On the other end of the phone was an old friend from a lifetime ago. She was my muse during the formative years of Piñon Management.
I tapped into her inner energy, compassion and positivity: absorbing it, she ignited my sense of inspiration, courage and fortitude. In her presence haunting self doubts would evaporate, the mist of confusion dissolve, and my risk tolerance expanded.
It was a stifling time, almost dystopian. Ageism and its pernicious effects were an everyday striking reality. I was witness to the warehousing of frail elderly, the marginalizing of a life that became mere feeding, over medication and ensuring safety – all to maintain the physical, decaying body. Every meal, activity, nursing, and moment of existence were all programmed, documented and perfectly dehumanized.
None of this resonated with my previous five years of exploration with Professor Bhardwaj and Guru Maharaj Ji, experiencing the Bhagavad Gita and Quaker circles, and perceiving the expanding universe. An erstwhile background in accounting management systems would be attributes for financial success in this mode of care. I foresaked that the moment I read Henry David Thoreau. Those are skills that are value neutral. The task ahead of me demanded an affirmation of the human spirit that dwells in everyone, regardless of the outer shell.
It was a time for a little revolution! Not easy for a reserved individual raising a family. Thank you Mary Arthur for being there and transmitting your energy, laughter, wisdom and passion to flow through me.
