Weekly Bulletin Aging Well Takes a Village: Everyone Belongs |
Office Phone: (202) 935-6060 | Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-3pm | Email: [email protected] |
years ago (when I had hair!) Retirement: What Will I Do Now? As of June 30th, 2025, after 37 years teaching high school at the same institution, I retired from Georgetown Day School. When I began in the classroom, the Berlin Wall still divided that city, there were no cell phones or laptops, and Bowers v Hardwick (in which the Supreme Court allowed states to criminalize homosexual acts) was the law of the land. At the time of my retirement, a single Germany is looked on as a savior of Europe, personal electronics rule, and same-sex marriage is general and happily celebrated throughout the United States. It is not surprising that the world vastly changed since I began teaching. The question for me now, one so many of you have already answered, is: "How will my world change as a result of my work ending?" graduated 25 years ago at a recent alumni weekend Why did I retire? I recall that my dad, who grew up the poor child of immigrants from Eastern Europe and started working full-time after he graduated from high school, retired relatively young and wished the same for me. As much as I liked teaching and my students, the profession and the school were not what they were when I started. In particular, there's artificial intelligence. Need I say more? On the other hand, there were reasons to stay. I am sure you have all heard similar advice to that repeated to me by a colleague whose dad practiced medicine into his upper 80s. "Keep working," dad always warned him. "Retirement in the kiss of death." (In spite of the advice, that colleague recently retired at 70.) I liked my job, my colleagues, the kids, and my subject matter. In the last few years, I had taught upper level US History and a course in Constitutional Law I had developed over the decades. I felt a new level of urgency in teaching the events and truths of these subjects as they had come under significant attack by a man who managed to regain power in this country. wearing a grasshopper thing on my head (the Hopper is the GDS mascot) But I chose to leave. "What will you do now?" I am asked. I am sure many of you faced that.. And you each answered it in many ways. Sure, I hope to travel more. I want to spend more time with my wife. (No grandkids yet, and probably not for a while.) There are hobbies: reading, woodworking. DIY stuff in the house presents itself. And maybe I will take up teaching again in some other form (or be a student); OLLI at American University is a very popular option. I am neither worried nor regretful. I actually think that staying at the same task as you age can also be a sign of giving in, of running away. The French (perhaps?) call retirement a "second life." So, it is time to take that up. I'm just in no rush to decide. US History class on one of our last days But some demand a plan... So, I have come up with a response, one so off-putting, so hard to challenge, so… well, strange and unexpected, I figure it will leave no room for follow-up questions. When asked about my future, I puff myself up, put on a big smile, and announce, loud and clear: "Beekeeping!"
This is part of an occasional series of Weekly Update articles by NNV Board Members on topics of interest. Richard Avidon joined the NNV board in 2020. First trained as an attorney, he left the practice of law after two years, looking for something more satisfying, which he found at GDS. Click here to read more about Richard and all of our other Board Members.
From 11:30 am - 12:00 pm, visitors will hear from Director of Curatorial Affairs Dr. Sarah Leavitt to learn about CJM’s archives, what types of artifacts are collected, and best practices for preserving items at home. Then from 12 - 2 pm, attendees can visit the Meet the Collection Table for an up-close look at artifacts in the current collection. Interested attendees can make an appointment ahead of time with Collections Curator Jonathan Edelman to share photographs of artifacts and learn if they would be a good fit for the Museum’s collection. Click here to sign up for the talk and/or make an appointment. |
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In 1852, as the abolitionist movement was expanding across the United States, a ladies anti-slavery group in Rochester, NY asked famed abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass to deliver a Fourth of July address. Douglass agreed on the condition that he could speak on July 5th, for reasons he would explain in the address. He proceeded to deliver what would become one of his most famous orations and an important contribution to American literature, "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?". Although he was among supporters, Douglass was powerfully frank with his mostly white audience: "This Fourth of July is yours, not mine; you may rejoice, I must mourn…"
On Saturday, July 5, 2025, NNV members Jewel Hill, Merilee Janssen, and Gretchen Jennings attended a multifaceted reenactment of the speech at Cedar Hill, Anacostia, where Douglass spent the last 17 years of his life. The program began with winners of a nation-wide oratorical contest sponsored by the National Park Service. The photos show three of the winners, ages six through middle school, reciting from memory some of the most stirring excerpts from the speech. They brought down the house. Next on the program was the presentation of the entire ninety-minute oration, with NPS staff and audience members reading in turn. Jewel was asked to participate, and the photo shows her at the podium calmly reading words she had had only a few minutes to rehearse. Read by ordinary men, women, teens, and children, Black, White, and Asian, these presentations drew the audience in despite the heat and humidity. This powerful program is an outstanding example of the essential role that historic sites and museums play in bringing the full breadth of American history alive.
NNV member Jewel Hill and some of the children who recited portions of Frederick Douglass' famous speech.
