BY JOELLEN COLLINS
I have found a new place to explore what I learn about people in varied situations. I am hearing more good stories wherein I and other neighbors can empathize, identify, or simply anticipate the results of life events. I might imagine what it must be like to have experienced some of these. I have spent most of my life telling stories, teaching literature and performing in choirs where one’s emotions translate as a group. I am now living in California with about 100 other residents of my generation. Except with close friends, I haven’t fully learned some of the experiences of people who were most likely alive around the time of WWII, the Korean and Vietnam wars, and the era of the ’60s with changes in behaviors and public attention to civil and women’s rights, and, most heavily, the rise of computer and media communication, which has altered even a habit as liking to write on yellow legal tablets.
However, from a group of people who survived these changes, I meet daily yet another person who has lived a full and textured life. I believe everyone has a fascinating story to tell. I may not learn more about different societies as I did through some extensive travels, but I have human encyclopedias here encouraging me to maintain an open mind about other cultures. Just this week I had conversations with three fellow residents who related details about their lives that could easily become novels or cinema sensations. Of course, I will not use names or revelatory details. These three meetings represent amazing options for the impressive ways humans can deal with frightful or unusual occurrences that shape their values and strengths.
The story of a man I met in our courtyard reminded me of the courage behind so many human endeavors. He was a Hungarian citizen in his early twenties living under Russian communist rule. Luckily avoiding a police search of his boarding house, he eventually risked his life, escaping from his beloved but now-dangerous country in 1956. Eventually, he was able to use his medical studies and obtain new licensing to become a physician here in America.
This week I welcomed a new neighbor, whose tales of her life fascinated me. In her nineties, she is articulate, positive, and friendly. Born in Hong Kong, she and her family relocated to mainland China, where she remained until 1949, when Mao Tse-Tung and communism necessitated their eventual move back to Hong Kong. She was a teacher and a happy resident there. I can’t wait to hear more of her experiences.
During a recent discussion of our school years, a friend spoke of her early learning in a one-room schoolhouse in rural Indiana. Of 12 students, she was the only one in her age level. That did not hinder her becoming a surgical nurse married to a high school principal.
Recent studies confirm that companionship is one strong key to experience a contented older age. I’m counting on more of the stories we all have.