Peeling back the layers of an onion. It’s a metaphor for life and growth that might not be perfect but never gets old.
The most poignant part of the metaphor for me is that peeling onions can sting and make you cry. Well, if that’s not a truth about growth and life, I don’t know what is! With every layer we peel back, we can potentially face great pain and lots of tears. But it’s worth it, because onions, like life, are so tasty when they’re peeled and used in a way that is totally different from how they started. Instead of being a thick, protected orb with all sorts of potential (imagine our adult defenses), when the onion has been peeled and chopped, allowing us to cry while we peel and chop it, we make something pretty delicious and wonderful with it. [Source: Sara Hauber, https://www.sarahauber.com/blog/peelingthe-layers-of-the-onion]
It is a unique life that we live. Many times we may shy away from building relationships, volunteerism, or activities because we have never taken the to time to:
1. Be open to with another person – openness, like our onion requires an element of trust and an element of sharing our skills and time. It is recognizing that we do have certain skills and do have time to share with others and to be helpful . This is opens us up to volunteerism. The peeling back of the onion layers is similar to our layers of building relationships.
a. The outer layer – taking time to fulfill a situation with someone else and only on a ‘professional’ level. Doesn’t open us up to anything more than fulfilling a activity with our time and presence.
b. Second layer – beginning to share some insights into our life and recognizing some similarities and/or differences in our lives. This is perhaps a more ‘human’ approach and at this point we may shed the odd tear.
c. Third/Inner layer – beginning to share comparative insights into our life and enabling some empathy with the other person. At this ‘tear’ level of the onion, we ‘feel’ the other person’s situations and recognize the importance of our relationship.
2. Be accepting of another person – This acceptance of the other person runs through all three layers of the onion.
a, The outer layer promotes acceptance that the other person has need of our assistance and we allow ourselves to fulfill that need as an activity (driving them in our car to an appointment, driving a bus to an event or trip, answering phones, etc.). At this layer, we still feel good about helping and it is appropriate to stay at this level as a volunteer. We are not looking for friendship/relationship beyond being helpful. Good.
b. The Second layer – At this point we begin to look for some understanding of the other person’s needs and life. The odd situation may provide common feelings and understanding of their lives and they begin to understand a bit more of our lives.
c. The Third/Inner layer – Here we are open to friendship/relationship and we ‘embrace’ the other person’s life choices and ‘go through the life experiences’ with them as they attempt to deal with their situations/they with our situations. We accept the other person for who they are and look for ways to make them better/trusting that what they wish is for us to be better in our life choices.
Peel an onion, taste the sharpness of it.
Peel an onion, shed a tear
Peel an onion, the tears run and run.
Positive interactions are an important part of our activities at Seniors Outreach. Connect with us at Seniors Outreach (403-443-2555 or toll free from the Carbon area at 1-888-443-2555) if we can be of assistance to you in any service or volunteer areas.
Upcoming Bus Trips:
Weekly Bus Route — Each Tuesday and Thursday from 1:15 -3:30 pm around the Three Hills Community. The cost is $3 for each of the two days.
Red Deer Monthly Bus Trip — Wednesday, September 18, 2019. (Appointments/Shopping/etc.) Please call Seniors Outreach ahead of time to book your space on the bus at 403-443-2555 or toll free from Carbon at 1-888-443-2555 during office hours (Monday-Thursday 9am-4pm).
Spruce Meadows “Masters” (Equestrian Show Jumping) — Friday, September 6th 2019. Please contact Seniors Outreach, providing your name and telephone number if you are interested in going on this trip. You can contact our main office at 403-443-2555 or toll free from Carbon at 1-888-443-2555 during office hours (Monday-Thursday 9am-4pm).
New Bus Trip: Trip to Olds, AB – Tuesday, September 24, 2019. (Appointments, Shopping, etc.) Please call Seniors Outreach ahead of time to book your space on the bus and find out about costs.
ANY INTEREST IN CPO OPEN REHEARSALS? If you are interested in attending any of the open rehearsals for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra throughout September 2019 to May 2020, please call Seniors Outreach and let us know.
Upcoming Monthly
Information Sessions:
September 11, 2019 & September 19, 2019 - “Update on Alberta Seniors Financial Assistance/Seniors Supports” by Trish Whyte, Seniors Stakeholder Advisor, Central Alberta Region. Sessions in
Trochu: at Seniors Drop-In 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 11/19
Acme: at Seniors Association 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 11/19
Three Hills: at CommUnity Drop-In 10:00 a.m. Thursday, September 19/19
Torrington: at Silver Willows Centre 2:00 p.m. Thursday, September 19/19
Linden: at 50+ Club, Care & Share Centre 6:00 p.m. Potluck 6:50 p.m. Presentation Thursday, September 19/19.
Contact us for further information.
*SPECIAL MEETING: Please be aware that there is a special session with the Alberta Seniors Advocate at the Three Hills CommUnity Drop-In Centre on Thursday, September 26/2019 at 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. This is a session for all seniors across Kneehill County to attend.
Volunteer Opportunities:
DRIVERS: We are still looking for Volunteer drivers for Caring Cars in various communities, Bus Drivers and some volunteers in other areas of support for seniors. Please speak us should you have some time to become involved in supporting seniors in Kneehill County.
BLANKETS FOR CANADA is still going strong. If you are able to donate any wool or any 8” x 8” squares (crocheted or knitted), please drop them off at the Seniors Outreach Main Office. We usually deliver these donations to a group of ladies who make blankets for the homeless and/or for other needs. Your donations are much appreciated!