Next week at NNV
Monday, |
Tuesday, |
Wednesday, |
Thursday, |
Friday, |
10 am Tenleytown Walk (Meet at City Ridge, 14 Ridge Sq NW) 2 pm Yoga with Mayu (Zoom) |
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1 pm Coping with Uncertainty (Zoom) |
3:30 pm Village French Conversation Group (Private home in Woodley Park) |
10 am Rock Creek Park walk (meet at Albemarle & Connecticut) |
Monday, July 14th
Tenleytown Walk
When: 10 am
Where: Meet at City Ridge, 14 Ridge Square NW
Details and registration: https://nwnv.helpfulvillage.com/events/4733
The Virtual Speaker Series is taking a break for the summer.
Please join us for more great speakers when we return in September!
Visit our archive of speaker videos here to watch any you might have missed.
Mondays, 10 am - DC Ctr for Aging LGBTQ+ Monday Coffee and Conversation (Zoom-Free sign up required for the link)
Mondays & Thursdays, 4-5 pm - Chair Yoga (Zoom - Click here to join the class)
First Wednesday of each month, 3:30-4:30 - What We're Hearing (Zoom-Free sign up required)
Cleveland Woodley Park Village:
Mondays, 10-10:30 am - Gentle Yoga Stretch (Zoom - Click here to join the class)
First Monday of each month, 11:30 am - Coffee & Conversation Current Events Discussion Group (Dolan, 3518 Connecticut Ave NW)
Wednesdays, 10-10:30 am - Gentle Yoga Stretch (Zoom - Click here to join the class)
Fridays, 10-10:30 am - Gentle Yoga Stretch (Zoom - Click here to join the class)
Saturdays, 9:30-10:30 am - Village Walkers (Cathedral Commons)
Dupont Circle Village:
Mondays, 3:30 pm - Accessible Mat Yoga (Zoom-Free sign up required for the link)
Tuesdays, 10:30 am - Chair Yoga (Zoom-Free sign up required for the link)
Mondays and Thursdays, 9:00 am - Meditation with Patricia Ullman (Zoom-Free sign up required for the link)
Foggy Bottom West End Village:
Friday, July 11th, 2 pm - Aging in Place - Home Care Services and Resources (St Paul's Church dining room, 2430 K St NW)
Wednesdays, 10:45 am - Strength and Stability Yoga (free trial class, $10/class). (St Paul's Church dining room, 2430 K St NW)
Fridays, 11:45 am - Essentials of Tai Chi and Qigong ($70 for each six class session). (St Paul's Church atrium, 2430 K St NW)
More local village events are listed on the DCVC (DC Villages Collective) calendar
and the WAVE (Washington Area Village Exchange) calendar.
More community events are listed on our events calendar.
Hear from experts at George Washington University Hospital and Safe at Home about how to get up from a fall, decrease your risk of injury, make a fall recovery plan, and ways to decrease your risk of falls. (Both meetings are on Zoom).
July 11, 1-2:30 pm - Click here to register --- August 22, 1-2:30 pm - Click here to register
Discover How Iona Can Support You - Tuesday, July 15th 10am-11am Zoom
Samantha Henson, LICSW, Iona's Senior Manager of Information, Referral, and Resources/Community Outreach Coordinator, is giving a presentation about Iona Senior Services. Iona has been a trusted resource for older adults and caregivers in the DC area for over 40 years. We provide support to help individuals age with dignity and connection through:
- Therapeutic Adult Day Health Programs
- Support Groups and Mental Health Therapy
- Nutrition Counseling and Wellness Services
- Dementia Navigation and Caregiver Support
- A Loan Closet for Durable Medical Equipment
- A Helpline for Guidance and Resources
With locations in Tenleytown and Congress Heights, Iona offers personalized, compassionate care to enhance the quality of life for older adults and their families. Come ready with your questions and learn how Iona can help you or someone you care about! For more information about Iona, visit www.iona.org. This program is open to DC residents 60+.
To register, email [email protected].
Thursday, July 17th, 10:30 am - $6 - This month's feature is Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore!
Senior Cinema Thursday is a monthly event where the Avalon screens a current feature at a special discounted price for seniors - held every third Thursday at 10:30am.
Senior communities and organizations are invited to take advantage of the special $6 ticket price to bring groups to this program. The Avalon Theatre is wheelchair accessible and provides assisted listening devices to guests with hearing and visual impairments.
July’s screening is generously supported by Georgetown Village.
The inaugural District Fringe Festival is just days away, and we have front row seats here on Van Ness Main Street (VNMS)! District Fringe is a 3-week celebration of the independent theater and performance scene here in DC.
The festival will take place over three weekends on VNMS from July 11 to 27, with performances every Wednesday to Sunday. It truly has something for everyone: from established producers to first-time playwrights, these shows feature local artists and highlight the incredible creative diversity we get to celebrate in DC:
There are more than 20 FREE performances at the Firefly Stage at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) Amphitheater. Tickets for indoor performances start at just $15. You can also purchase festival passes that give you access to multiple performances during the festival.
For a full schedule and tickets, visit www.districtfringe.com.
Any additions to the Weekly Update are required by 10 am Thursday.
Submissions will be included based on editor's discretion and available space.
NNV is a community based non-profit that gives residents the confidence and practical help to grow older at home while staying healthy, engaged, and connected to neighbors and friends.