“So, Sam, how did you like it today?” Huang asked Sam.

“I liked it. The hardest part is getting up and down and crossing my legs. Stiff, you know.”

Huang nodded knowingly. “We will do a few yoga movements too, while you are here, and that might help.”

“Gosh, I hope something does. I feel like the Tin Man.” He helped himself to more fish and rice.

“Try the green stuff,” Huang held out a dish to Sam. “It is a lot like your spinach.”

Sam was wary, but put a little on his plate anyway. He nibbled on a piece.

“It is just like spinach,” he said and put some more on his plate.

Huang was speaking to the various people sitting around them and Sam listened. People had a variety of jobs, several were teachers looking to ‘expand their horizons.”

One young Asian man sat across from Sam and didn’t say very much. Sam wasn’t very good at telling the difference between the different Asian groups. So, trying to not be offensive, he asked: “So, are you Korean too?”

The young man made a slight grimace before replying, “No, I am Chinese. Chinese-American.”

“Ah,” Sam replied.

“I am actually fourth generation here in California.”

“Really.” Sam was interested.

“Yes, my great-great grandfather was what was known as a coolie and came from China to work on the Trans-Atlantic Railroad.”

“Wow, some history.”

“Yes, it has been a long road for my family, but worth it in the end, I guess. I was able to graduate from Stanford, so probably so.”

Sam nodded. “And what do you do?”

There was a slight pause. At first Sam thought the young man was going to refuse to answer him. He detected a faint struggle on his face.

“Ah. . .I do research. Medical research.”

“Oh, interesting. Who. . .?”

“It’s Sam isn’t it?” The young man broke in. “I am Chan, nice to meet you.” He stuck out his hand, American style.

“Oh, you too.” Sam countered.

“However, I am here on a short rest-vacation and would really like to leave all that behind. Just for a few days.” He gave Sam a little smile.

Sam stared a moment then, looked down at his food “Sure, sure, no problem. Think nothing of it. Are these peanuts?”

They all continued eating and Sam kept his thoughts to himself. What young man, that age, doesn’t like to talk about his work. Incessantly, in fact. Whatever. Not my business.

After dinner, Sam was back in his room and tried to read the magazine he brought but threw it down. Feeling restless, he pulled on a jacket and slipped into some shoes and went outside. Late spring, it was still nippy in the air.

God, I could use a cigarette right now. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans to keep warm and started to stroll around the grounds. The grounds of Green Veil were lush with vegetation and beautiful even at night. The facility had been the property of a wealthy dowager who, haven’t gotten into the mediation thing, had donated the entire place to Brother Huang and his school.

Chewing on a toothpick, Sam worked his way around the campus. He was starting to get familiar with where things were. Having gotten some of the kinks out, he started on the path back to his room.

Maybe a hot bath.

He noticed something to his right, movement. Mice? Rats? No, it’s hopping like. Looks like. . .oh, it’s a bunny. Ha. Not too much to worry about there. Probably no foxes or racoons for miles.

He was turning back when something else caught his attention. He rubbed his eyes.

Was that rabbit glowing? A light green color? Couldn’t be.

He started to walk slowly after it and was about to catch it with two hands, when the thing darted into some undergrowth.

“Bah!” he said out loud. “Sam Reynolds, it is really time for bed.”

The next morning, after washing up, Sam remembered the rabbit.

Was I seeing things? Was it really glowing or am I on some kind of new mediation enhanced high? What is in that tea they serve after all?

Dismissing it from his mind, he went to breakfast and was able to get down on the floor a little more easily this time. He noticed, with a sense of aggravation, that husband-hunting Lydia and her silent friend, Sylvia, were both able to seamlessly glide up and down from the floor.

Geeze, Sam thought to himself, looks like all those hours in the gym are not really doing the trick here. He felt discouraged.

He quickly got in with Brother Huang’s crowd for lunch although Lydia waved gayly at him from the other end of the table. He gave a little wave back and grabbed for food.

They mysterious young Chinese man, Chan, was a few spots down. Head down, he seemed in a constant low conversation with his fellow Asian.

Older, Sam thought to himself. Maybe in his 50’s, steel rim glasses, really bad haircut.

There was a dark, brooding intensity about the man Sam found unsettling. He could not help his usual PI observations about people. The man kept stabbing at his food with his chopsticks.

Like he’s angry, Sam mused. Somehow, I get the feeling he’s not from around here.

Sam turned from the two men and tried to focus on what the people were talking about on his right. He had to fight that old feeling coming from the hairs on the back of his neck.

That feeling you sometimes get when someone is standing right behind you and you turn around suddenly…

Meditation class was easier the second day and Sam felt like he was getting into the ‘groove’ of the thing more. He was able to control his thoughts a little more and focus better. However, after a few minutes, he could not help thinking back to the young man Chan and his odd companion.

Something. . . something.

“Breath in and out, focus your attention. I will play a little music to help.” Brother Huang was leading today.

Sam liked hearing him, what a calming voice he had!

After lunch he went to have a little lie down before afternoon class began. Once again, he had dozed off when he heard the voices. They were murmuring again, but louder this time.

Always the nosy one, Sam got up quietly from the bed. Still in his thick cotton socks, he moved over to the side wall and put his ear against it.

“They need your help!” came the terse words. “They are dying, every day! They can’t afford the help like these rich American shits!”

“I know that, you think I don’t know that.” Sam recognized the voice of Chan. He realized the other voice had to be that of the older man who sat with him at meals.

“If I get caught, I’ll be ruined. I’ll get fired and never work in this town again.”

Chan sounded almost in tears.

