Recently, the Wall Street Journal published an article advising “How to Avoid Being Boring at 60”. The essay was authored by Rob LaZebnik, co-executive producer of “The Simpsons. This may explain everything. The suggested resolutions included: “make an announcement on an airplane”; “make a shirt” and “take a sound bath”. Seriously? These stultifying suggestions are ridiculous, no matter one’s age.
The New Year tradition of making sound resolutions to improve personal and community enrichment is as old as the Babylonians. That tribe began the ritual by honoring their gods, “promising to pay their debts and return borrowed farming equipment.” The Medieval knights took the “peacock vow” renewing their dedication to chivalry. Good resolutions, indeed.
Consider making your New Year resolution to avoid boredom.
Instead of taking a sound bath, consider substitute teaching. There you will be awash in sounds and smells not encountered since your early 20’s. Moore County public schools needs teachers, coaches, administration staff and support from the community. A high school diploma and a boat load of courage is all it takes to become a substitute teacher. Additionally, a new opportunity, modeled after the military, allows non-certified college graduates to enter the classroom as a “resident” teacher while acquiring certification.
Coach Randy Hanna, landed on the tee at Sandhills Community College after retiring as chief technical officer at General Motors Financial in Michigan. Randy always wanted to coach. He became the volunteer assistant coach for the Flyers under Gus Ulrich. They led the team to 3 consecutive years of national championships. That was not enough for Randy. He is now a collegiate player-coach at SCC taking 12 credit hours of instruction, studying Business Law, Music Appreciation, Banking and Data Analytics at Sandhills in his spare time. “This is the coolest thing I have ever done.”
This is not boring.
If the idea of making public announcements holds a certain fascination, toss your golf hat into local politics. The Sandhills is exploding. Layering road congestion, public safety and stress on our infrastructure onto this community, officially dedicated to its quaint, small-town aura, requires expert leadership. The person able to resolve these growing pains while maintaining a culture of quiet stability will be a bigshot in this town. We have some very fine leaders in the Sandhills, you would be in good company.
Creating a shirt might not excite you but making music could make your heart beat faster.
Maestro Michael Wolff, God’s gift to the Carolina Philharmonic has launched Flow University and Music Leadership Academy in Pinehurst. These ambitious institutions are open to students 13-to-20, on full scholarship. That means volunteers, my friends, plenty of them. This is an opportunity to dust off the violin, tune the piano and mentor an aspiring musician.
Mr. LaZebnik also suggested attending a megachurch to relieve boredom after 60. How about any church. Resolve to practice your faith in the new year. Our political and educational institutions have preached secularism for so many decades, we hardly miss the moralizing popular in the old days. In this new world of conflict, we are beginning to see an acknowledgement that evil exists. Pundits and podcasters are beginning to wonder in public if something evil is controlling our world. Entering the body of faith offered in our local churches to seek an understanding of our purpose might calm our troubled waters.
Try your hand at the Artists League of the Sandhills. This rich culture of dedicated artists resides in the old train terminal in Aberdeen. Experiment with the multiple media offered by instructors, cohorts and cohabitants in the creative world. Resolve to find your inner artist in an atmosphere of support and collaboration. If ever there was a risk worth taking it is the deep dive into the unknow world of your own imagination.
Ride a horse, walk a beagle, muck a stall. Southern Pines is home to the Walthour-Moss Foundation, stewarding over 4000 acres of pristine, protected land. It is a sanctuary for wildlife and quiet life in equal measure. Originally recognized for its fine equestrian facilities and the Moore County Hounds, the Penn-marydel line of foxhounds, today, the Foundation’s mission has expanded to include easements accessing foot trails, monitoring the treasured red-cockaded woodpecker and maintaining bluebird boxes.
Many in the Sandhills have chosen to live here for golf or the horses or the climate but we have remained here because of the strength of our community. We make a difference here. Every hour you dedicate to someone else, every dollar you contribute to support a cause is reflected in the inspiring experiences you have created.
Connie Lovell lives in Moore County.
