Aging in Place Social Capital Strategy
Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.
~ Rollo May
Aging in Place
My wife has a network of close women friends. They all have green eyes and call themselves the Green Eyed Mavens (GEMS). Essentially they are a mutual support group for life, at any one time a GEM has a “flat tire” going on in life and the group circles the wagons to support. They go on coastal weekends, dinners over night (wine driven sessions), or day trips. The women make GEM get togethers a priority and schedule the events throughout the year. This is creating and committing to “social capital” that the women hope to maintain into the future.
As they approached retirement, the women worried they might drift apart without daily lunches in the teachers’ lounge and school-sponsored social events. To avoid that fate, they made a promise that they would get together several times a year. They gave their group a name to cement their commitment to continuing their friendship. And that is how the CHATTs, which stands for Chicks Having a Terrific Time, were created.
~ Story by Randi Mazzella, courtesy of Next Avenue
This is such a healthy and life-affirming activity I wish more men valued and practiced this same philosophy.
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