StephenWinbaum
Communications Coordinator
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Oct 8, 2009, 8:46 AM
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October 2009 Newsletter - Autumn Masquerade
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October is a month of disguise and discovery . . . green trees transform to a golden hue and birds take wing in chevron flight. The culmination is the joyous celebration of Halloween when children revel in a magical night populated with spooks, witches, comic book characters and angels.
Do we take on new personas and identities every day? People are creative and dress up daily to hide and reveal their personalities.
In As You Like It Shakespeare wrote: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts."
In his famous monologue, the Bard wrote about the seven acts of life and their seven ages:
1. The infant
2. The school child
3. The lover
4. The soldier
5. The justice in fair round belly and eyes severe
6. The lean and slippered pantaloon with spectacles
7. Lastly, second childishness and mere oblivion, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything
The character responsible for this mordant description is Jaques, known for his melancholy. "I can suck melancholy out of a song as a weasel sucks eggs," remarks the caustic muse.
Through the monologue, Jaques demonstrates a profoundly cynical view of the aging process, a view that is not upheld in the contemporary senior housing industry. Today's possibilities promote an independent and positive older adult, a person with the ability to live a full life with friends and family. Technology and advances in health care outperform Jaques's 'sans everything'. 'Mere oblivion' is clearly no longer acceptable as seniors and baby boomers live longer, more satisfying lives with the prospects of increased retirement options and lifelong learning.
In this sense, Jaques's melancholy failed him. Had Shakespeare lived in the 21st Century the final act would be dignified and joyful.
In October 2009, a month of disguise and discovery, it's an opportunity to realize that the stages of life and all its acts have been altered for the better.
Enjoy!
Stephen Winbaum is the Communications Coordinator of RetirementHomes.com
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(This post was edited by StephenWinbaum on Oct 13, 2009, 1:48 PM)
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