LIVE A VIBRANT LIFE: DISCOVER THE THIRD AGE First-of-its-Kind Series on Long Island to Offer Socially Enriching, Interactive Programs
STONY BROOK, NY -(March 1, 2018)- Nancy Burner Esq., Elder Law attorney knows that just because adults have reached a certain age, what she calls ‘The Third Age,’ they haven’t necessarily stopped looking for personal enrichment, worthwhile activity and intellectual stimulation.
The Setauket lawyer, 61, gave a Tedx talk at Stony Brook last year entitled “Making Heads or Tails of the Third Age.” In addition, Burner frequently speaks at various colleges, organizations and workshops about personal empowerment, and she is now working with the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) to bring a first-of-its-kind series of programs to bring vibrancy and positivity to the 50+ community. Through various events such as virtual travel experiences, cyber security workshops or master classes with special guests, participants are invited to come, listen and share their own inspirational stories. “The focus is to motivate others to live their best lives by identifying, owning and cultivating their life purpose, with the understanding that their purpose may change over time,” Burner said. “The Third Age is a positive thing. It’s not a time that needs to be old, done or tired.”
This first program in the series, ‘Live a Vibrant Life, Discover the Third Age,’ will take place March 21 from 1 pm to 2:30 pm at WMHO’s Educational & Cultural Center, 97P Main Street, Stony Brook Village featuring a da Ponte/Mozart Opera Workshop. Cara Vertucci, lyric soprano, will perform a variety of arias and Professor Jeff Norwood, a music history teacher at the Aaron Copland School of Music/Queens College and the owner of Camera Concepts & Telescope Solutions, will facilitate.
Prof. Norwood brings with him a lifetime of real world experience and has made significant contributions to the vital fields of musicology and higher education. He is an active member of numerous non-profit organizations dedicated to the advancement of education in a variety of fields.
The program promises to be not only informative but also highly entertaining as Mr. Norwood will take you on a musical journey through three of Mozart’s greatest operas, created with master librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. He will help attendees to appreciate why the world at large has cherished these works for hundreds of years and why they are almost universally recognized as the finest operas ever written. The course will help participants to understand more fully the height of Mozart’s operatic achievement by analyzing the essential elements of these works.
The goal is to provide intelligent thought-and conversation-promoting material where the audience can come to listen and/or participate with their own unique experiences. Subsequent sessions will be held monthly with virtual classes including live, interactive presentations from the Royal Botanical Garden, on how chocolate is grown; and Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota FL, about sea turtles. Individuals in their Third Age are hungry for enlightened experiences and eager to learn new things. The events planned are not limited to Third Agers, they are multi-generational and participants are welcome to bring younger members of their family or community along.
The first event on March 21st will be launched by Burner herself, who will share her vision and creation of The Third Age concept before the programming begins.
The ‘Third Age’ is a new stage in life, occurring between middle and old age, and made possible by longer life expectancy. Given these facts, it is imperative that we adopt practices in our third age for cultivating not only long lives but also successful, meaningful and productive lives, she said. The good news is that individuals in the third age have a lot to share. In terms of brainpower, studies show that older individuals can be both productive and creative. In fact, the most frequent age bracket for Nobel laureates is 60 to 64 years old.
Third agers are hardwired to make contributions to society. The term “generativity,” coined by Erik Erikson, describes a specific stage in life when individuals — usually between the ages of 40 and 65 — are compelled to find meaning in their lives by generating care and concern for both older and younger generations.
The distinct voice of a third ager comes from years of experience and has real value when shared with others, Burner said. By nurturing generative qualities, third agers may actually be helping themselves. Longevity studies show that individuals who are engaged and connected, who find meaning and purpose in their everyday lives, tend to live longer and healthier lives. Showing up and engaging are the first steps in planning a successful third age and beyond “We have childhood, adolescence, adulthood, middle age, and then what …? The oldest baby boomers turned 70 last year. This critical mass has the opportunity to re-define aging by using their unique wisdom and stories of success and failure rather than hiding behind the triumphs of their youth,” she says.
Call 631-689-5888 for reservations. $15 per session. Refreshments served.