How Do You Think About Aging?

I believe that hardly a thought is given to the issue of aging when we are young unless we witness this with our grandparents and parents or if we are called upon to be part of a caregiving group. My father’s mother lived with us in tight quarters when I was very young, and I remember little of her except that she caused him considerable pain. There are moments I recall, but I am unable to connect them. In any case, age meant nothing to me, and I know that I never thought in terms of the future or what the future held for me.

My gang was what was important to me, and the sports activities we were involved in. School was unimportant save for a few activities and one or two teachers that I liked. And so, life was lived each day, and thoughts of growing up and earning a living were never a part of my mental process. In fact, if I did think of the future, I thought being a merchant mariner would be the best way to see the world, an adventure that appealed to me.

Note that it was the adventure I thought of, not the work I might be doing. If I thought about it at all, my future did not manifest itself until my experiences on Okinawa at the end of the 2nd World War. I never thought beyond my belief that I could handle anything thrown my way. Being physical was my answer until I was shown alternatives. Alternatives became my life.

 As I reflect, I realize I never planned on getting old. What about you?

What awaits is there—I meet it and it meets me—Serendipity?

Author: Sy Ogulnick

Sy Ogulnick received a BA from UCLA, Teacher’s Credential from Los Angeles Board of Education and completed phase I (Master’s portion) in a Doctor of Behavioral Science program at California Coast University. Sy leased and operated a summer day camp in LA. He and his wife then purchased virgin wilderness land in Northern CA, where they built and operated a coed summer camp. They moved to Las Vegas, NV, and purchased, built and operated a community children’s program for families staying in a major resort casino in Las Vegas. They have created programs for children nationwide that employed many people and in the process developed successful training programs for personnel. This led Sy to lecture on how to train staff and the creating of community within the workplace. Sy was then invited to speak at professional conferences on how best to hire and train employees, which led to his becoming a consultant in the art of improving relationships in a work environment and eventually to his epiphany that “Leaders are the primary problem and the answer to the personnel issues that arise in the workplace.” Sy has written numerous papers on the subject of interpersonal relationships, leadership and power. He has lectured throughout the United States, has been interviewed by the media and has appeared on many radio and TV talk shows

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