One of our residents at The Somerset Lifestyle and Retirement Village in Somerset West wrote:
“Our chronological clocks have once again ticked on, and we will now change to the calendar of 2025. Our watches, computers, and other time-linked gadgets will automatically do it.
We take a lot for granted, even time. But it would not have been the same if it weren’t for systems developed by ancient civilizations centuries ago, giving us a perfect time perspective.
The Julian Calendar used in Rome, 45 BC
Therefore, some of us will, on New Year’s Day, reflect on years, months, and weeks gone by, and some of us may be brave enough to set New Year’s resolutions – finding peace amidst a kind of chaos out there. Whether having a braai, singing along, or listening to music, we are all different. Still, we happily take part in the proposed activities for senior people and are together in a retirement village.
On this topic, I recently listened to a discussion between residents in a similar security village about ways of creating harmony in diversity and developing an accommodating culture, especially when new residents have to settle into the development. Referring to different projects, I picked up a comment that came back to me afterward: ‘ But not all people have a gracious soul.’ As is my way of reacting when a word or a viewpoint catches my attention, I afterward looked at this comment from different angles, meanings, and applications (Soul? Gracious? Generous?) – my only literal knowledge about mind and spirit being that of the philosophical writings by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius in Meditations.
‘Meditations’ contains personal writings to himself about happiness and living. When I googled the meaning of ‘soul,’ the different perspectives generally imply the essence of your true self, what makes you unique – your mind and emotions.
One source – (please not to quote!) – refers to the soul as being contained in every part of your body, another source defines it as being in your heart, and yet another one, even with sketches to locate the soul in the brain, found that the pineal gland, a tiny organ in the centre of the brain is the principle ‘Seat of the soul’ and the place in which our thoughts are formed! (the very same little culprit seemingly also responsible for lapses in our memory and sleep pattern!).
Synonyms for ‘gracious’ are to be courteous, kind, and pleasant. In one dictionary, gracious behavior refers to a situation when someone who you think is superior to you behaves very well-mannered and pleasant to you! To be a gracious host, sociable, and hospitable, you should smile and introduce guests to one another. While looking for more definitions and the art of being a gracious host, I ended up even reading about tips for being a perfect houseguest! This reminded me of how my neighbour, Belinda Sampson, greeted us in the clubhouse dining room the first time we went for lunch six years ago. Gracious, welcoming us, and as you know, even being all over the place, when you move into a retirement village for the first time (hopefully only once), you can do with such a welcoming. You need eye contact and a friendly smile, and if you are privileged, you will even hear about The Welcoming Flowers that she planned to bring the previous day, but we were not home. Thanks, my new neighbour, we have now moved in – please visit us. I could relax and think – all is well. I am here now. This is my new place, my new people.
Concluding this activity of self-education in semantics: Having a gracious soul means expressing a spirit of kindness and elegance in how you interact with others, maintaining grace and composure even in stressful situations, and promoting harmony and goodwill in relationships and surroundings.
Marcus Aurelius illustrated his belief in the mutual interdependence of individuals and the collective, such as residents in The Somerset Village:
“What does not benefit the hive does not benefit the bee.” (Meditations, 6.54)
Life is too short to be anything but happy. Take care.”
Marita Burger
