As spring unfolds, we are expanding our social activities – making travel plans, going to the theater and concerts, sharing meals with friends.
We all learned the power of Zoom during the pandemic---enjoying discussion groups, art activities, music, movies, thought leaders talks, games, trivia night, and more. But now, we are venturing into a hybrid mix of social opportunities—some on Zoom and many in-person. Now is the time to focus on all the wonderful friends we made during the pandemic and transition to in-person connections if possible. Social engagement is essential to our well being and longevity!
At the Village, encouraging, building, and strengthening social networks is what we do. We do it for all the ways that people engage – for social life, entertainment, learning, health, wellness, care-giving, work, and purpose.
In this issue of The Navigator we have assembled some trends, insights, and lessons that have emerged over the last two years. They all have an impact on social networks and how we feel about them, build them, and maintain them. All the suggestions for ways to connect are available though the Village and can be explored through our monthly event calendar.
Warm regards,
Darcy Evon, CEO |
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More People Seek a Sense of Purpose in Their Lives and Networks by Celeste Wroblewski |
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In the world of work and retirement, “purpose” has become a popular word as employees and retirees alike seek to make changes in what they do and whom they network with. Even businesses are examining their purpose beyond profit, as evidenced by books such as Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies by Harvard Business School’s Ranjay Gulati.
What has been commonly called “The Great Resignation” – millions of Americans leaving their jobs – Gulati calls “the Great Rethink.” He writes, “Yes, many people are quitting their jobs for better offers or opportunities elsewhere–but others are leaving because they are experiencing a crisis of meaning. The pandemic has been a time of deep personal introspection and reassessment, and it has caused people to see how precious and fragile their lives are. People have looked at their jobs and thought: I want meaning and purpose in the work that I do, and I am not finding it here.
“There is abundant research to show that employees of all ages want jobs that are not merely interesting and reasonably compensated, but meaningful and purposeful. A recent McKinsey survey of employees found that 89% desired a sense of purpose at work.”
How It Works In Real Life |
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Harvard Law School graduate Sally Cohen, 31, recently left her job in “Big Law” to pursue a position with a greater purpose. After several years of brutal hours on the job, she said, “I didn’t have a good ‘why’ for what I was doing. It was hard to justify the effort I was putting in when all kinds of crazy things in the world were going on.” Cohen is now a Judicial Law Clerk in the Illinois Appellate Court.
While the new position pays much less than the “BigLaw” job, Cohen said she feels closer to the litigants and has more of an ability to affect the cases. Now, too, she says, “I’m free to do something like join a kickball league or a book club, which would have been impossible given the demands of my old job.” |
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Linda Goldberg, 65, is another lawyer from Chicago who made changes in her career in order to find greater fulfillment. She still works part-time as an attorney – but in preparation for retirement, she became a personal trainer. When I turned 60,” Goldberg says, “I decided to find a way to get healthy and I realized I could help myself while helping others by becoming a trainer.”
Goldberg focuses on heart health and strength. Though she trains people from age 20 to 85, most of her clients are in their sixties. She’s stimulated by the new subject matter, and loves learning about kinesiology and exercise science. “I want do this until I’m 90!” she proclaims. “I love contributing to a positive view of aging.”
There are many resources for people like Goldberg and Cohen who seek greater purpose in their jobs and retirement. For example, there’s a book and training program called Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, and an online site full of social impact job and volunteer opportunities called Idealist.org. Also check out the Encore Career Handbook by Marcia Alboher of Encore.org. Through its Life 3.0 committee, the Village periodically offers programs on work and purpose. For more information write info@thevillagechicago.org. |
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We can keep waiting for “normal life” to return, or we can just start living. The joy we experience with others is now so precious that many have learned new ways to find it. Going to a movie theater unlocked some new insights for journalist Melissa Kirsch: “The part about going to the movies that was so thrilling was not the film itself but being around other humans, tearing up at the end and realizing that the people on either side of me were sniffling, too.”
She also found new appreciation for the weekly video date she has with some friends. “I thought we’d switch to in-person meet-ups once it was safe to do so, but now I’m not so sure. What started as a substitute for socializing has become a source of joy in its own right.”
Aviva Futorian, attorney and activist says, “I’ve been involved in five Zoom groups throughout the pandemic. One with six women who have been friends for over 30 years; another with some neighbors; a Zoom “picnic” every Friday night; a Hill Country Project board meeting once a month; and Pilates every day. No wonder I didn’t feel closed in. If I hadn’t had it, I think I would have come out of the pandemic a different person.” |
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Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl coined the term “tragic optimism” which means that one can remain optimistic and able to say yes to life in the face of even the most severe challenges. He recognized that we have the capacity to re-orient to a positive outlook. For example, we can change our mindsets from being “stuck” at home to being “safe” at home. We can take control of our lives away from the pandemic and back into our own hands by exercising our capacity to be positive and constructive.