There was a pause. “We won’t get caught. The plan is fool proof. No one will ever know.”

“But the lab is so careful, they monitor everything, constantly. What if they find out?” Chan was almost pleading.

“Listen to me, Chan, you can always come home. We need people like you. You know how much.”

“Yes, Lee, I do know. But, Lee, I am home. You have to realize that. I am home.”

Sam heard a sound like ‘Bah,’ and eased away from the wall. His mind was whirling.

What the heck were these two up to? It didn’t sound good, whatever it was. Not good at all.

He could hear the sound of the bedroom door open and close next to him. Sleep impossible now, he pulled out the little I Pad that Kristie had gotten him for Christmas. He looked up Chan, Ron, Stanford.

Bingo, found him! Got to love this Internet stuff, huh? Right there, ‘Ronald Chan, PH D., graduated summa cum laude, Stanford University. Biochemistry and genetics research. Currently working at Bio-Tech, Industries, San Francisco, CA. Articles by Dr. Chan include. . .’

Sam stopped reading. Biochemistry, genetics research. Glowing rabbit? His head was whirling. He popped in some more words into the Internet and read about how scientists had learned to take the florescent glow DNA from jellyfish and transfer that DNA gene into small animals like rats and mice.

And rabbits? Sam thought warily to himself. What the Hell is going on here?

Getting up, he pulled his grey tunic over his T-shirt and pulled the draw-string tight on his pants. Pushing some shoes on his feet, he slipped into the hall and rapped on Chan’s door.

“Chan, you in there? It’s Sam. I heard you and it sounded like you. . . were sick or something.” He was greeted with silence. Looking up and down, the hallway was empty. People were either still asleep in their rooms or had already left for mediation. Cautiously, he tried the door handle. It was locked.

Turning, he made his way to the end of the dorm corridor and out the exit to the grounds. Walking along side of the building, he found the window to his room, checked for his stuff and counted over one room. Chan’s room was somewhat behind a large bush. He peeked inside. No one there. The window was open a little for air.

Glancing around, the only people were yards away, all busy getting to the next class. Sam got behind the bush and put both hands under the wooden window casing and pushed up. It made a creaking noise. Luckily no one was there to hear it.

Pushing the window more, he was able to stick a leg through and then pull his whole-body in. Doing a quick reconnoiter, he confirmed he was the only one in the room. This was slightly larger than his, with room for two twin beds. Although, still sparsely furnished and no bath. The beds were made, and he could see suitcases hurriedly shoved under the beds.

Sam checked at the door and could heard nothing. He locked the top lock from the inside. If one of them came back, they would have to fumble with the key long enough for him to get out the window again.

He pulled out the first case. It was a modern, hard-clam shell design. Kristie’s daughters both had this type. He popped it open and confirmed quickly this belonged to Ronald Chan. A California Driver’s license was in a leather wallet stuck under some clothes.

“Nothing much there we didn’t know,” he whispered.

On his knees, he inched over to the other bed and pulled out the second suitcase. It was old and worn with an old-fashioned boxy shape and travel stickers stuck to the outside.

“Geese, looks like one my grandma had.”

He had to jimmy the locks to get them open. There had been an attempt to lock them, but they were so old, it was easy to get them undone.

Sam rummaged through men’s underwear and found what he was looking for. A dark red Chinese passport issued to one Dr. Yang Lee, Ph. D., Department of the Interior. The rest was in Chinese and Sam couldn’t read a word. He did see that the last port in China had been Beijing. About one month before, so. . .

Sam heard voices coming down the hall. He jammed the passport into the suitcase, carefully closed the lid and pushed the locks back in place. Shoving it back under the bed he scampered back to the window. His foot banged against something and he almost cursed. Looking down he saw an empty metal cage with a little food bowl with pellets and another bowl for water. It was empty but looked just big enough to hold a rabbit.

He slid through the window and then scrapped along behind the bush to his window. He repeated the same thing, pushing the window up and climbing back into his room. He tiptoed over to the wall again and could curses from outside the next door.

“Why doesn’t this damn lock open.” Rattling.

“Let me try my key.” Shuffling sounds. “There, it was just stuck.” The door opened, then closed.

“No, I told you I have to have more time to think. Plus, there’s Fluffy. I need to get him back before we leave. We can’t just leave him here for someone to find.” Chan’s voice.

“I told you not to bring that animal. Now he’s evidence. If I get my hands on him, I’ll. . . “

“No, you won’t! He’s my rabbit. I will find him.”

“See that you do. Now at least one of us has to go to that damn class or we’ll be missed.”

“I’ll look for Fluffy.”

The door banged open then shut. Sam was still listening. He thought he heard soft crying.

He decided to get to class if, for no other reason, then to what Lee was up to.

Sam entered the big hall from the rear and sat in the very back row. He wanted to be able to keep his eye on Lee. Unfortunately, the man simply followed along with the group and didn’t do anything unusual.

Sam tried hard to focus but found it almost impossible. His eyes kept popping open and searching the room for Chen. Lee stayed in place and Chen never showed. By the end of mediation, Sam felt more aggravated than ever.

Why didn’t the asshole just do something already?

Exasperated, he got up and followed the group out. Most people sprinkled out on the grounds for an hour or so before dinner. Sam followed Lee back to the dorm and let himself into his own room. He sat silently on his bed listening. He could hear the creaking of bedsprings, but no conversation.

Where was Chen?

