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Ageless Generation: Believe it or not, aging may be fun!

Published 3:30 am Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Photos courtesy Shipley Center This view at the under-renovation new location for Shipley Center is looking down the west hallway from north to south. On the left will be the reception area, program director’s office, restrooms and a classroom. On the right will be fiber arts, a library, a multi-use room and an art room.
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Photos courtesy Shipley Center

This view at the under-renovation new location for Shipley Center is looking down the west hallway from north to south. On the left will be the reception area, program director’s office, restrooms and a classroom. On the right will be fiber arts, a library, a multi-use room and an art room.

Photos courtesy Shipley Center This view at the under-renovation new location for Shipley Center is looking down the west hallway from north to south. On the left will be the reception area, program director’s office, restrooms and a classroom. On the right will be fiber arts, a library, a multi-use room and an art room.
Wiring waits its turn to be installed.
Photo courtesy Shipley Center/ A worker with Kirsch Electric installs wiring above the restrooms and a classroom at the former JCPenney store, which will soon become the new Shipley Center.

By Michael Smith

for the Sequim Gazette

Every year when May rolls around, a U.S. Government agency, the USDA’s Administration for Community Living, tells us it is time to celebrate the inescapable truth that we all are aging.

Celebrate aging? Some might say, ‘You gotta be kidding!’

If a person is not enjoying their own aging, they may think it strange to be encouraged to celebrate it. Do any of us really like to be reminded by the government or by other people that we are getting older? Our own joints are starting to remind us without saying a word!

Think about that last time your birthday cake actually had a candle on it for every year. Been a while? Do you refer to your knees as “good” and “bad” instead of “right” and “left”?

You get the picture … so what is there to celebrate?

Let’s go back to the government website on this. This May the Older Americans Month theme is a laudable one: Champion Your Health. It explains that we should be focusing on prevention, wellness, and personal responsibility as “cornerstones of healthy aging.”

It encourages taking an active role in managing our own health, advocating for ourselves, accessing preventative care, and making “informed decisions that support independence.” And, I might add, if we need help with all that, we should willingly and actively seek the help that we need.

Well, that doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

You are never too old to take part in activities that can enrich your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. A big part of championing your health could be as simple as getting out and finding people and a place to connect — and that is where Shipley Center comes in.

It’s that connectedness with other people that will help us live longer and richer lives. We can participate in activities like those at the Center, where our theme is “Friendship * Recreation * Education.”

“Friendship” is first because having others to enjoy things with can enhance the recreational and educational benefits of what we do. Sure, there are times to be alone — at home, reading, thinking, meditating or praying, enjoying TV, solitaire, or a hobby — but human beings are, at their core, social creatures!

Come on out and play! Make time to Champion Your Health with others at Shipley Center. Maybe you already have a lot of friends — that’s great … bring them with you. Enjoy lunch in Leo’s Café together or take a class. Someone you meet in an activity or at a social event may have very few friends, and you could brighten their day by speaking a kind word and getting acquainted. It is up to you and your personality type, of course, but try to stretch yourself to find something new to do and someone new to meet now and then. (I even know of a few cases of true love being found here at the Center, so don’t rule that possibility out!)

And now our monthly building update:

Speaking of love, you are going to love our new building! We are moving from 11,000 square feet to 29,000 square feet by renovating Sequim’s former JCPenney building into the new home for our senior center, Shipley Center.

This month, almost all the wall-framing is done, which for us visual learners defines the spaces so we can see the sizes and shapes of the rooms. Having the metal studs in place allows for electrical wiring, plugs and switches to be installed. In addition, our new bright and efficient LED light fixtures will soon be in place. All plumbing drain lines are in and the supply lines to hot and cold are being installed. Soon a new energy-saving (and non-leaking) water heater will arrive. Then, not long after that, we will get our snazzy ADA-accessible drinking fountains with bottle fillers! (As seen in airports and other happenin’ places.)

After all the ‘in-wall’ items are inspected, we have a drywaller lined up to get going on a herculean task — lifting and installing an estimated 1,000 sheets of 5/8ths-inch-thick sheetrock! And last, but not least, we are starting work on the construction and décor of our new Leo’s Café kitchen and dining areas, which are going to function and look great.

We continue to be thankful that our project has been injury-free, on schedule, and under budget, so please wish us continued success in all of these aspects of this endeavor. To those philanthropists out there: Your one-time or monthly financial support is invested responsibly and is truly appreciated. We trust that generations to come will enjoy what we are building together.

____________________

Michael Smith is executive director of the Shipley Center.

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