Longitudinal Study Results and Personal Reflections Sessions
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UPCOMING Personal Reflections Discussions
January through April 2025
Listed below, there are more than a dozen different discussions for which you can sign up. PRDs are individual small group discussions. They provide an opportunity to share experiences, perspectives, and insights with classmates around issues of particular interest and resonance.
- These are unrecorded and the content and direction of each conversation is largely determined by the classmates participating in them.
- All discussions above are single sessions—unless the discussion group decides to meet again. Should a discussion group decide to meet again, its members should expect to share the responsibility for convening the group. Zoom support is available.
- While different discussions are listed as meeting officially for different lengths of time, all discussion group conveners are prepared to meet for up to 1.5 hours. Please note that the Shakespeare discussion will last two hours.
TO SIGN UP for one--or more than one--of these discussions:
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Use this FORM to register for up to 3 discussions.
- You will receive an email with your selections and then a confirmation email that you’re on the discussion group list.
- If you want to participate in more than 3 discussions, please email joanssoble.ed@gmail.com with your desired discussion numbers.
Pivot North: From Strength to Strength
Wednesday, January 22, 2:00-3:00pm ET
Hosts: Margaret Drickamer and Tom Phillips
Discussion #: 22Jan25Strength
Many of us have spent our adult lives moving from one professional or personal transition to the next. Even those with long linear careers and lifelong relationships have had to adapt to (sometimes profoundly) changing environments and shifting responsibilities. For most of us, the most profound transition is the one we’re in the midst of now–going from wage earner to retired, from foreground to background, from ambition to acceptance.
Arthur Brooks, in his recent book, From Strength to Strength, presents a roadmap for finding deep purpose in the second half of life. He argues that as our processing power plateaus, we have the opportunity to transition to a set of roles where our contribution is based on the accumulated wisdom we gain from our years of experience.
Whether you read Brooks’s book or not, we’d love to have you join us to share thoughts about this transition–how it’s played out for us in the last decade, and how we’re preparing to maintain or even build on the contribution we can make in the decades to come.
Dealing With Loved Ones Who Need Our Constant Support
Friday, January 31, 12:30-1:45pm ET
Host: Patty Low Dinneen
Discussion #: 31Jan25Support
If we’re fortunate, our spouses, partners, and siblings enjoy good physical and emotional health, our parents live well into old age before needing some kind of ongoing assistance, and our children grow up and move into their adult lives with ease and independence. But often, we find ourselves needing to be very involved in the weekly and even daily care and lives of those we love. We become caretakers, perhaps suddenly, for people we relied upon to support and enrich us. What does this entail? How do we support ourselves? How do we answer when others ask how we are? Can we find reward in this role–and if so, how? Participants may propose other questions that relate to their experiences of busily, regularly, and even anxiously supporting loved ones.
Shakespeare in Our Own Voices
Sunday, February 9, 3:30-5:30pm ET
Host: Jonny Epstein
Discussion #: 9Feb25Shakespeare
Probably each of us carries, somewhere pretty close to our heart’s core, some phrase of Shakespeare that reverberates for us differently than any more modern piece of language. Perhaps it’s no more than a fragment (“heart’s core” is Hamlet). Perhaps it’s a phrase with implications for our lives (“The more I give to thee the more I have” – Juliet). Perhaps it’s an entire scene or sonnet, perhaps just some piece of idle folly (“That that is is” – Feste, and so much more elegant than the modern “it is what it is.”) For certain, simply hearing this language breathed into the air (Suffolk) by friends whose varied experiences will have allowed the language to burrow deep, would be a particularly tactile pleasure. So, that’ll be the focus of this session – to hear each other speak this language, to talk about what makes it meaningful, and if there’s time, to see whether modern approaches to text (there have been a lot of discoveries since 1977) can make the connection even deeper.
Feeling Free
[Note: There are 2 separate discussion groups on the same topic, so sign up for one or the other.]
Tuesday, February 11, 8:00-9:15pm ET
Host: Joan Soble
Discussion #: 11Feb25Free
OR
Monday, February 24, 12:30-1:45pm ET
Host: Joan Soble
Discussion #: 24Feb25Free
There’s a difference between being free and feeling free. During this past election year, the phrase “being free” has often been heard in political contexts in connection with being “free to” and “free from.” Our discussion will center on feeling free. When, where, and how do you feel free? Do you feel free often enough? How important is it to you to feel free (as compared to feeling some other ways)? How has your experience and concept of “feeling free” changed over time? And what are you doing to feel freer, if that’s an aspiration you have?
