Clermont

We all have our muses. For some it comes in the form of song, for others it comes in the form of another person. We quickly learned it was the latter for the groups of people we met today.

Our day started out at with an afternoon dance party at Summerville at Oak Park Assisted Living, where an eager audience of elderly people was waiting for their deejay to set-up.

Once the music started, the walkers were pushed the sides of the room, feet started to tap and everyone was dancing to the songs so familiar to their time.

But it was more than just the rhythm taking the residents out of their seats. Their inspiration to get up and dance came from two young girls who volunteered at the home earlier this week. These were the same two girls who were enthralled by stories of the past from some residents who lived during the Great Depression.

It was an eye opener to see all these elderly women and men moving briskly to the Macarena and Electric Slide.

Maybe you’re only old as you make yourself feel. And today the feeling of youth was transferred from one person to the other as the volunteers clasped the hands of residents who swayed to the beat.

Later in the day, we met a father who also was inspired by his 17-year-old son. The duo runs Trio Martial Arts Academy in Minneola, which is only a couple miles outside of Clermont.

In talking with Randy Gordon, he admitted to us that 99-percent of their family business’ success is attributed to his son Bret. Bret is not only a sensei at the academy, but he is also in charge of the business’ website, marketing and advertising design.

Bret says his technologically wired brain combined with his dad’s years of managerial experience make for the perfect combination. He says there are things he can do that his dad can’t do and vice versa.

Technology in their father-son relationship has actually brought them closer together instead of further apart. This combination is becoming more common as technology increasingly changes. The inspiration and mindset of the younger generation is becoming more and more relied upon by the older generation.

But whether it’s technology or just the sensation of feeling twenty times younger than your really are, a muse is a muse in any shape or form.

-Racquel