Volunteering – A Path to Meaning and Connection

As we age, many of us move away from familiar places and communities—often to be closer to our children or loved ones. This transition presents both challenges and opportunities in establishing new social networks and cultivating a sense of belonging.  Aging brings with it changes in our capabilities, as well as encounters with illness and loss. The illusion of stability or the “permanence” of community—something we may have experienced through our mid to late sixties—is no longer quite the same.

“Community is not a goal to be achieved but a gift to be received. Receptivity involves the inner work of contemplation. Community is present within the individual as a capacity for connectedness.”
— Parker Palmer, couragerenewal.org, February 21, 2019

Solitude has found a welcome place in my life. It nourishes gratitude, resilience, compassion, and the desire for connection. From this quiet space, I find new ways to reach out to others, connecting, and reshaping my ever-evolving community.

One way I have found community and the experience of belonging is through volunteering with an organization of like-minded people. It is both amazing and remarkable to me that Sage-ing International (SI)—from its founding to its present day continued growth—has been built and sustained almost by volunteers. SI is a unique, volunteer-run organization where volunteers are never “just volunteers;” they are the heart, spirit, and essence of SI, and are deeply valued.

In addition to fostering belonging and connection, volunteering with SI offers other benefits. Contributing my time and talents to an organization that offers a vision of aging so different from what our culture typically presents is meaningful, engaging, and stimulating. It fills me with gratitude and affirms a positive self-image as I age and a renewed sense of purpose. As Becca Levy’s research confirms, this is good for my health and well-being.

Research affirms that both our longevity and quality of life are positively affected when we cultivate or renew our sense of meaning and purpose, an essential endeavor in our elder years. Becca Levy, Ph.D., in “Breaking the Age Code,” with three decades of research documents that cultural ageism, found in the medical communit, and the general society, affects our physical and cognitive health and well-being in measurable ways and can take years off one’s life. I highly recommend this book.

Zoom has brought us the life-enhancing gift of meaningful online volunteer work. Without the time and energy required for travel, we have more space for genuine connection, collaboration, and engagement with others. It’s a delight to gather on Zoom, coffee in hand, to work together.

The deep personal connections, friendships, and collegial relationships I’ve developed through my volunteer work with SI are every bit as real and nourishing as those formed in person. My community of SI friends and colleagues are vital in my everyday life.

Finally, volunteering with Sage-ing International becomes a form of spiritual companioning on this sacred journey of aging.

Not completely true. We do rely on our wonderful Service Providers as well. Maybe “mostly”? “in large measure”? Something more accurate.