So, today was the first full day of my Positive Aging Conference here is California. I am the youngest person at this conference which by far is a good thing. I say that because with age comes wisdom and today I was surrounded by many wise elders. The conference started this morning with a drum circle. All the attendees were given drum, rattles, bells and tamborines. It was a great way to start the day. The group of all different indiviuals was able to come together and make really great music. The first speaker of the day was Artie Bryant. Professor Bryant is an 82 year old African American man, who was one of the early pioneers of tap dancing. He took us through his amazing career and chronicled the lives of legands such as Lena Horn, Cab Calloway and the Nicholas brothers. It brought back so many memories of the storys my parents used to tell me about the legends. It was an inspiration to realize how some of them aged in a positive manner....never letting a number dictate who they were or what they were able to accomplish.
I attended workshops with titles such as "Who Am I....Now that I'm Not Who I Was?", "Tomorrow's Workforce Needs Yesterday's Workers"," Do What You Love Across the Generations" and Recongnition Rites for the New Vision of Aging...Honoring Elders". I needed to be part of this conference not only for my consumers at work, but for myself as I transition from one life to another.
