The volunteering life {looking ahead}

One of the things my husband Ted and I like most about Opus Newton, the nonprofit senior living community where we'll be moving in 2025 (and which, as you can see above, is still a hole in the ground), is the volunteering requirement for all residents. Yes, Opus will have a cafe, and an art studio, and a fitness room, and gardens, and walking paths, and programming, but some of that will be managed or organized by the residents as part of their volunteer work. I'm hoping a few residents will pull together book clubs, and share their expertise in lecture series. Of course I'm planning for my own contributions, as I wouldn't make a very good bartender (don't drink) or aerobics instructor (don't hop). I'd love to teach some cooking classes, especially using the Instant Pot or slow cooker and vegetables from the Newton Community Farm, which is just across the road (at left in the photo above). I'm hoping to bring together ESOL teachers, of which there are at least a handful, to share tips and ideas. Maybe I'll organize a group to make and donate welcome blankets to refugees and immigrants, and help plan visits to Boston area museums. Lots to think about.