A fully engaged senior sage might come up to the person who is pouring drinks at a Center for the Arts function and say, “We really appreciate your helping out in this way. Are you enjoying this? What do you like about it? Might you be interested in learning about other ways in which you can become involved in our organization?” The individual is encouraged to discern what is gratifying in their small civic act. This can be a “teachable moment” or a moment for “crucial reflection” on the shifting motivational base of the potential sage leader. As we have already noted several times, the key is to find moments that are slightly challenging and that are fun and engrossing—what Csikszentmihalyi and the other positive psychologists call moments of “flow,” the threshold between boredom and anxiety, the balance between challenge and support.
Being Invited
One senior sage offered a wonderful example of extending an invitation. He was at a social event and met a couple who had recently moved to Twin Towns. The husband had been retired for a year, and during the course of the evening the senior sage discovered the retiree was looking for something to do. The interviewer said to the couple, “A Habitat for Humanity home is being dedicated next Sunday. Can my wife and I pick you up and take you to this event?” Our senior sage leader knew what was going to happen. At a Habitat home dedication, even with the hardened construction crew, there is not a dry eye when the family is handed the keys to their new home. On the way to the dedication, the senior sage and his wife talked about civic engagement in Grass Valley and Nevada City. On the ride back, he “closed the deal” with the new retiree and his wife.
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