has been wonderful. You've joined the right group," she told the new members.
Committee chairs made appeals for increased involvement from village members and volunteers. If you have time in your schedule, there is something you can help us do to make a stronger, even more healthy and responsive village. Just let us know what you'd like to do.
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Finding Meaning and Purpose in Your Golden Years
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Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of articles on retiring well, written by retired professor of psychology Tracy McDonald, who is also a member of NE Village PDX.
Retiring is one of our major transitions in life. Almost all of us have concerns about financing retirement, but we often don't anticipate the psychological aspects of the transition. We may not think about how we will be impacted by losing our career identity, our social support network from work, and the meaning work may have added to our lives.
At any time during this multiple-year transition, we may be confused by what seems like a lack of purpose. If you find yourself floundering, research suggests some straightforward changes you can make toward having a more meaningful retirement, no matter where you are in the retirement process.
Think back over your working years. What was your favorite job? What aspects made you love it? Answers to this question might include things like making a difference, being able to use a variety of skills and abilities, having authority to make decisions, being recognized for a job well done, and building meaningful work relationships.
Why talk about work when the topic is retirement? It so happens the same factors that give work meaning can also contribute to a happy retirement. Our task is to translate the types of experiences that gave meaning to our jobs into experiences available to us now that we are retired. It takes willingness, reflection, trial and error, and time to create your personal translation.
Industrial psychologists Greg Oldham and Richard Hackman are esteemed researchers with long histories exploring what makes work meaningful.* Almost 40 years ago, they studied job satisfaction and found a common set of factors. If we extend their findings to our golden years, a fulfilling retirement might include:
1. Opportunities to use the full range of skills and abilities we have acquired over decades of participation in the work force, as well as new ones.
2. Opportunities to complete a project from start to finish whether it be a piece of art or an inspired meal.
3. Autonomy in what we do.
4. Seeing our creations, be they crafts, volunteering, or pro bono work, affect others in positive ways.
5. Feeling that we are making a difference.
Subsequent articles in this series will explore how to nurture each of these aspects of living so they are more present in our retired lives. The intention is to translate them into what a meaningful retirement looks like for you.
Meanwhile, here's an important question to consider: What are the values you want to live by in your retirement years?
Happy investigation!
*e.g., How Job Characteristics Theory Happened, 2005
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Surfing the Net: Civic Websites
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Do recent events have you glued to news sources, wanting to track what's going on in Portland, the country, the world? These websites will serve you some food for thought. Many of them allow readers to sign up for regular email notifications.
- www.theguardian.com/us - An independent, trust-run British newspaper that reinvests all profits in news reportage, rather than investors or shareholders. Covers movies, art, documentaries, politics, the economy.
- https://xray.fm/about - A low-power radio station broadcasting obscurely from southeast Portland. Tune in on the website, at 91.1 FM or 107.1 FM. Offers music, news, interactive discussions, and more.
- http://kboo.org - You probably already know this one, but it's good to revisit. KBOO, a nonprofit, subscriber-supported community radio station, has been a counter-cultural anchor and cornucopia of alternative news in Portland since 1968. Listen online and at 90.7 FM. Coverage includes call-in talk programs, jazz, labor and veteran news, health and mental health issues, food and gardening tips, biking, investigative reporting, and more. Also offers instruction on how to run a radio station.
- www.truth-out.org - Publishes progressive investigative reports from 8-10 news sources daily.
- www.nytimes.com - This national newspaper of record allows non-subscribers to access the website 10 times a month for free.
- www.ocpp.org - Reports on national and state policy and implications for Oregonians.
- http://www.oregonvoice.org/members.html - A network of progressive community and advocacy groups in Oregon. Basic Rights Oregon, Common Cause, the Oregon Center for Public Policy, and the Urban League are among the members.
Have you found any intriguing websites you'd like to share with NE Villagers? If so, send the URL to
[email protected]
and we'll publish the links in an upcoming newsletter. Also in an upcoming newsletter, we'll share websites that deal with health and aging.
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Member Profile: Meet
Virginia (Jinny) Wilkinson
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Jinny is a Minnesota girl who moved to the Pacific NW in 1960. She recalls the great trip out, seeing the country for the first time. The Columbia River Gorge was "like heaven." Jinny moved to the Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood in 1979 shortly before the last solar eclipse. Beaumont Middle School is over her fence in the backyard, and she catches stray balls (and kids) as she looks out her kitchen window. Jinny raised three children in this "terrific" neighborhood.
Jinny is planning to volunteer for Northeast Village calling members and possibly helping others learn Tri Met. Jinny joined the village after she stopped driving and has learned many ways to get around Portland. She has become active with the low vision support group through the village and finds assurance knowing village volunteers are there. Jinny says the village "keeps the burden off her children."
Welcome, Jinny.
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On the Nightstand: Two
must-reads that deal with end-of-life care.
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Here are two must-reads that deal with end-of-life issues in the corporate era of high-tech health care.
Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death
by Katie Butler (Simon and Schuster, 2013). The author's seventy-nine year old father suffered a crippling stroke and was outfitted with a pacemaker against his doctor's advice - and against the wishes of his family. As he slid into dementia, near-blindness and misery, his wife and daughter were faced with a wrenching moral decision. Should they disable the pacemaker? This book is well written and not morbid.
The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care
by Angelo Volandes, M.D. (Bloomsbury USA, 2015). The author is a researcher at Harvard Medical School. Two-thirds of people die in health care institutions tethered to machines and tubes at bankrupting cost. Most would prefer to die at home surrounded by loved ones. Volandes shows that what people need most is conversations with their doctor about end-of-life choices to ensure they will be in charge of how they live their last days - the least technical tool in the black bag.
--Edana Laine
CALL FOR REVIEWS
Have you read a book - or seen a movie - you'd like to share with fellow villagers? Visited a restaurant with a menu that's to die for? Write up your thoughts (it needn't be long; 150-350 words is plenty) and send them to
[email protected]
Reviews of all types are encouraged.
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