For those of you who are in your 60s, 70s, and beyond, do you ever feel like your purpose has dried up or is irrelevant? I was grappling with that recently and I am pleased to say that this new effort in organizing a Community Plate effort in Virginia has been energizing. I really feel that the work I have done this past year is finally coalescing. Speakers, books, podcasts, conversations are suddenly coming into my path with little effort on my part. I am so glad that I have moved begrudgingly from a driven mindset to one of openness and curiosity – it is still a stretch at times to let go of that control.

Today I am getting ready to head up to Maine to visit a Community Plate event this weekend. I hope to start a Virginia partnership with this amazing nonprofit. Why? One of the challenges with retirement is becoming isolated so I am hoping to provide opportunities for those in my community to meet others. It is so easy to rely on social media to “connect” and to participate in online forums like Zoom but we as a whole are suffering from the lack of time together in person. But so many struggle now with forming true bridges, either because we are awkward in our approach or we do not trust the agendas of others. The beauty of these events is that the gathering is facilitated, providing guidance on ways to proceed. Thankfully, the inclusion of food in a potluck environment alleviates some of the tension. I have had volunteers step forward interested in helping and a good friend has offered their facility for the meetings.

I am also reading the book The Art of the Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker. What a fantastic book! She discusses how it is important for the gathering to have a clear, intentional purpose which helps tremendously with determining who should be there and what activities could happen. The host should exercise generous authority protecting, connecting, and equalizing guests. So much goes into the planning and executing that I was not aware of, and I have been a professional facilitator for 20 years. This highlights that, no matter what your experience and knowledge is, there is still so much room to grow if we stay in a state of wonder.

Follow your curiosity… your curiosity just might lead you to your passion. – Elizabeth Gilbert

https://communityplate.me