Keep busy during the holiday season
As the holiday season is approaching, we –members of the golden age group- are getting ready for visits from our children, grandchildren and friends. I started the season off by participating in the Ottawa Independent Writers book fair for two days (November 20th-21st); on November 22nd I was involved in a fund raiser for Kiwanis by selling Fruit Cakes for Xmas, and on Wednesday November 24th I am off for 5 days to Waunakee, Wisconsin, to visit my son, daughter-in-law, granddaughter and grandson to celebrate with them the US thanksgiving holiday. After returning to Ottawa on November 28th I am going directly from the airport to our church bazaar selling frozen Hungarian goulash and pork schnitzel (that I cooked previously) as a fund raiser to feed the homeless during the winter months. Then I will get involved with Xmas parties, visits with family, Xmas shopping with grandchildren, and more fun activities. I am one of the lucky ones; I am very active and busy at all times, I don’t have time to be lonely. But unfortunately, for some seniors the holiday season represents loneliness and despair.
But, don’t despair; there are a number of options available for seniors to keep busy and avoid feeling lonely during the holiday season. Volunteering is one of the best ways to keep busy. If you are able to do any physical activity such as walking and driving, you can volunteer your time with any of the established organization who are involved in providing meals for the homeless and financially challenged, giving toys and Xmas presents for children in need, and helping the partially shot ins with transportation.
Another avenue of keeping busy is to join a service club in your area such as Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions and Optimists. There are a wide range of options available to help the needy through service clubs. Initially you can start visiting the clubs in your area (they are listed on the Internet) by attending their meetings, usually held weekly or twice a month and involve breakfast, lunch or dinner. During these meetings you can find out what type of service work they are doing and see if that can be a good fit for you and also find out if you are compatible with the existing members of these clubs. If you mention that you are interested in joining a service club and are trying to find out where you would fit in the best, you will perk up the interest of your hosts and will be received warmly. I have been a Kiwanian for 38 years, have made a lot of friends throughout North America and worked on a wide range of projects with a lot of caring people. If you are interested in exploring this option, I would be happy to help; I am member of the Rideau Kiwanis club in Ottawa, we meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at the Villa Marconi, we get a 3-course meal for $15 a person and the fellowship is a lot of fun. Our service projects include raising money though 50-50 draws at Ottawa 67 games and selling fruit cakes for Xmas. We also work with high school students helping them with leadership training and introducing them to service club type of activities. Any of the seniors who would like to explore this option, please send an e-mail to fhegyi1636@rogers.com or call me at 613-866-9967.
Another interesting avenue to get involved with activities and to make new friends is an Internet based social networking such as Facebook and Twitter. In less than a year I have connected to close to 700 Facebook friends from all over the world, I am following 2,000 people on Twitter and 1,300 are following my messages. I found that Facebook offers the best opportunity to form friendship with like minded people, hence I recommend this option for seniors.
