May 12, 2020

“We are living in most interesting times,” as British statesman Sir Joseph Chamberlain said in a speech in 1898 (and many other people have said since).

The near total disruption of our lives due to the coronavirus pandemic has caused anxiety, panic, and tragedy; but it has also created moments of strange beauty, compassion, and introspection. Faced with social isolation, we’ve memorized the contents of every closet in the house and waged battles with dust bunnies, and we understand the power of friendship and community in a way we never did before.

Working from home for the past eight weeks, these blogs I write are letters to my friends from the Center. As I write I see the smiles and waves from folks gathered around the coffee bar, hear laughter from my classmates in Ballroom Dance, respond to jokes by co-workers, talk to friends from Master’s Series (yes, Alan Chapman WILL be with us this summer, albeit online), and, of course, party with everyone!

All of the things that each of us enjoy and depend on at the Center, is why it was created. Back in 1957 a task force on older adults convened by the City of Pasadena determined that a Center would best serve the needs of the large senior population in the city. The Pasadena Senior Center opened May 22, 1960, conceived as a home-style community clubhouse where there would be social interaction (parties, dances, clubs), intellectual stimulation (lectures, classes, activities), and support (social services, meals). Run with a small staff and a large number of volunteers, the Center was dependent on the generosity of donors for the majority of its funding. Sound familiar? Indeed, little has changed except we now have a much larger building and exponentially more programs and services.

The image on this postcard from the early 1960s shows Center members relaxing on the patio of the original building on a delightful spring day. I’m guessing it is spring and not summer, since no one, not even the brightly attired ladies in their cotton shirtwaist dresses, are wearing hats. The conversational groupings under the umbrellas, the foursomes at the tables in the shade along the side of the building, as well as other people milling about, all speak to the spirit of camaraderie at the heart of the Pasadena Senior Center.

We may have weeks or months to go before we can gather in the patio again, enjoying the lovely park setting like the members in the photo. However, the memory of it stays in our hearts while we are away, and friendships formed at the Center sustain us. Don’t let those spiteful dust bunnies get the best of you, and when we are all together again, we can share stories about how we lived through these “most interesting times.”