Cupid strikes at Senior Center

AVIVA GOELMAN

February is the month of love, that special time when candy, flowers

and cards are exchanged between loved ones and friends. But the

expression of true romantic love is not confined to February alone,

as all of us at the Costa Mesa Senior Center recently discovered.

Those three enduring words, “I love you,” are the most compelling

and enduring of the human experience, but too often these days they

are devalued because they’re casually thrown about like other

overused bromides. “I love you” means everything or nothing, unless

rescued by personal detail. As many of us know, love’s arrow strikes

without warning, always failing -- rightly -- to distinguish its

targets by age or beauty.

This year, the Senior Center has been blessed by Cupid’s visit to

our Widows/Widowers Support Group. It was love at first sight.

Marilyn Vogel and Basil Klen have delighted us all by announcing

their engagement. Cupid has pierced other hearts too, as many of our

seniors at the Senior Center have become longtime friends.

So in the month’s spirit of love, please remember to mark your

calendars for our Valentine’s Party, which will be held from 3:30 to

6 p.m. on Feb. 13 at the Costa Mesa Senior Center. The celebration

will include dancing and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets for members are $4,

and for nonmembers $8. Call (949) 645-2356 for reservations.

Our Ballroom Dancing group will host its Valentine’s Dance from

7:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 10. Betty’s Trio will provide live music,

and refreshments and desserts will be served. Admission is $4 and the

community is welcome to be a part of the fun.

A discussion of new Medications Medicare Benefits will be

presented by Orange County Health Care Agency pharmacist Dr. Bill

Liu. The presentation will be during our membership monthly meeting

on Feb. 17 at the center. Membership is $18 a year, and guests are

welcome.

Finally, our Mardi Gras Dance will take place from 7:30 to 10.30

p.m. on Feb. 24. Once again, Betty’s Trio will provide the musical

entertainment. Refreshments and desserts will be served. The entire

community is invited, and admission is $4. Make the event more fun

and come with your costumes, canes, parasols and feather boas.

Congratulations to Surat Singh of Angel’s Auto Spa for receiving

the Mayor’s award this month. Surat a longtime supporter of the

Senior Center and every year is the sponsor of our Thanksgiving

brunch.

On a more serious note, you may have read in this newspaper about

some concerns with the Senior Center’s heating system. The weather

this winter has been exceptionally cold, and we have been working

very hard to make sure our heating system keeps up with demands. But

the Costa Mesa Senior Center’s building is 13 years old, and the

heating and air conditioning systems do show their age from time to

time.

As all homeowners know, most appliances and heating systems have a

life of about 15 years. We are working closely with the city of Costa

Mesa to make sure your heating and cooling system is in good repair

and functioning properly. We have also been working with our outside

heating service to improve conditions. The building’s temperatures

are being monitored daily.

The human body is the most wonderful, complex machine in the

world. Our body can walk and run, climb and sit, see, hear, smell,

taste and feel. It can eat, talk, laugh, lift things, play games,

think and read. The circulation of our blood through our body is not

unlike the Senior Center’s heating system. It keeps us warm. That is

why it is very important to get up every so often and move around to

better circulate the blood in our body. Taking a short walk is like

turning the thermostat up on your home heater.

If there are any further concerns please feel free to contact us

at the Senior Center at (949) 645-2356. The center is at 695 W. 19th

Street in Costa Mesa.

* AVIVA GOELMAN is the executive director of the Costa Mesa Senior

Center and will write occasional columns about the center, its

members and senior issues.