Continued in Part IV

Sam Reynolds, self-employed Private Investigator, is feeling low and needs to get away for a little while. Rest, relax and renew. He accepts an invitation from his buddy Brother Huang to attend the Buddist retreat for a few days. Something different, Sam tells himself, a place to meditate and contemplate his life. As always, action has a way of finding Sam.

Later that week:

Sam was busy unpacking his small duffel bag in his tiny dorm room. He had checked into the monastery, confirmed the payment, and was greeted effusively by Brother Huang and staff.“Sam shi! So, good to have you back!” Brother made a low bow and then put his hand out for an American shake.

Sam extended his hand and the brother pulled him into a hug and clapped his back.

“Nice to be back, Brother Huang.” Sam was not still convinced this was a completely sane idea.

“Yes, yes. You unpack your things and we have lunch, yes?”

Sam, at 66 years, was still fit and worked as a self-employed PI. He had met Brother Huang a few months previously when Sam tracked a missing woman to the Green Veil. He had gotten help from Brother Huang then and a loose invitation to come back and learn meditation.

Sam had nodded and was led to his room by the silent major-domo of Huang. A tall, skinny young man; he waved Sam into the dorm room and promptly left.

At first Sam felt like the young man was being rude. Then, as he unpacked his bag he thought to himself, He is neither friendly nor unfriendly. He’s just neutral. That’s different. Well, time for lunch.

Sam was a little uncomfortable having to sit down on the floor to eat. However, one of the servers made sure he had a big pillow to sit upon, so it wasn’t too bad.

Getting up will be a chore, he grimaced, thinking about the arthritis in his hips.

However, soon he was chatting with Father Huang and other guests around the long low table. The servers ran back and forth with big aluminum trays covered with an array of various dishes.

The table was soon covered and one girl, particularly brought him a fork wrapped in a napkin. He thanked her. He realized at that point, the other people at the table were all eating with chopsticks.

Oh well, one step at a time, maybe tomorrow.

His senses were assaulted by the variety of dishes all in little separate bowls. Many of the items he did not recognize. He started with fish and rice, two things he knew. He began to eat. Hum, surprisingly good! He wolfed down some more of what looked like trout and started to gingerly pick at a couple of other things.

There was an assortment of guests at the table. A couple of middle-aged female school teachers were to one side. They babbled incessantly at Huang about the benefits of meditation and how it had improved their lives. On another side, were a couple of millennials on short holiday from the IT tech business. They mostly talked and laughed with each other about people and events only they knew. There was an assortment of other types scattered down the row. The staffers were also there having lunch and practicing their English with the Americans. They would frequently lapse back into their native tongue. Sam, not a language expert, didn’t know what language they spoke.

“So, are you new here?” the little woman to his left peered up at him with enormous blue eyes and a huge smile. He was momentarily distracted by the quantity of silver jewelry that occupied every spot on her neck, ears and fingers. It tinkled lightly when she moved, and the various stones winked at him.

“Ah. . .” he mentally shook himself. “Yes, first time, very first time.”

“Oh, you’ll love it!” She gushed at him. “We just love it. Don’t we, Silvia?” she turned to her companion. Silvia was a beaten down looking woman who was as plain, in her fashion, as her friend was adorned.

Silvia nodded dumbly and kept eating.

“I’m Lydia. Lydia Glass. And you are. . . “She extended a tiny hand.

Sam managed to put down his fork a moment to shake her hand.

“Sam, Sam Reynolds, ma’am.” He grabbed his fork up.

“Oh, Silvia, he called me ma’am! Isn’t that just adorable?” Lydia gushed some more. Her friend nodded slightly.

Lydia turned back to Sam. “So, what are you in for?” She smiled at him broadly.

“In for. . .?” Sam stared a moment. “Oh, you mean, why am I here?” he tamped down his mustache.

“Drugs, alcohol, broken heart. . .?” The little lady waved a hand expansively around the room. Sam noticed her thick, hot pink fingernails.

Acrylic? He thought. Aw, Kristie would know.

Lydia turned back to Sam and batted some extremely long eyelashes at him. “We came for weight loss, didn’t we, Sylvie?” Sylvia kept eating.

“You. . .?” she was dazzling Sam with some very white teeth.

“Ah. . . smoking.” He managed to get out. “Stopped smoking on my own, but still keep having cravings and I don’t want to go back to it.”

“Ah, smoking! The Devil’s own handmaiden. I know, I know.” Lydia inched closer to Sam. “I never smoked, of course. My dead husband would have never stood for it. But, I understand from all my friends who are ex-smokers that it is the very worst thing to quit!”

Sam was starting to choke up over the intense smell of Lydia’s perfume. It had a musty, cloying aroma he didn’t like. He looked up to see Brother Huang watching him with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Sam-shi, are you about finished? Would you like a tour?”

Sam stuffed a last mouthful of rice in and nodded. He began the laborious process of uncoiling from under the table and then standing up. At 5’11”, Sam wasn’t the tallest American going, but he was having a devil of a time trying to figure out where to place his long legs.

At length, he got up and felt twinges in his back.

Lydia began to protest that they were almost done and could come too.

Huang put out a stopping hand, “No need, no need ladies. Take your time, please. They will be serving coffee very soon and you can tell some of our newer members about the benefits of your mediation practice.” He bowed low and placed a hand under Sam’s elbow and steering him out of the dining room.

Outside, Sam had to stop to take a couple of deep breaths.

“Oh, my. That perfume she was wearing. Let me breath.”

Brother Huang laughed lightly. “Ah, the lady Lydia. She is a widow and is what I think you American’s call ‘husband hunting.’ “

“Wow, I guess so,” was Sam’s reply. “What a get up. Why not take a cruise? I hear that’s a great way to meet new people.”

