NEW AUXILIARIES TAKE FIRST STEPS, ADJUST TO LIFE

The music has stopped, the dance has ended, your partner has left! What happens next? You want to keep dancing, but you think you cannot dance alone…or can you? There is another person inside you, one you didn’t know even existed, so bring that other person out into the open, put on your dancing shoes, and take the first steps forward. The new steps may be difficult; they are not the same as the ones you and your partner danced to. The tempo will be different, not the same as when you danced with that partner of so many years. However, you can still take the first steps, even on your own.

You will learn to take those first new steps one at a time, and the first big step will be getting out with friends–and organizations that you and your partner enjoyed belonging to–for example, your local MOAA chapter. So get out there yourself and join the MOAA family. They are there for you, and you can help them by offering your services, talents, and skills. You have more time now, so go forth (if that local chapter has not called you, forgive them for not doing so), call them and volunteer your time and services. Let them know you want to be involved.

You are now an auxiliary and not a spouse, but it doesn’t matter what you’re called. You are now a different you, but nevertheless you can keep on dancing. That is the secret. The music will start again–at a slower pace perhaps–but it will pick up with every new step you take.

Auxiliaries, you can do the dance right along with other members; you’ll find you enjoy the new steps you’re taking. It will take time and isn’t easy at first. But each step you take will bring you closer to being able to “dance alone.”

Violet M. Smith MOAA Auxiliary Member Advisory Committee

Comments RSS