Reflections from 2019

Amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, the scramble to produce year-end reports, close the books, or secure that final donation, makes it hard to slow down and appreciate the moment. In his book, The Power of Moments and during his keynote address at the recent LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO, Dan Heath tells us that moments are not created equal. There are moments we remember for decades and others that expire almost as quickly as they arrive. In our lives, and the lives of older adults, we know that moments and experiences matter—they have the power to change lives. While many of the moments in our lives are the result of accident or luck, we also have the power to create them.

As I look back on our year at LeadingAge, we have had many defining moments—some happened randomly, and some we created. Here are just some of the highlights.

  • Raising our voices on the lawn of the Capitol during the Senior Housing Now rally with 1,000 residents of member communities.
  • Recognizing a new LeadingAge Catalyst each month—members serving and supporting older adults with high-quality care, innovative practices, and compassion.
  • Giving a tour of our photography exhibit of residents of member communities, The Passions Project, to a group of local elementary students and talking about ageism.
  • Celebrating Veteran’s Day by writing thank you cards to veterans living at a local member community.
  • Welcoming over 70 students to our Annual Meeting to introduce them to our field.
  • And, finally securing a key sponsor for legislation for which we are advocating.

For each of you, moments also abound. Please, share them with me.

Dan Heath encourages us to be “…designers of moments that deliver elevation and insight and pride and connection. These extraordinary minutes and hours and days—they are what make life meaningful. And they are ours to create.”

During this holiday season, my wish for each of you is the time to reflect on the moments you created in 2019. Celebrate them. And look forward to a new year full of extraordinary ones.