Huang looked over his shoulder and continued walking. “Between the two of us, that is her very next stop.”

“Does she really do the meditation thing?”

“Oh, yes she does. I think mostly it is to calm anxiety and get rid of wrinkles.” Huang laughed. Sam was breathing again and had to chuckle.

“Well, I don’t know about wrinkles. But, it is true about the smoking thing. I have been craving cigarettes again and it was so hard to stop the first time.”

His companion nodded. “Understood, understood. I have heard such a thing many times from other. Come, we will get you some proper clothes for mediation and we will begin in the big hall at 1pm.”

Huang led Sam into a little laundry/clothing facility and the girl started to measure Sam for the tunic/pants combo he would be wearing.

“You are very tall, Sam-shi but I think Yumi will be able to find you something. I will see you at 1:00.”

“Yes, you will and Brother Huang,” Sam was sincere, “thanks for rescuing me back there.”

Huang smiled and disappeared out the door.

Sam got his clothes and went back to his dorm room for a wash-up and a little lie down before the class started.

He lay down on his bed, which was mercifully not on the floor, and texted Kristie.

“I here, the weather is great. XOXO.”

“Oh, good, sweetie. Thanks so much for understanding about the kid thing.” She texted back.

“No problem, have a good time.”

She texted back a row of kissy faces. He turned off the phone and closed his eyes.

He dozed for a few minutes when he became aware of the sound of voices. The voices were fairly close. Male? The sound was muffled. It didn’t sound like an argument exactly, but on the edge of a disagreement of some kind.

“Jesus. Can’t you leave that stuff behind for just three days,’ he mumbled and turned over.

His alarm on the phone went up and he sat up. Damn, the class starts in five minutes. Got to hustle.

He came out of his room and remembering the conversation, looked to see if the people were still around. The doors to all the rooms were closed. Probably already there, shit. And first day too.

Adjusting the loosely fitting tunic and draw-string pants, he scooted out of the building and over to mediation. He was the last one in, took off his shoes and tiptoed over to a line in the back. The white cotton socks he had been given glided smoothly over the hard-wood floor. He sat down and assumed the cross-legged position as much as his stiff legs would allow.

“Let us all breath in and breath out,” he good heard the leader saying in a still calm voice. He felt his shoulders start to relax.

Later that day they were finished and it was time for dinner. This time he sat right next to Brother Huang who had, somehow managed to sit some distance from Lydia and her friend.

(Mystery/Romantic comedy)

It was early spring, and the weather was overcast and drippy. Rain was intermittent in the valley and the ground, soggy underfoot.

Sam Reynolds stared gloomily out the glass slider at his back yard. He clutched a hot mug of coffee in one hand and stared at the drips slowly falling from the eves. He gave a sound somewhere between a growl and a sigh and turned back to the kitchen table.

The morning news was spread out and he turned some more pages with a listless finger.

“Jesus, even the sports section has got nothing!” he told the still air.

Plunking a broad-brimmed hat on his head, he did a turn around the front yard. Neighbors were jumping in cars and charging off to work and school and a couple waved as they drove by. He waved back and stared around. More grey, wet dampness everywhere. Depressing.

Turning back to the house, he checked the mail box and discovered a little envelope he hadn’t noticed before.

“Hum.” He read the return address: Green Veil Monastery. “Wonder what they want?”

He took it inside and got out the letter opener and slit the light green paper open.

“Mediation for the Soul – Come for a three-day retreat at the beautiful Green Veil Monastery. Learn to master your inner mind.”

“Don’t know about mastering my inner mind,” Sam chuckled. “Is that like the inner child?” Suddenly, he realized what was wrong with him. “I am bored to shit,” he told the room. “Absolutely, 100%, bored out of my ever-loving mind.”

He turned the card over and looked at it again. The price isn’t bad for three days and they probably serve meals too. Might have to sleep on the floor on one of those matt things.

“Oh, what the hell.”

He underlined the phone number with his pen and went to get his phone.

“Hello? Yes, this is Sam Reynolds. I’d like to speak to Brother Huang. Yes, he knows me. Thanks, I’ll wait.”

Sam started to hum a little tune. He really did need a change of scene and he had liked that place. Very green, pretty.

Sam had been involved in a suspected kidnap/suicide investigation months before. Using his intuition and tracking skills, he had located the missing woman at this retreat in the foothills, east of San Francisco. He had a short acquaintance with Brother Huang who ran the monastery. Sam liked him.

“Brother Huang? Yes, Sam Reynolds here. Remember me? Of course you do. Well, I got this little invitation in the mail. Something about a retreat. Oh, you sent it. Well, I guess I’ll have to come then. Right, talk to your assistant. Okay, will do and see you then.”

Several minutes later when the credit card information had been exchanged, Sam got off the phone and started humming a jaunty tune. This should be fun. He couldn’t wait to tell Kristie.

“Meditation!” Kristie broke into a laugh. “You’re kidding. You?”

Kristie leaded forward and held a hand over her mouth to cover the laughter.

Sam frowned and smoothed down his mustache.

She finally took a deep breath and straightened up, saw his face and got contrite.

“Sorry, honey, I didn’t mean to laugh. It’s just, well . . .” she waved a helpless hand his way.

Sam looked hurt but tried to recover himself. “I know, I know. It’s just a little different is all.”

“Well, yes, you could say that.” Kristie, Sam’s longtime squeeze, sidled over and gave him a big hug. He smiled a little. “It’s just. . . a little unlike you, I guess I should say.” She pecked him on the cheek. Grabbing her coffee cup, she moved away a little in case she was overcome with a case of the giggles again.

