"You gotta have heart!  All you really need is heart!"  That advice from the 6's and 7's coach in "Damn Yankees" is worth considering.

You Gotta Have Heart

Many of us in our sixties and seventies are turning away from the routine of consuming more and more things in favor of making more connections in our communities.  Volunteering is taking the place of shopping and acquiring probably because it is good for us.  Fostering the values of civic betterment and promoting educational and cultural improvements helps all of us. Volunteering really does bring happiness to people who benefit by giving and those who receive the benefit and then give back.  

Volunteering among people at sixes and sevens is becoming a preferred form of self-expression.  "When the odds are saying you'll never win, that's when the grin should start." It improves mood by reducing anxiety, depression and stress.  Being a volunteer enhances people's outlook on life.  The sense of meaning and purpose increases when we contribute to the well-being of our communities. "You've got to have hope; you mustn't sit around and mope!"

A recent study by United Healthcare offered some survey results to support the importance of volunteering for better health.  One important outcome of volunteering is improvement of time management skills, according to the study.  The old song may be right.  "Oh it's fine to be a genius of course, but keep the old horse before the cart.  First you've got to have heart."