Where Do We Go When the Rain Comes?

Social Health…from the Heart #7

By Barb Young  

I can’t help but reflect on the irony that the classic children’s book Where Does the Butterfly Go When  It Rains? was written in 1961. 

Those born in that same year are becoming seniors this year. 

We rarely see butterflies in the rain. So, it feels only natural to wonder - where do they go? 

Science tells us they find shelter - under leaves, deep in bushes, in the crevices of tree bark. They fold  their wings, hunker down, and quietly wait out the storm. 

And when it passes, they appear again. 

It is remarkable. 

But what about seniors? 

Where do they go when the rain comes into their lives — 

when independence begins to slip, 

when health declines, 

when daily living becomes harder to manage alone? 

Where do they find shelter? 

For some, the answer is clear. Those with financial means can access environments where support is  built in. 

But what about those without that option? Those without savings, without built-in support systems,  those who want to remain in the place they’ve always called home? What about them? 

Too often, the answer is: they do without. 

And in doing without, they slowly decline. 

For twenty years, I immersed myself in the daily lives of seniors living this reality - paying attention to  what worked, what didn’t, and what made the biggest difference. 

What I came to understand is this: 

We have built strong systems around medical care.

But there is another pillar of health which equally essential; something that has been largely  overlooked. 

It lives in connection. 

In belonging. 

In knowing someone will notice if you don’t show up. 

This is social health. 

And the truth is - it IS already here. 

It exists in places like our community halls. 

In the euchre games. 

In the potluck dinners. 

In the people who say, “I’ll pick you up.” 

In the quiet acts of connection that happen every day across the Highlands. 

We don’t need to build it from scratch. 

We need to recognize it, strengthen it, and make sure it is there when it matters most. Why this matters… 

This spring, the Highlands North Network is taking the first step toward doing exactly that. 

We will be hosting a series of community roadshows across the Highlands - not to present a finished  plan, but to build one together. 

Because the truth is, the strongest solutions will not come from outside. 

They will come from the people who live here. 

From you. 

If you are thinking about how long you’ll be able to stay in your home… 

If you are concerned about someone you care deeply about… 

If you believe that connection is essential to wellbeing… 

Then we invite you to join us - in Darling White Lake, Tatlock, North Lavant, South Lavant, or  Middleville. 

Come and be part of the conversation. Come and help shape what comes next. Because if we get this right, more people will find shelter when the rain comes. And some - perhaps more than we expect - may even take flight again.