Sam pursed his lips. “You think I shouldn’t go?”

Kristie slid her eyes sideways at him then started looking at the morning paper. “No, no. It might be . . . good for something. Blood pressure, that kind of thing.” She studied the paper carefully, avoiding eye contact.

“Well, yeah.” He paused a little uncertainly. “I quit smoking you remember. All by myself. No nicotine patch or nothing. Just powered through it.”

She nodded. “True, true.”

“You want to go with me?”

Kristie looked up with a slightly stricken look. “Go with. . .? Ah, what do they do there, other than hum?” She started to smirk again and caught herself in time.

“Well, I don’t know for sure. I went that one time and there was a bunch of them in a big room, sitting on the floor and they were following the master in the front.”

“Following the master. . .” Kristie goggled a little. “Ah, well. . . I don’t know about that. Sounds a little religious to me and I get plenty of that every Sunday.”

Sam looked disappointed. “You might like it, something different.”

“Well . . .” Kristie was teetering on the brink of indecision when the phone rang.

Kristie picked it up. “Chelsea? Yes, it’s mom. How are you, it’s been ages? This weekend? Well, I don’t know?” She cast a pleading look Sam’s direction and he gave a dismissal wave and pointed at his watch.

“Yes, yes. I think that would be okay. No, not doing anything. Sam? Well, he might be out of town. I know you like seeing him but . . . “she gazed at him again, “I think he might be doing something else.”

Sam went over and gave her a quick hug and tousled her curly, dark blond locks. At 55 years, she was still a looker. He kissed her cheek.

“I’ll be going,” he whispered. She nodded back and blew a kiss in the air.

“Boyfriend? You have a new boyfriend? Want to bring him by? Well, sure, that would be great. I’ll have to clean house of course, which is a big bother, but . . . “

Quietly, Sam let himself out the front door and went and got into his pickup truck. He patted the little green envelope.

“Yep, this might be a very quiet weekend indeed.” He drove off home.

To be continued. You can see more stories about Sam Reynolds in Storyteller – Amazon/Kindle.

Login / RegisterSociology of Health & IllnessFree Access

‘Sex for life’? Men’s counter-stories on ‘erectile dysfunction’, male sexuality and ageing

Annie Potts, Victoria M. Grace, Tiina Vares, Nicola GaveyFirst published: 27 March 2006 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2006.00494.xCitations: 80Address for correspondence: Annie Potts, School of Culture, Literature and Society, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand e-mail: annie.potts@canterbury.ac.nzSECTIONSPDFTOOLSSHARE

Abstract

Discourse on male sexuality in mid-to-later life has exploded in recent years (Gullette 1998). Attention to this topic has been spurred by the advent of (highly profitable) sexuopharmaceutical ‘solutions’ to erectile changes affecting older men. ‘Success’ stories abound in the media and in medical literature related to the restoration of faulty erections and ailing sex lives through drugs such as Viagra (sildenafil citrate), Uprima (apomorphine) and Cialis (tadalafil). In this paper we explore some of the ways in which notions about ageing and male sexuality are changing in popular cultural and medical texts in response to the advent of Viagra and the increasing authority of biomedicine in this area. We also demonstrate how the recent biomedical endorsement of ‘sex for life’ (the imperative to maintain an active youthful masculine [hetero]sexuality – defined in terms of male orgasm through penetrative sex) may be challenged by the very accounts of older men who are, or have been, affected by erectile difficulties and have used drugs like Viagra themselves. We present the perspectives of mid-to-late life heterosexual men in New Zealand whose stories question the contemporary biomedical privileging of erections and intercourse ‘at any cost and at any age’. We argue that the current push to identify and treat so-called erectile dysfunction (and restore erections and penetrative sex to relationships) neglects some men’s own experiences of alternative modes of relating sexually that they identify as ‘normal’, ‘healthy’, ‘enjoyable’ and ‘satisfying’ for them and their partners; and undermines their understanding of such changes as positive outcomes of ageing, experience and maturity.

Introduction

In 1998 Margaret Morganroth Gullette identified a ‘midlife decline narrative’ operating in Western cultures, in which changes associated with getting older are constructed in negative terms through tropes of ‘diminishment’ and ‘reduction’. The ‘decline narrative’, she proposed, is associated with nostalgia for youth; many men (and women) are influenced by this idea and it profoundly affects their relationships and lives in general. In relation to sex, as Gullette (1998: 28) points out, this discourse portrays male sexuality and pleasure as ‘waning’ with age: ‘Men who hold this view go by the numbers, as they were taught in their youth. Counting and contrasting, they note that they have sex less often or more slowly, and that this is awful and could not be felt or be understood otherwise’. Moreover, this authoritative discourse purports to ‘know’ best about the outcomes of ageing: ‘Taking “the truth about aging” as its domain, decline discourse relegates other assertions to the subordinate and defensive realm of counter-discourse’ (Gullette 1998: 7). It is, however, this counter-discourse that we focus on in this paper, particularly as it relates to male heterosexuality. The experience of ageing (and of erectile changes) may give some men opportunities to experiment with alternative sexual lifestyles. Men who take advantage of these opportunities often report that sex in mid-to-later life does not change in quality for the worse, and in fact they are ‘doing more of the kind of sex they want. They are more considerate to women; they are more competent at giving pleasure’ (Gullette 1998: 29, citing the Janus report). Men in this group tell what Gullette terms a ‘progress story’, rather than a ‘decline narrative’; youthful sex as they remember it (or imagine it) may still be their reference point when discussing sexuality, but they relay an account of sex improving with age and experience.

