Time for a little

When I was in my 20s, I worked at an assisted living facility. I was the activity guy (actually, the assistant to the activity director). But I was responsible for setting up little events to keep the seniors engaged. One day, I had brilliant idea …

They were shut up in this rather depressing place and many had no idea what was going on in the outside world. So, I decided I would read the newspaper headlines to them and open up a discussion on current events …

It didn’t work. I’d read a headline—“U.S. on the Verge of War with Iraq”—and they’d shout things like, “Who cares?!” “It doesn’t matter!” Or “You’re too loud!” (which felt a little uncalled for). They didn’t give a rip what was happening in the news. …

So, I scrapped that & started an activity I called “True Stories” where I just opened floor and invited them to share stories about their lives. One man recounted having lunch with Eleanor Roosevelt. One chuckled recalling how her brother would get drunk, pass out in his horse..

drawn carriage but the horses would just bring him home. Another talked about how he picked up his wife for their first date when they were both 16. “I’ve been picking her up every day since,” he said and started to cry.

She’d been taken into the hospital earlier in the week after a massive stroke. There was a lot of crying and laughing.

What’s my point? I guess it’s for those of us who ride the headlines. Who comment and argue and opine about macro trends and stories. It’s fine (I do it too).

But I can promise you that when you come to the end of your life, that’s not what you’ll care about. It will be the micro stories that grip you—you’ll be thinking about the people you loved and who loved you.

And you won’t give a rip about the news.