Talking Pictures
Wednesday, February 12, 5:00-6:30pm ET
Host: John Spritz
Discussion #: 12Feb25Pictures
The only thing more fun than watching movies is . . . talking about movies! Using prompts given in advance from our host, we'll discuss all sorts of movies: the ones we love, the ones we hate, the actors/actresses we have a crush on, the best lines/scenes/openings/endings/bags of popcorn. Ever want to be a movie critic? This is your opportunity!
Let’s Have the God Talk
Tuesday, February 18, 7:00-8:30pm ET
Host: Roger Johannigman
Discussion #: 18Feb25GodTalk
As we age, we sometimes bump into new spiritual realities. We experience pain and suffering, loss, and need; we go through transitions, grieving the loss of our “old life” as we move into new ways of living and being purposeful. Sometimes, simultaneously, we may begin to sense that there is “something more.” All these experiences give us the chance to connect with God…or the Divine…or whatever one may call it, and with one another in a more spiritual way. In this session—or series of sessions, if the group wants to meet more than once--we will explore those experiences, their origins and effects.
Feeling Free
Monday, February 24, 12:30-1:45pm ET
Host: Joan Soble
Discussion #: 24Feb25Free
See above description of the February 11 discussion of this same topic.
Serving on Boards
Tuesday, March 4, 7:30-9:00pm ET
Host: Nathaniel Foote
Discussion #: 4Mar25Boards
Often as we contemplate official “retirement,” we begin to consider ways to parlay our professional skills and expertise into new, meaningful roles. Sometimes, sensing that our wisdom and experience could benefit a promising company or organization that’s new to us or that’s long been important to us, we may decide that we’d like to serve on its Board. What are the particular rewards and challenges of serving on boards, as we understand them from our own or other people’s experiences? What approaches can make Board roles more substantive and fulfilling? How do we position and prepare ourselves to be invited to join a particular Board – and then to be an asset to that Board once we’re on it? And what are the costs and benefits of simultaneous membership on multiple boards? Is one enough? Are six too many?
Developing a Wine Collection
Monday, March 10, 7:00-8:15pm ET
Host: Jennifer Marre
Discussion #: 10Mar25Wine
Are you someone who’s considering developing a wine collection, someone who’s been collecting wine for a long time, or someone who’s begun collecting it relatively recently? Whether you’re most inspired by your personal passion and enjoyment of wine, the pleasure of membership in the community of wine enthusiasts, or the investment aspect of a high quality wine collection, this is the discussion group for you. Be prepared to hear the stories and wisdom of our collecting classmates – and to share your own, even if you’re just a beginner.
“Life Gave Us Lemons, and We Made Lemonade”
Tuesday, March 11, 2:00-3:15pm ET
Host: Ona Girnius Brown
Discussion #: 11Mar25Lemons
In this discussion group, participants will share those moments when they transformed setback and challenge into something positive, and maybe even into triumph and joy. Another twist (pun intended) could be when a seemingly unfortunate event turned out to be “a blessing in disguise.” What did you learn about yourself as a result of your lemonade experience – and were you surprised? How has it affected your outlook and other experiences?
Figuring it Out: Contemplating and Adjusting to Retirement and/or Other Life Changes
[Note: There are 2 separate discussion groups on the same topic; sign up for one.]
Wednesday, March 12, 12:00-1:30pm ET
Host: Marilyn Booth
Discussion #: 12Mar25Figuring
OR
Thursday, April 10, 8:00-9:30pm ET
Host: Alan Glickman
Discussion #: 10Apr25Figuring
Changing – or thinking about changing – priorities, be it by virtue of retirement or other life changes, can be exhilarating and exciting. Or it can be disorienting and dispiriting (especially if the retirement or other change isn’t entirely one’s own choice). Freedom from prior commitments can be challenging: with more time come more choices as to how to find fulfillment in any number of life’s realms. We’ll talk about changes made or contemplated as we’ve approached or entered our 70s, and we’ll share our questions and learnings with each other.
“I Knew I Was Getting Older When…”
Thursday, March 27, 2:00-3:15pm ET
Host: Ona Girnius Brown
Discussion #: 27Mar25Older
This is a conversation about realizations, sudden or developed over time. Come share your experiences of recognizing that you were “getting older.” Some might want to share humorous anecdotes, and some might want to concentrate on deeper emotions. How did you feel about those experiences then–and how do you feel about them now–and why? How do you integrate or simply cope with your own and other people’s perceptions of you as “getting older”?
Living Well–But Where, When, How, & With Whom?