Gullette was writing before what Barbara Marshall (2002) has termed ‘the Viagra era’, and while these narratives of decline or progress are still evident in contemporary culture, we would argue that they are also being modified or revised as a result of the recent focus on the so-called ‘epidemic’ of male erectile disorder (shortened to MED in medical discourse), and the advent of treatments to correct this ‘disorder’. The corollary of constituting erectile changes for men in later life in terms of MED is the new imperative of ‘sex for life’ understood as erectile ‘function’ for penetration (Marshall and Katz 2002).

In this paper we explore the ways in which some men in mid-to-later life, who have themselves experienced erectile difficulties and used Viagra, are challenging this new imperative of ‘sex for life’, and how they are responding to the various ‘decline’ and ‘progress’ narratives.

The current research does focus on the experiential narratives of men experiencing erectile difficulties. But because this research does not attend to the doctor-patient relationship but rather to that of the ‘consumer’ resistant to the knowledges embedded in a medically-marketed product, our theoretical framing of the question of modalities of resistance in the context of the medicalisation critique is brought into focus with greater salience through consideration of Clarke et al.‘s notion of ‘biomedicalisation’ (2003).

Our focus here is on men’s counter-rhetoric on erectile dysfunction, which we explore in the context of perspectives on male sexuality and ageing found in some popular self-help and medical texts over the past decade with a particular interest in the shifting employment of ‘progress’ or ‘decline’ narratives in pre- and post-Viagra era texts.

Changing perspectives on male sexuality and ageing

According to the ‘decline narrative’ men’s sexuality diminishes with age; this is an inevitable ‘negative’ outcome of getting older, accompanied by a sense of loss for the youthful capacities and escapades of the past; Gullette (1998: 17) terms this ‘the invention of (sexual) nostalgia’. In the ‘progress narrative’, while men may still use ‘youth’ or adolescent sexuality as a reference point, male sexuality is viewed as changing in more positive ways with age; men adapt accordingly, and sexual experiences may expand, and take on new meanings and different modes. Both the ‘decline narrative’ and the ‘progress narrative’ are evident in various kinds of literature on male sexuality and ageing. One way of demonstrating the difference in ageing narratives pre- and post- the Viagra era is to compare representations of male sexuality and ageing in popular cultural and medical texts over the past 10 years.

Popular sexual and lifecourse self-help texts

Popular sexual self-help texts preceding the Viagra era may be seen to stress the ‘naturalness’ of changes in sexuality associated with ageing, and endorse such changes as positive and normal. This is typical in pre-Viagra texts on so-called ‘milestones’ in men’s lives, such as the ‘male menopause’ (also referred to as the manopause, andropause and viropause). For example, in Male Menopause, Jed Diamond (1997: 5) contends that:

The greatest concern most men have as they enter the Menopause Passage is the loss of sexual functioning. Many men cling to memories of the rock-hard-fire-hose penis of their youth. They are unprepared for the normal changes associated with Second Adulthood . . . Male menopause forces men to confront their changing sexuality. Rather than being a time where sexuality drops off, it can be a time where sexuality expands and takes on new dimensions.

In the 1990s, Gail Sheehy’s (1995, 1999) books on lifecourse psychology were extremely popular in the United States and other Western countries. In Understanding Men’s Passages: Discovering the New Map of Men’s Lives, Sheehy (1999) outlines her version of ‘the male sexual life cycle’. This cycle, not to be confused with Masters and Johnson’s (1966, 1970) ‘male sexual response cycle’, consists of several stages: ‘Racing car sex’ (ages 15–30), which is characterised by narcissistic attitudes to sexual pleasure involving ‘instant gratification’; ‘Dutiful sex’ (30–40), when ‘sex becomes powerfully linked to procreation’; ‘Masters Tournament sex’ (40–55), defined as ‘the virtuoso peak of a man’s sexual life cycle [when] his sexual responses slow enough for him to control, choreograph, prolong and savor each erotic encounter’; ‘Surfing sex’ (55–70), when erectile changes are most noticeable; and ‘Snuggling sex’ (ages 70 onwards) when touching and tenderness are important (Sheehy 1999: 181–4)¹.

Sheehy (1999: 184) states: ‘It is normal for a man, after 50, occasionally to have a partial erection . . . A clever man will educate himself to graduate from adolescent “racing car sex” to “surfing sex”’. It is worth focusing some more on this stage she calls ‘surfing sex’ as most of the men we interviewed were in this age range. Sheehy elaborates:

The surfer won’t exhaust all his sexual energy in a frenetic effort to reach full erection and orgasm . . . Instead he will ride the waves of erotic love, gliding up with the swells of pleasure [and] down with the ebbs of intensity, when stroking and intimacy can be enjoyed . . . He will learn the ways his partner likes to be pleasured, with hands or tongue, in between their couplings . . . He will enjoy receiving pleasure from his partner’s touch . . . (1999: 184)

While the various stages of the male sexual life cycle speak of the advantages of sexual pleasures and practices diversifying with age, Sheehy (1999: 199) also reinforces Masters and Johnson’s adage, ‘use it or lose it’, and thereby supports an imperative to maintain sexual activity for as long as possible or else risk losing the ability altogether.

These two sexual self-help texts, Male Menopause and Understanding Men’s Passages, provide examples of pre-Viagra narratives associated with male sexuality and ageing. While male sexual capacity may be described according to negative tropes of degeneration (‘dropping off’) and deceleration (‘slowing down’), male sexual experience in mid-to-later life is considered to have the potential to ‘expand’ and ‘take on new dimensions’. The pleasures of mutuality in sexual relations become more significant; the importance of non-penetrative and even non-genital sexual pleasures is acknowledged; and men are encouraged to expect, accept and adapt to ‘natural’ changes in sexuality associated with growing older.

