Yesterday I left Millinocket for a Meet n Greet Lunch with SAGE members in the Bangor area. Sage is a national group with state and local groups, it is an advocacy group for LGBT seniors, is is for anyone in there fifties, and I knew this was a group I wanted to join when I moved to Maine. This was the second time I drove down for the monthly luncheon meeting. How different, here we are all, mostly everyone is fully retired. The conversations are not about work and not about the weather either.
There are couples, married and not, singles, widows and widowers. Some in the 60's, many in their 70's and some younger or older. Many know each other for years, and there is a smaller group of us that are just getting to know someone in the area. I arrived a little early and no one was there, I went for a walk and when I returned there were five very gay guys at the entrance. I knew I was at the right place and also hoping that some other lesbians would arrive soon! No worry within fifteen minutes there were 30+ aging queers, all shapes, sizes, and abilities. Service dogs, canes, and no high heels.
It is a little daunting as many in the group pick up where they last left off, but I found myself next to Lin and Tom, and a chair down from Mary. It was a fun time. We decided on several "Rainbow Meet Up" events over the next 6 weeks, we heard Laurie's pitch for her run in a special election for an Orono town council seat. A young social work student for U Maine was there, she is doing her internship for the next 9 months with Bangor SAGE and passed around her email and a notebook for us to give her ideas and our emails. Then, there were the goodbyes, the hugs and smiles inviting everyone to return soon.
I have a few more cell phone numbers and emails from people that I met, and I was also smiling as I left to do a few "city" errands before heading up north.
Mid-afternoon I headed home. With me was my new hiking shoes from the LL Bean outlet, a Bangor half-growler from Geaghan Bros. brewery, and a little feeling of belonging and contentment. I forgot about blogging, about tomorrow, and snuggled into my Louise Penny mystery and the U.S. Open! I think that this is retirement!
There are couples, married and not, singles, widows and widowers. Some in the 60's, many in their 70's and some younger or older. Many know each other for years, and there is a smaller group of us that are just getting to know someone in the area. I arrived a little early and no one was there, I went for a walk and when I returned there were five very gay guys at the entrance. I knew I was at the right place and also hoping that some other lesbians would arrive soon! No worry within fifteen minutes there were 30+ aging queers, all shapes, sizes, and abilities. Service dogs, canes, and no high heels.
It is a little daunting as many in the group pick up where they last left off, but I found myself next to Lin and Tom, and a chair down from Mary. It was a fun time. We decided on several "Rainbow Meet Up" events over the next 6 weeks, we heard Laurie's pitch for her run in a special election for an Orono town council seat. A young social work student for U Maine was there, she is doing her internship for the next 9 months with Bangor SAGE and passed around her email and a notebook for us to give her ideas and our emails. Then, there were the goodbyes, the hugs and smiles inviting everyone to return soon.
I have a few more cell phone numbers and emails from people that I met, and I was also smiling as I left to do a few "city" errands before heading up north.
Mid-afternoon I headed home. With me was my new hiking shoes from the LL Bean outlet, a Bangor half-growler from Geaghan Bros. brewery, and a little feeling of belonging and contentment. I forgot about blogging, about tomorrow, and snuggled into my Louise Penny mystery and the U.S. Open! I think that this is retirement!
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