STORIES FOR OUR WISDOM YEARS

In Balinese culture it is said the children have only recently left the innocence and magic of Heaven, and that the old will soon return to it.We live in a culture that over honors youth and under honors the elders. The fault lies not in our youth, but in those of us who have lived long and not allowed our story to age with us. For many years children asked my age after a performance and I lied. A grandchild helped me to claim my story as a grandparent and forsake my vanity.

The stories in this program explore the privileges of age: to be more childlike and less childish, to explore the magic of myth in our lives while retaining a reasoned foundation, to accept the challenge of a new idea when we think we know how to do it, to be irresponsible when we have spent a life being responsible!

Growing old need not be a downhill journey. Mr. Gray has stories to share from around the world that playfully and seriously consider the last third of life.

Comment on Senior Program

The residents had wonderful things to say about your storytelling. Some mentioned how it brought back living memories of childhood. Many let me know they wished you could have had more time with us. We focus on celebrating body, mind and spirit. Your storytelling was an asset to our purpose.
Beth Harrison
Willow Valley Manor, Lancaster, PA