Village board president Karen Terry who is a counselor and educator sees evidence of our capacity for optimism in her practice:
“I have been amazed and touched by how resilient human beings are—how we find ways to thrive even under difficult conditions. I do think the pandemic has taken a toll on us all; but I think we’ll spring back—with more acceptance of and appreciation for each other. I coach people to be patient with themselves. And kind." |
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Remembrance of Things Past (with apologies to Proust) by Lynn Metz
During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, nostalgia provided a source of comfort. The lock-down and subsequent restrictions left many people feeling disconnected from life as they knew it. Nostalgia provided a means to navigate this stress, and a reliable source of pleasure and self-soothing
Out came the photo albums; on went the television sets, where marathons of Friends, Seinfeld, British mysteries and old movies served as a conduit to what felt like simpler times. Some people rediscovered activities from their past. Baking was so popular that supplies of flour and yeast became scarce. The aroma of “Grandma’s Brownies” was olfactory time travel to childhood, and families played board games on Zoom, as they once had in person.
Nostalgia on social media exponentially increased the opportunities for connecting. Facebook joined strangers into interest groups based on shared memories such as music from the 70’s, or Instagram postings of playgrounds--symbols of more carefree times. TikTok became a popular way to connect all generations via shared favorite videos. Grandparents joined with their grandkids and created videos that were uploaded hundreds of times.
Yearning for the “before times”, was an escape from the destabilization of the pandemic’s uncertainties and taught us how to form new networks based on shared life experiences. |
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Languishing and Flourishing |
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In a recent article, organizational psychologist Adam Grant reminds us that there is a name for that blah feeling many of us have been experiencing. It is languishing - “the neglected middle child of mental health – the void between depression and flourishing.”
Re-building social muscles will help traverse the gap between languishing and flourishing. Here are four small, science-based exercises recommended by Dacher Keltner, director of the Social Interaction Lab at the University of California, Berkeley:
- Share food with someone. In-person interaction around the ritual of eating boosts mood.
- Reach out to someone you’ve lost touch with. Make a phone call, send a meaningful text, write an email. It’s time to start rebuilding the larger social infrastructure outside our immediate circles.
- Strike up a conversation with a stranger or one of your “weak ties.” These are the people in your life that ground you in the community. – a local barista, a neighbor, someone in your yoga class – all part of your social network.
- Move with someone. Dance, walk, run, swim, bike — even stuff envelopes, or pull weeds. Physical synchronicity is one of the most important ways we have to connect with someone else.
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Above: Fashion icon Iris Apfel in 2021 on her 100th birthday. Photo by Noam Galai
It’s no accident that the meme “You do you” with its origins in early 2000’s hip hop culture, is now in common usage. It is consistent with the growing search for authenticity in all aspects of our lives. This search has been triggered by such things as greenwashing*; the conflicting pronouncements on masks and medicines throughout the pandemic; a parade of changing advice about whether coffee, aspirin, Vitamin E, wine, etc., etc. are good or bad for you; and the very words “alternative truth.”
The yearning for authenticity has had a huge impact on advertising – one of the most accurate reflections of what people want. Adweek reports that “The age of affirmation marketing has arrived.” It replaces aspirational marketing in which “… the characters are affluent and gorgeous. “Just about anyone,” the advertising suggests, “can attain social status if they purchase the right stuff.”
Affirmation marketing is “in” because people are more sophisticated in their understanding of messaging. “They’re craving an authentic voice that isn’t trying to sell them a fantasy, but instead can show them reality.”
“You do you.” The world has changed and we may have changed too, creating opportunities to connect with what we truly deep-down want, need, and enjoy. The people in our social networks may be different, and the frequency and manner of interactions may have changed, but strong networks are still the single most important component of social, mental, and emotional well-being.
* Greenwashing is the practice of making unwarranted or overblown claims of sustainability or environmental friendliness in an attempt to gain market share. |
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Chicago-area Villages Partner with Cornell University and Mather for Retirees in Service to the Environment (RISE) |
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Climate change and conservation are immensely important, but many of us don’t know how to tackle such large-scale issues. Now there is RISE, a virtual 4-week, 8 session program for adults over 60 where participants will learn about topics of local relevance including pollution, conservation, energy, and waste management. At the end of the course, participants will work independently or collaboratively on a project in direct service to their community, such as condo composting, tree monitoring, or electronic recycling. Learn with Village members across the city and get active in combating climate change. For more information, please email callie@thevillagechicago.org |
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The Village Chicago and Chicago Innovation with funding from RRF Foundation on Aging have teamed up to help dismantle age bias with an exciting city-wide campaign, “Turn the Page on Age.” |
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Watch for these simple yet powerful ads starting April 1 on the backs of CTA buses, billboards in high traffic locations, and digital bus shelters:
Innovate at any age. Work at any age. Play at an age. Hug at any age. Learn at any age. Connect at any age.
