When Bad Leads to Good

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Look for the silver lining.” But when your house is damaged—or completely swept away—by flooding from an atmospheric river or a Category 5 hurricane like the one that recently hit Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas, and pushed tidal waves onto the Outer Banks… or when flooding hits the Carolinas… that advice can feel impossible.

In moments like that, silver linings don’t show up as rainbows. They show up as people—neighbors, volunteers, and total strangers—who step forward to help. People are the silver lining.

The same idea applies on a personal level. When I suddenly lost consciousness and was rushed to the emergency room—with a concussion, a fractured nose, a fractured neck, and a heart rate of 28—I woke up feeling grateful just to still be here. Somewhere deep inside, I believed that if I was still alive at 84, there must be a reason. Not ego. Not fantasy. Just a feeling that an Impossible Dream inside me wasn’t done yet.

I spent two weeks recovering at the Roseville Care Center on Cirby Way. The care was steady, thoughtful, and often invisible—people working quietly, day and night, to help those in need. Long before I ever arrived, someone had the vision to create a place like that. I don’t know who they were, but I am deeply thankful.

My personal silver lining came in the form of two people:

• Bob Parker of El Dorado Hills, my roommate at the care center, who told me about the Renaissance Society at Sacramento State University, and
  
  

• Elizabeth Davis, my neighbor in Roseville, who introduced me to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Sierra College in Rocklin.
  
  

Both programs give everyday people the chance to share their interests, life experiences, ideas—even their Impossible Dreams—with others who love learning and don’t want to stop growing. We may get older, but that doesn’t mean we stop being curious or having goals. We just adjust our pace.

Both programs are working to help me present my Impossible Dream: inspiring people of any age to help preserve and strengthen our Federal Republic. I’m scheduled to speak on Fridays at 1:00 PM through May at Sacramento State. You don’t have to be a Renaissance Society member to attend, though membership helps support the program and is very worthwhile.

Sierra College is trying to set up something similar. I missed their deadline only because I didn’t know about the program until it was too late. Yet the directors are going out of their way to help me find a spot. I’m grateful beyond words.

Maybe I’ll have the pleasure of seeing you there—and hearing your ideas.
I truly hope so.

~ Ray Blain