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By Stephanie Talanian
Editor’s Note: After 20 years as Elder Services’ Fiscal Director, Stephanie Talanian is moving into a new phase of life, and leaving behind her role in keeping Elder Services’ finances in good working order for so many years. As project manager for the Lee Crossway Village project, she recently celebrated the project’s fruition at a Ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 28.
As I approach my retirement day, I have been asked to write about what my time at Elder Services has meant to me. One would think that a good beginning is a dialogue about how my experiences at Elder Services have enriched my life. Elder Services’ first Executive Director, Fred Whitham, taught me to always put on my taxpayer’s hat when working on a program budget or approving a spending request. Our second director and my dear friend, Catherine May, firmly steered me to the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, a decision that forever changed my life for the better. Our current director, Robert Dean, has given me the freedom to embrace new challenges such as the development of Crossway Village. I could write volumes about how I will cherish the extra time I will spend with my wonderful husband, loving children and adorable grandchildren. All true; but they are not the thoughts that are running rampant across my mind.
And so I offer you these tidbits, some gleaned from my work here at Elder Services and some from life experiences.
On June 9 I am retiring from my job at Elder Services, but not from my life. Age brings wisdom only if we learn from our experiences, and I believe that it is the responsibility of the older generations to learn and then share that wisdom with our youth. We talk in jargon about the Continuum of Care. I like to think that we are on a Continuum of Life that starts with our first breath and, if we have carried the torch well, doesn’t end with our last. Even when we need care from others, we are still teaching someone else a life lesson and, as we are caring for others, we are learning. Every encounter that I have had with an elder has taught me a life lesson, and I want to ensure that I will always pass on the lessons I have learned as well.
I have learned the true meaning of independence. It is living without fear. Isolation breeds fear. Security comes from being in the midst of those we trust. It is the responsibility of the leaders of our society to see that our elders are given the opportunity to live amongst us, not segregated, with services that enable them to continue to be productive members of the community. I refuse to buy into the notion that seniors want to be with only seniors. Too many of the older generation have expressed otherwise. I am proud of my white hair and trust that I will never forget that each of us is given a mantle at birth to teach and to learn until we draw our last breath.
Our lives should be lived as running water, not a stagnant pond. May our lives cross a thousand times and may we learn a lesson with each crossing.
Namaste. (Pronounced as Na-ma-stay: a Yogic greeting meaning literally “I bow to you”. The gesture of Namaste is a simple act made by bringing both palms of the hands together at the heart, closing the eyes, and lightly bowing the head. It is a humble greeting of respect.)