In contrast, some popular sexual self-help texts following the advent of Viagra (and here we have specifically selected those which focus on the use of Viagra as a sexual self-help measure) argue that erectile changes are not a normal feature of ageing:

Many people believe ED is a natural consequence of aging. This just isn’t true! (Viagra and the Quest for Potency, Drew 1998: 12).

In the past, people assumed that as men grew older, their sexual function would automatically slow down and finally fail . . . We now know that the inability to function sexually has very little to do with age (Viagra: The Wonder Drug for Peak Performance, Whitehead and Malloy 1999: 10).

Post-Viagra self-help texts may ‘reinvent’ changes in erectile capacity in older men as adverse and abnormal (there is no ‘natural’ shift in ‘sexual function’ linked to ageing); they may advocate that any reduction in sexual ability can be countered; in any case, ‘decline’ is viewed as a pernicious force –‘the enemy’– which men must combat (with the help of biomedicine and ‘virility remedies’):

For the first time, it is possible to restore optimal sexual function to nearly every man who desires it. [Viagra] will put to rest the myth that ED is an irreversible function of aging. In a matter of minutes, the new oral medications can: allow a man to have firmer erections to ensure fulfilling sexual intercourse; renew and strengthen an existing – or even dormant – sex life; . . . offer joy in the sexual arena, where little or none had been felt for years . . . (The Virility Solution, Lamm and Couzens 1998: 11).

The post-Viagra self-help texts dismiss the inevitability of erectile difficulties associated with ageing. A modified version of the ‘decline narrative’ is employed within these texts – no longer is a man to accept bodily and erectile changes, whether they are associated with ageing or any other process, event or condition; changes in sexual capacity in mid-to-later life must be resisted and overcome, and ‘premorbid’ sexuality restored. They also relay a ‘revised progress narrative’, which espouses the revitalisation of ‘potency’, the ‘restoration’ of sexual relationships to prior states, or even the ‘strengthening’ of sex lives beyond the scope of previous sexual pleasure. ‘Progress’ is measured in terms of the ability to ‘turn back the clock’ and maintain ‘functional sex’ for as long as possible. Functional sex – and sexual performance – in these books generally equates with penetrative sex, which is viewed as essential to concepts of masculine identity and potency. These texts re-establish and reinforce the primacy of firm and enduring erections – capable of penetrative sex – in constructions of healthy male heterosexuality, and in all stages of life. They argue that there is no need to accept change with age; indeed, men can – and should – enjoy ‘sex for life’ (by which they clearly mean one

Chris Magnus Tucson Police chief Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star

Curt Prendergast – reporting

President Biden plans to nominate Tucson Police Department Chief Chris Magnus to head Customs and Border Protection.

Administration officials cited Magnus’ role as police chief in a “diverse city close to the U.S.-Mexican border,” according to an announcement from the White House Monday morning.

In Tucson, “Magnus implemented de-escalation training, sentinel event review processes, and programs to promote officer health and wellness. Because of Tucson’s proximity to the border, he has extensive experience in addressing immigration issues,” according to the White House.

CBP oversees the Border Patrol and the legal ports of entry, such as those in Nogales and Douglas. CBP has a budget of more than $15 billion and over 60,000 employees. The commissioner of CBP must be confirmed by the Senate.

“Mr. Biden was compelled to choose him because of those efforts to reform departments, as well as his recent work policing a city close to the U.S.-Mexico border,” the New York times wrote, citing a White House official.

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero congratulated Magnus on his nomination.

“During his time in Tucson and throughout his career, Chief Magnus has developed a national reputation for his sensible, inclusive approach to policing that has always centered around community building,” Romero said in a news release.

“Chief Magnus has always understood the importance of distinguishing the role of local law enforcement from federal immigration enforcement and how critical this is to protecting community trust,” Romero said. “He has gained valuable experience serving as Police Chief of a major city here in the Borderlands.”

Magnus, a registered Democrat, has been TPD chief since 2016. He previously served as police chief in Richmond, California, across the bay from San Francisco.

“This is really the honor of a lifetime, being appointed by the president,” Magnus said in an interview with the Arizona Daily Star. “It’s not something I expected, but it’s something I’m very excited about.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting and getting to know the senators, who have obviously a lot of interest in the issues we’re dealing with right now involving CBP and immigration in general,” Magnus said.

If confirmed, Magnus would take over for Troy Miller, who has been the senior official performing the duties of CBP commissioner under Biden. Miller started his career at CBP in 1993 and previously served as director of CBP’s New York Field Office and executive director of CBP’s main anti-terrorism organization, the National Targeting Center.

Magnus would take the reins at CBP as tens of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border each month. Border encounters started rising in April 2020 and accelerated in the past few months, spurring federal officials to scramble to find temporary housing for migrant families and unaccompanied children. In March, Border Patrol agents encountered more than 170,000 migrants, including nearly 20,000 in the agency’s Tucson Sector.

Under the Trump administration, Magnus pushed back against some of the administration’s immigration policies.

In an op-ed Magnus wrote for the New York Times in December 2017, he objected to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ attempt to withhold federal funding from local jurisdictions that did not agree with the administration’s approach to immigration.

