Being a Generalist and AGING

Just a couple of days ago, I picked up my latest painting from the Eiland Arts Gallery which is located in the old historic train station in Merchantville, New Jersey. I LOVE this place - it is a coffee shop and Art and Music venue run by a warm, friendly and talented woman named Nicole Eiland with the help of her partner Matt Eiland. The way I found out about this place was that I am a lifelong fan of trains and train stations and one summer I was driving along Atlantic Avenue seeking out the train Stations that I knew and taking photographs of them. They are a disappearing lot. Some of the lucky ones have been saved by local historical societies, like the one at Laurel Springs, others have been repurposed like the one in Audubon which is a dental office, but my favorite re-urposed one is Eiland Arts Center. I visited one in Berlin which still functions as a historic depot, and I believe the one in Haddon Heights is under the protection of a model railroad group because I visited it once, long before the pandemic and spoke to the men from the model railroad group.

I can trace my love of trains back to my father and our Christmas platform, and his love of trains. When we were children, my father took us on many historic railroad lines, steam trains, mine branches, and my father, an ironworker actually put a train into the Smithsonian! We visited the train that his company was hired to transport and place in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. They had to take out a wall to do it and put the wall back in place. My father had a heroic life. But it was the model train platform, that minitature world, that captured my heart and I can still remember the smell of the engine oil he used on the locamotive. Somehow the trains never captured my brothers the way they did me and sadly, gender politics being what they were, he gave them the trains and they sold them. I would have kept them all my life.

Anyhow, even bus stations are magical and evocative to me and my favorite was the old wooden bus station in Ocean City which I visited several times in the years when I didn't have a car. IIt is now endangered and surrounded by chain link fence) My grandmother lived in Ocean City and it was a town deeply rooted in my life, so even after she was gone, I visited it regularly. The air of the bus depot and the train depot was always filled with the essence of adventure, winter coats drying from snow, tobacco, newspapers, ladies cologne, and train and bus fumes. People were going and coming from far off places, all the excitement of it, the anticipation!

Well, anyhow my topic was generalists and aging. A few times I was criticized by a former friend for having too many interests, being too broad and generalist. I write and have independently published three novels, and I paint and show regularly in places like the Eiland Arts Center and the Atsion Summer Art Festival, and I read and I have been a historic site volunteer at half a dozen places over the years. I maintain, especially from the height of my advanced years, that being a generalist can save you as time goes by and the unexpected disabilities of age begin to mount and lay obstacles across your road. Most recently my old car (16 years old when I traded it in a couuple of weeks ago) and my failing eyesight hampered me in my travel adventures, but I placed my focus closer to home and Camden County is filled with interesting places to visit and places to spark your interest. Sadly, I missed the October History Month flyer in time to visit many of hte places and events that were listed, but there are still a few events coming up in November - the Gabreil Daveis Tavern in Glendora, and the James and Ann Whitall House in National Park where I have once again applied and been accepted to volunteer as a docent. I think I did a post on the Daveis Tavern events. You can look it up on the web too, I am sure.

wIf you "Put all your eggs into one basket" you may become a deep expert, but, if something happens to you and you can't perform that specialty any longer, you are up the creek. If you branch out and try your hand at many things, you can adapt to misfortune and generate new leaves! Zen Mind Beginner's Mind is a good book and possibly the passport I used to support my natural inclination to try lots of things. As for that reductive old expression "Jack of all trades - mast of none"! All I have to say is that you can be a satisfactory master at many things if you live long enough and variety is the spice of life.

Now that the Charles Dougherty senior center is going to be open again in my town, I have planned a new year meeting for January 3, 2022. Any intereeted people from neighboring towns are welcome. Our first topic will be Creative Jouraling and Scrapbooking and I will bring samples. We will also talk about Books we have been reading and do a book swap, so come join us and branch out! We will have guest speakers as we did before the pandemic. The Charles Doughterty Senior Center is at 507 Lambert, on the Railroad line that crosses Kings Highway in Mount Ephraim. I can hear that train whistle at night when I go to bed and early in the morning. Doesn't everyone love a train whistle?

We are all facing change and ADAPTABILITY is the key to successful navigation! Join us on Jan, 3 at 1:00. You can bring a bag lunch if you like. We mostly eat at home before we come, but we are seated at tables so you can bring a lunch and eat there, we are very casual! Bring some ideas as well. We want to hear about your interests!

By the Way, my most recent (and long time) reading passion has been Mystery Novels. Currently I am reading Jacquelin Winspeare's Maisie Dobb's novels, set in the inter-war years in England. Before that, I was reading the Three Pines stories set in Quebec. I began, as so many did, with Agatha Christie in my youth, and Arthur Conan Doyle, of course. So we will talk a little about mystery novels too! Join us for conersation and ideas and share your interests with us!

Jo Ann wrightj45@yahoo.com