How have some of the profound connections in my life resulted from happenstance?

As a Quaker minister, many years ago one of my undertakings was to represent my faith community in a local interfaith council organization. I served on its board and participated in a monthly gathering of ministers, pastors, rabbis and priests, which functioned as a loose knit support network of mutual care and support. In one such meeting, Jeff, had shared how rowing on a rowing team in the nearby harbor helped him to balance out his life, provide for some healthy exercise, and develop new friendships among people who hailed from different lifestyles and occupations. At one point Jeff said to me, “Kevin, you should come and give rowing a try yourself, I think you’d like it.” That was twenty-six years ago.

I did try rowing. And for the past twenty-three years, I’ve been a member of Whaling City Rowing, and one of the club’s teams called the “Gray Buzzards,” whose playful team motto is,” Old age and treachery beats youth and enthusiasm every time.” Having membership in this rowing club overall, but on this team in particular, has expanded my horizons in ways that I never could have imagined previously with opportunities for learning new skills, provide leadership where needed, and most especially, develop camaraderie and mutual care of one another over all these years. As our team’s name suggests, we are for sure getting older, where once we were all working in various careers and raising kids, to slowly moving into retirement and becoming grandparents with each passing year as we continue rowing two and three times a week, year round, in and around New Bedford’s busy harbor.

I sometimes look back and think, what if Jeff never suggested that I try rowing? It reminds me of a quote attributed to the late Ram Dass, “There are no accidents.”