Projects: Motion for the Mind

The idea for this blog came when I was speaking to an 82 year old friend, Mr. W, a very smart, social, semi-retired scientist who mentioned that he needed a project. Although he’d written a memoir, now he was thinking of beginning a second one. In spite of his many friends and extended family, he wanted to invest in an ongoing activity with a foreseeable goal.

Then I began to think of all the people and patients I know who share Mr. W’s need, and for the most part, are happier for it.

Then I began to think of projects like motion for the mind.  In a recent New York Times article, Gretchen Reynolds cites research reporting that people who move often are happier than people who sit in chairs. When the mind is in motion, we are also happier. Projects serve to lift us out of ourselves and connect us to other people.

The Cambridge University psychologist Brian Little has devoted his career to studying how everyday personal projects are essential for human flourishing.

Bodily maintenance can be viewed as an essential lifelong project. Taking care of our bodies fosters good health, which confers energy to invest in projects outside ourselves.

When one project is completed some people find a related one, and some switch gears entirely. Here are some examples of people who have changed their focus:

1.      A ballerina becomes a Pilates teacher.

2.      A retired school teacher works as an assistant in children’s collection at a bookstore.

3. A retired secretary knits and donates hats and sweaters to the needy.

Some people alter their activities when physical limitations interfere.  A famous example is Grandma Moses, who early in life, owned and worked on a farm and raised many children.  She retired at age 76, and at age 78, when arthritis interfered with her ability to embroider, she became a painter of bucolic scenes reminiscent of farm life. When illness interfered with his ability to paint, the French artist Matisse turned to cutting out shapes for fabric design.

Sometimes we grapple to find a project, while at times they drop into our lap. The current governmental turmoil has motivated and impassioned thousands of people to become involved in the political scene.   Ms. G. suffered from apathy until Trump’s election stirred up her passions and conferred a project she believed was essential.

Conclusion: We don’t outgrow our need for projects that keep us invested (in the world) and happier in our lives.

Dear Reader, I look forward to hearing your experiences.