Awakening and Opening

It takes fierceness to grow old well. It takes a fierce devotion to the word good-bye -- learning how to say it in many ways -- fiercely, yes, but also gently, with laughter, with tears, but, no matter how, to say it every time so that there's no doubt you mean it.
--Michael Ventura, "Across the Great Divide"; Psychotherapy Networker, Jan/Feb 2005

My Seekers Group met at Courage Center this morning. (Courage Center is known around the world for its innovative treatments for the physically disabled. See link.) Thoughts about starting a Red Hat Society chapter at Courage Center have been rattling around in my head. I had felt it would not be a "real" RHS group, as so much of the fun involved is "strutting our stuff" very publicly, showing our pride in our mature status. So many of the members would be wheelchair-bound or have other mobility issues that strutting about would be decidedly difficult.

However, I decided to bring up the idea, and it was met with great enthusiasm. The four over-50 female types in the group, including the facilitator, pounced on this idea as wonderful and long overdue! Although approval must be given by the Courage powers-that-be, we started making some tentative plans. We will do our meetings at Courage Center, which has all kinds of facilities for eating, arts and crafts, visiting, outside activities, etc. W, the facilitator, asked if staff and volunteers at CC could belong. Of course, they can! Perhaps our need to strut about could be met by parading through the facility a bit at each meeting, whether walking or wheeling.

I feel a group that is totally social would be a good addition to the other therapy modalities there. So often disabled women are limited socially as well as physically.

Plans are still very fluid, but I feel in my bones that Red Hatters will rule at Courage Center, as they do everywhere else! Link