Serene Karplus, Nederland. Ask any butterfly. Change can be good. A new way of being. A new set of wings to fly. A new way to interact with the world.

As humans, we learn to fear change. The extra work of learning something new can feel daunting. Anxiety about what the future holds can generate stress.

But change is what life is all about. None of us is static. Trees grow, birds fly south, people move on and organizations move forward. We rejoice in the continuous change of seasons and our experience of each.

Over the past 12 and a half years, I have known, loved and bid final farewells to many friends, as our paths have crossed at various points of our life journeys. It has been a great privilege to know and serve the amazing people I have met on the journey of working with our local nonprofit serving mountain older adults. 

My heart melts when I watch my friends hold hands in a circle and dance together. Or when they read their life stories, some humorous, some dramatic. We share common history, experiences and emotions. Together we have orchestrated a song we will sing forever.

Every day on the job for me has been a warm hug. When facing days with more task work than time to complete it, I have tried to focus on why I was there: the people. 

As a group, we have grown and changed together. The Greatest Generation has set a warm tone of welcome for the Baby Boomers to follow in their footsteps, finding community connections and lifelong friends with whom to share a meal or favorite activity. All ages come together now to simply enjoy the rich diversity of experience and wisdom as we all age well together in these beautiful mountains.

We have grown our organization from serving over one hundred people a year to nearly four hundred. Social meals have expanded from the original retiree lunches to dinners and weekend breakfasts that include our working friends, our chef keeping up with the times, as younger guests seek new types of fare. Fitness has added pickleball, skiing, dancing and kayaking to the traditional stretches and hikes. Writers and readers connect socially while expanding their knowledge. Speakers and cultural outings keep us busy learning and experiencing our world in new ways. Our organization is the strongest it has ever been. 

I am thrilled to have given my life energy over the past decade to creating events and activities that impact my community and foster connections. Recent losses in our community have pushed to the fore for me the eternal question we all ask, “How many summers remain in my life? What if…?” 

This winter, I decided to reduce my hours and responsibilities in service to our organization. It seemed time to bring in some fresh new perspectives, new ways of being and a new set of wings. 

Much as it would have been lovely to co-direct with another person, it seemed only fair to step aside and allow the next person the chance to shine and lead us all forward. So, our board and I decided to hire a new program director to assume all of the daily operations. I will remain behind the scenes, with fewer hours, in the stable role of finance director to maintain our grant and donor relationships and keep an eye on our budget.

With bittersweet joy, I share news of the winds of change. I am not going away. Not yet, anyway. I will stay with our ship as I gently hand over the steering of it to another and quietly step into the background. 

Please join me in welcoming to the limelight and leadership position, our new set of wings for Nederland Area Seniors and Mountain Peak Life: Program Director Nicole Cavalino.

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All ages of adults are welcome at all events. Sign up for all meals and events at 303-258-0799. Meals are served at the Nederland Community Center. Please call two days ahead for lunch reservations (more for dinners and breakfasts if possible). Missed the deadline? Call anyway. Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free are accommodated on advance request. Please note that ages 60+ are welcome at meals regardless of ability to contribute financially.

(Originally published in the May 16, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)