Mark’s remarks from the Opening Ceremony of the inaugural Bugbee Games are printed here.
Thank you all for being here today. The theme for the inaugural games is: “Aging Leads to New Aspirations.” All of you are inspiring to me, our team, our volunteers, and your friends. Bugbee is many things to many people, but to all of us it is a community of encouragement, of activity, and of welcoming faces.
You have taught me that aging is a gift; that entirely unexpected and wonderful things await us as we grow older together. I’ve shared that message with my friends, my family, and my colleagues, and that message changes us for the better. I love coming to Bugbee every day because of you. (Definitely not because of Susan and Alec and the kitchen crew. Ok, maybe a little…)
I’ve worked here for four years now, and I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the word “aging,” and trying to reframe what that means to me. Over the last four years, I’ve watched you, I’ve watched myself, I’ve watched my now 10-year-old niece, and my nephew, not yet even one year, getting older. I’ve recognized that every one of us began aging from the moment we were born. That process is dynamic, and we each do it in our own way.
So the Bugbee Games are a chance to celebrate the dynamic process of aging instead of fearing it, because it is something every single human being has in common. Not one of us is getting younger. We can choose to deny that, or we can choose to embrace it and learn to go with the flow. If you are participating in the Games, thank you for encouraging us all to stay active. If you are cheering on the participants, your friends, thank you for getting out and celebrating with us.