Sunday, March 30, 7:30-9:00pm ET
Host: Debra Vilinsky
Discussion #: 30Mar25LivingWell
So you’re hoping to live well for a long time — but where, when, how, with whom? Many of us have watched or participated in friends’ or family members’ decisions to downsize, move to new living arrangements or communities of various sorts, or stay put with several adjustments and accommodations. The older we get, the more stories we hear that both reassure us and complicate our thinking about what might be the best options for us.
Have you begun considering these questions, or have you already begun making arrangements? Have you been considering not only the logistics of such changes, but the feelings, meanings, and relationships potentially related to and/or affected by them? If so, you may enjoy joining a conversation with a group of classmates of diverse life circumstances who are at different points in our consideration of making changes — and who began discussing this somewhat new life terrain late last spring as part of the 2024 Personal Reflection Discussions Program. If sharing your thoughts, feelings, questions, and tentative or definite plans about current and future living arrangements — and hearing what others are thinking and planning — appeals to you, the group hopes you’ll join us. Currently, we meet twice a year.
Networking Over the Years: How Has the Meaning Changed, and What Do We Seek From It Now?
Saturday, April 5, 12:00-1:30pm ET
Host: Cynthia McCallister
Discussion #: 5Apr25Networking
Our class entered the marketplace when the term “networking” became all the rage. Early reunions were filled with cocktail party discussions of our career paths and often involved fervent networking as we pursued our goals. We still want to network, but how has networking’s meaning and purpose changed? What do we want from networking now?
Figuring it Out: Contemplating and Adjusting to Retirement and/or Other Life Changes
Thursday, April 10, 8:00-9:30pm ET
Host: Alan Glickman
Discussion #: 10Apr25Figuring
See above description of the March 12 discussion of this same topic.
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Listing of Past Personal Reflections Discussions
In Person 45th Reunion, June 2022
2:30-3:50pm
Changing Priorities and Commitments around Work and Life in the Second Half of Our 60s |
Living with Illness with Strength and Resilience |
Coming to Terms with the Realities of Aging and Mortality |
Exploring and Assessing the Imprint of Our Harvard Years on Our Lives |
(Re)Assessing the Role of Spirituality and Religion in Our Lives |
Pandemics: What Can We Do About Them Moving Forward? |
Figuring Out How We Can Best Contribute to the Success and Well-Being of the Next Generation |
(Re)Examining the Role of Creativity in Our Lives |
Keeping Relationships with Spouses/Life Partners Strong and Reinvigorated as Work/Life Roles Shift |
4:10-5:30pm
Reflection and Sharing Session for Bereaved Parents Who Have Lost a Child |
Figuring Out How We Can Best Contribute to the Success and Well-Being of the Next Generation |
Coming to Terms with the Realities of Aging and Mortality |
Avenues of Aging and Advanced Care Planning |
Exploring and Assessing the Imprint of Our Harvard Years on Our Lives |
Changing Priorities and Commitments around Work and Life in the SecondHalf of Our 60s |
The Pandemic’s Impact on Our Lives, Now and Going Forward |
(Re)Assessing the Role of Spirituality and Religion in Our Lives |
(Re)Examining the Role of Creativity in Our Lives |
Keeping Relationships with Spouses/Life Partners Strong and Reinvigorated as Work/Life Roles Shift |
Winter/Spring 2023 via Zoom
Coming to Terms with Aging and Mortality
Marginalization, Not Belonging, and How We Have Coped
Changing Priorities and Commitments Around Work and Life
Let’s Have the God Talk
Living Creatively in our Outlook and Pursuits
Mentoring: Contributing to the Next Generation and Enriching Our Own Lives
Evolving Relationships with Spouses and Partners over Time
Better Late Than Never: Again, and How to Feel Good About It
February - April 2024
Let’s Have the God Talk
Changing Priorities and Commitments Around Work and Life
Better Late Than Never: Aging and How to Feel Good About It
Mentorship — Building a Legacy by Sharing What You’ve Learned in Life
Living Well—But Where?
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Updates from the HR77 Longitudinal Study
Wednesday, January 25, 8:00-9:30pm ET
On January 25, the latest results from this year's 45th Reunion Longitudinal Study were discussed. To view the recorded session, click HERE and the presentation slides, clickHERE.
This updated study results focused on three of the most provocative questions the results raised:
- How are our lives, priorities and values changing as we move ever deeper into this next chapter in our lives?
- How has the life experience of women in our class differed from that of men, and why?
- How are we coming to terms with the "ultimate" questions, such as our mortality, legacies, and spirituality?
Best wishes,
Alison Clarkson, Russ Eisenstat, John Paul MacDuffie
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