Coming in May: WBBM Newsradio spots. |
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Beginning April 13, the office team will attend a two part series from The Center on Halsted focusing on LGBTQ+ competency. The first session provides foundational knowledge such as overview of the community and language. The second session goes deeper into ensuring our organization is culturally competent, both internally in the workplace culture and externally in outreach/communications to the community. Later this summer, we will also participate in a program on racial justice from Brave Space Alliance. These sessions will be available to the larger Village community later in the year. |
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Welcome Our Newest Office Team Members |
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After a career spent creating community through the arts, Claire was immediately drawn to working at the Village. Claire holds degrees in English Literature and Vocal Music Performance from the University of Michigan and the University of Louisville, is a passionate arts educator and professional classical singer, and is the founder and current Executive & Artistic Director of Thompson Street Opera Company, which performs new works by emerging living composers. Claire is taking over from Megan Byrd who is moving to be near her husband’s family in Australia. |
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A native Chicagoan, Celeste began her career at Burson-Marsteller Public Relations and went on to hold marketing and communications leadership roles with a number of non-profit organizations. These include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the YMCA of the USA, Mercy Housing Lakefront, Forefront, the League of American Orchestras, and Anixter Center. A Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago, Celeste is passionate about the power of older adults to effect social change and inspire younger generations. When she’s not working for the Village, she enjoys a side passion as a resume writer and career coach. This is a new role at the Village, and we look forward to seeing Celeste explore exciting new avenues for outreach. |
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How To Be More Optimistic What we can do to become hopeful again after health, social, racial and economic challenges (NextAvenue)
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RSVP today for our upcoming in-person and virtual events! For full descriptions and registration, visit thevillagechicago.org.
- (4/6) Great Books, Great Conversations
- (4/7) Weekly Walks Around North Pond | An In-Person Event
- (4/9) Early Migratory Birds at Montrose Point | An In-Person Event
- (4/12) New Member Happy Hour | An In-Person Event
- (4/13) NEW! John Feltham on “Bloody Williamson” County | Presented by the Men’s Group
- (4/13) Reading the Rainbow | A Monthly Book Club
- (4/19) Volunteering at the Lakeview Pantry | An In-Person Event
- (4/20) Near North Art Walk Hosted by the Near North Circle | An In-Person Event
- (4/26) Meet the Staff Coffee Hour
- (5/5) Open Rehearsal at Symphony Center
- (5/5) Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ+ Rights Movement Exhibit
- (5/9) NEW! Pop Goes the Cabaret | An In-Person Event
- (5/11) NEW! Peter Norton on “Autonorama: The Illusory Promise of High-Tech Driving” | Presented by the Men’s Group
- (5/13) NEW! Spring Migration Birdwatching | An In-Person Event
To RSVP for any event, please visit our web calendar or email us at celebrate@thevillagechicago.org! |
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Are you...
Looking for a new career, about to retire, wondering what's next? Seeking companions that share your interests? Searching for a way to utilize your abilities? In need of occasional help? New to Chicago? Worried about changing needs? An adult child with aging parents?
Village members are part of an inclusive, multigenerational community, connected to others and to the resources that support growth and well-being as we navigate life after 50 together.
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Leadership of The Village Chicago |
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Board of Directors Karen Terry, President Judith Gethner Vice President David Baker, Vice President Angie Levenstein, Secretary Richard W. Sullivan, Treasurer Kathie Kolodgy, Immediate Past President |
| Donald M. Bell Patricia Clickener Charles G. Cooper Caryn Curry Thomas C. Eley III Joan Goldstein Bruce Hunt Ira Kohlman Molly Matthias Therese Meike Liz Metzger Gail C. Moss Linda Randall Wally Shah Carol Stein Lois Stuckey Vamse Kumar Subbiah Janet Walters Melville Washburn Joyce Winnecke |
| Advisory Council Neelum T. Aggarwal, MD Robyn L. Golden, LCSW Joanne G. Schwartzberg, MD Mary Ann Smith CEO Darcy L. Evon |
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The Village Chicago is a community network of friendship, engagement and services for people over 50. We support all aspects of well-being through social engagement, an extensive services and referral network, lifelong learning, health and fitness, intergenerational relationships, work and purpose.
2502 North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614. 773.248.8700 |
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