"I'm getting old," my dear friend and fellow alum Jeff Kaplan (left*) told me recently. A decade older that Jeff, I'm now vulnerable to that terrible adjective, "elderly."

    Accordingly, I (or YOU) may need facilities that would not exist without modest Jeff Kaplan's brilliant but quiet leadership and fundraising skills. Because of him, contributors established Gerlach Senior Care Center and McConnell Heart Health Center (pictured) and others.

   Our legacies may be "invisible." Although others get credit, Jeff can actually walk into what is part of his legacy.  

    When I retired as a CEO at 66, I reported that to a fellow RMH alum. "Wow. You're outta the game," he laughed.

   Then, he quickly ended the phone call with, "I gotta go back to actual work!"

   Our work should never decide our worth. But, suddenly, Invisibility and Meaninglessness glared from the shadows. 

   I continued other work in healthcare and the arts. And, I never say "retired." It is not true. 

   Another "pal" asked, "How does it feel to be a has-been?" 

   "I'd rather be a has been than a never was," I answered. 

   To me, meaning means serving others. Since every hospital employee is a caregiver, that means 100% of you served others or served the servers. That is the sensational award every alum has won. 

   What about the big crowd that never served others needs?

   My 21-year-old grandson, Miles, told me recently about a college friend whose dad is a hedge fund billionaire who retired at 45. 

   "Did he help anyone else?" I asked. 

   "Helped a few other guys get rich to, I guess," he said. "My goal is to advance focused acts of love."

   Miles is already doing that by setting up a non-profit to revolutionize early childhood education – for the poor and others. 

   Decades hence, if someone calls him a "has been" he will be able to say, "What I have been is someone who helped little kids and their parents live better lives."

   One day Miles will be like Jeff and you: Successful "has-beens" because you served others. 

-Erie Chapman

*Special thanks:Liz Wessel, Jolyon and Jacob Juarez for their generous contributions to our caregiver charity. We need your help: Donate-a-dollar. CLICKing the "Donate" button at  www.eriechapmanfoundation.net.

*Photo of Jeff by Barb Schwartz