As the afternoon sunlight streamed softly into my mom’s basement—a place filled with stories tucked into objects on every shelf—I sat ready for another episode of “Things That Matter.” Surrounding myself with the things we collect, inherit, and adore, I welcomed my guest, Jeanette Leardi, whose inspiring work in aging and intergenerational connections had first caught my eye on LinkedIn. I kicked off the conversation with my favorite question: “Jeanette, what’s a thing that truly matters to you?” She smiled, reached behind her Zoom screen, and held up a small Chinese vase. Its elegant form was interrupted by delicate cracks, the traces of a story she was eager to tell. “I’m 73, and I want people to declare their age, not hide it,” Jeanette Leardi began. “Forty years ago, my best friend sent me this vase. It arrived in pieces, but I decided on New Year’s Eve to put it back together. The cracks aren’t flaws—they’re reminders of the process of repair.” As she spoke, I saw the vase differently: it wasn’t only a keepsake but a symbol of a challenging, healing process. Jeanette Leardi shared how that evening shaped her perspective on life, inspiring a blog post (link below) years later about four daily actions: creating, maintaining, repairing, and letting go. We talked about how not just objects, but our experiences, can always be mended and treasured. The conversation drifted to ideas from Japanese art—how imperfection elevates meaning, how bones heal stronger—and landed on the profound truth that our society overlooks the beauty and potential in aging. “With this vase, the legacy isn’t the item itself,” Jeanette Leardi explained. “It’s the lesson. If anyone hearing this applies the process of repair to their own life, that’s the real gift I’d love to leave behind.” I was struck by the matter-of-factness in her voice and the clarity of her mission. Through keynotes, workshops, and her book, Aging Sideways (link below), she urges us all to rethink aging—not just as something to survive, but as a right, a privilege, and a chapter full of a different kind of “productivity” perhaps and some wisdom too. As we wrapped up, I encouraged listeners to pause and look around. What do you keep close, and why? What stories do your objects tell about creativity, maintenance, repair, or letting go? “Thanks for sharing your story, Jeanette,” I said. “You remind us that the process matters—sometimes even more than the thing itself.” And as the episode ended, I felt grateful for this reminder that the real museum we build aren’t just collections of things, but of the stories and repairs that shape our lives. Here is the Ageful Living blog post (mentioned above) about creating, maintaining, repairing, and letting go: https://www.jeanetteleardi.com/post/how-should-we-change-aging-in-2015 To learn more about my incredible guest, social gerontologist & her important book visit: https://www.jeanetteleardi.com/aging-sideways-book Are you looking to build deeper connections, community & legacy with your employees, volunteers, donors, community, alumni, family, friends, residents, team or event participants? Hire me to host a unique story-sharing gathering, playshop, exhibition or retreat. Email me at martie at showandtales dot com Have a story of a special item you’d love to share? Reach out to Martie McNabb at info at showandtales dot com and be part of a future episode with the Subject line: Podcast Guest✨ If you were asked “What Things would tell your life story?” What Things would you choose? Look around your home, office & even on yourself …. what Things do you surround yourself with & what stories would they tell? Grab my My Life in 30 Things playsheet to list your Things that matter here: https://www.showandtales.com/30-thing… Watch here: Or Listen here:
