Two interesting insights have been published recently regarding how older people feel about the quality of their lives.

The first was a survey of people in their 60’s or older. They asked what these people liked and didn’t like about their life. The biggest dislike was that they were lonely. Their children are grown and gone and their friends and relatives are at that age where they are losing them. Their social circle from the past many year is disappearing. The second was on having a midlife crisis. Having a midlife crisis was common in older people. The crisis was not a need for a sports car, tattoos, or other wild things. The midlife crisis was a feeling of their life having no meaning. The work years and all the responsibility that goes with that are gone. The children only need them as occasional baby sitters. The things that made their life interesting, challenging, demanding are gone and it left a void. They are looking for something to again give them that sense fulfillment.

As Lions we can help two people when we ask someone to join our Lions club. We help the person our service project serves. We also help the member who provides that service. How many of us Lions feel our lives are more meaningful, fulfilling, rewarding because we give something of ourselves away doing a service project.

When we ask someone to join the Lions we are not asking them to do us a favor, we are offering them a chance to have a more fulfilling life.