“The message from Washington is that cities need to refocus on ‘law and order.’ Yet the harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric and Mr. Sessions’s reckless policies ignore a basic reality known by most good cops and prosecutors: If people are afraid of the police, if they fear they may become separated from their families or harshly interrogated based on their immigration status, they won’t report crimes or come forward as witnesses,” Magnus wrote.

In January 2020, TPD opted out of Operation Stonegarden, a federal program that provides funds to local law enforcement for overtime and equipment associated with border-related activities. TPD had received those funds for more than a decade, including about $600,000 at the time TPD opted out of the program.

The program ran counter to TPD’s mission “and the expectation of the community we serve,” TPD officials said at the time. The move by TPD came after a dispute with federal officials about using some of the Operation Stonegarden funds to cover costs for providing humanitarian aid to thousands of asylum seekers who were temporarily housed at Tucson shelters.

“As an established immigrant-welcoming community and in response to SB-1070, Mayor & Council directed a series of amendments to TPD’s General Orders that protect victims and witnesses of crimes from arbitrary immigration status inquires, prohibit stops and detentions based on ‘suspicions’ of unlawful status, and other actions aimed at protecting the rights of our immigrant communities,” Romero said.

“I am grateful for the Chief’s leadership in implementing these reforms, as well as other efforts including streamlining TPD’s U-visa process and the creation of a new refugee liaison program,” Romero said, referencing U-visas issued to victims of crime who help law enforcement.

Magnus’ nomination to the federal post comes a little less than a year after he offered to resign as Tucson’s police chief over his department’s handling of an in-custody death in April 2020 that led to a $2.9 million settlement with the deceased man’s family.

After City Manager Michael Ortega declined to accept the chief’s resignation, Magnus launched a reform effort that has drawn praise from police reform experts around the nation.

He invited a Sentinel Event Review Board to put TPD’s actions under a microscope in the April death and another in-custody in March 2020, a process that resulted in 53 recommendations for change. Many of the changes have already been adopted.

Ortega said the White House decision to tap Magnus reflects well on the entire city.

“Chris leads with passion, integrity and a deep commitment to serve his community. It’s a proud moment for the City of Tucson and a testament to the strength of the team we have assembled to have one of our own nominated for such an important position,” Ortega said.

He said Magnus has worked tirelessly to improve police-community relations and “has been instrumental in everything from improving (TPD’s) financial position to implementing progressive policing policies that serve as models to other cities.”

Biden administration officials said Magnus built a reputation as a progressive leader.

“His lengthy career in public safety includes coming up through the ranks of the Lansing, Michigan Police Department, and serving as police chief in the cities of Fargo, North Dakota, Richmond, California, and Tucson, Arizona,” according to the announcement from the White House.

“In each of these cities Magnus developed a reputation as a progressive police leader who focused on relationship-building between the police and community, implementing evidence-based best practices, promoting reform, and insisting on police accountability,” the White House said.

In Richmond, Magnus “played a key role in rebuilding community trust in law enforcement and dramatically reducing the number of shootings and homicides,” the White House said.

Magnus grew up in Lansing, Michigan, the son of an immigrant from Oslo, Norway. He received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and his master’s degree in labor relations from Michigan State University, the White House said. Magnus attended the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in State and Local Government program. He has been with his husband, Terrance Cheung, for 15 years.

“I have some mixed emotions about the situation,” Magnus told the Daily Star. “I really love living and working here in Tucson. We have a tremendous team of people. Although I’m excited about Washington DC and the new people I hope to be working with, it’s still hard to contemplate moving or taking on a new job.”

“We have one of the best teams I’ve ever worked with in my career here,” Magnus said. “We have so many things going on. I feel really confident that If I’m fortunate enough to be confirmed by the senate, the good work is going to continue here.”

Magnus said he had never met Biden, “but I certainly am familiar with his policies and priorities around these issues and around criminal justice in general,” Magnus said.

“I’m also particularly excited about working with the DHS secretary, who I think is approaching these issues in a very thoughtful way,” Magnus said. “He’s the kind of person that I think will be a tremendous boss and tremendous resource as we talk about some of these really tough problems.”

“I’m really looking forward to getting to know and building a relationship with both Border Patrol and customs personnel,” Magnus said. “Think they have a very difficult job, look forward to being able to work with them.”

In a press release, Magnus said the confirmation process is “never a certainty.” 

As the Senate considers his nomination, “I remain committed to serving as your Chief of Police to the best of my ability.”

Arizona’s U.S. senators react

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema called Magnus’s nomination “a positive step toward ensuring the administration understands and addresses the needs of Arizona communities,” Sinema said in a news release.

“Our state pays the price for the federal government’s failure to fix a broken immigration system,” Sinema said. “I’ll continue working to ensure the administration takes meaningful steps to support our border communities, secure the border, and treat all migrants and unaccompanied children fairly and humanely – and I look forward to talking with Chief Magnus soon about his nomination.”

“I’ve known Chief Magnus for a number of years, and as the son of two police officers myself, I have respected his approach to public service and law enforcement,” Sen. Mark Kelly said in a news release. 

“With about 370 miles of U.S.-Mexico border and numerous ports of entry, Arizona requires strong, capable leadership at Customs and Border Protection to secure the border and ensure trade and commerce that is critical for our economy,” Kelly said. “As Tucson’s Police Chief, Chief Magnus understands what it looks like when the federal government fails Arizona on border security and immigration, and that is the experience and perspective he can bring to this position.”

“We’re facing a humanitarian crisis at our border that is already straining Border Patrol in Arizona, and I look forward to speaking with Chief Magnus about his plans for Customs and Border Protection and providing a secure, orderly process at the border that prioritizes safety and public health,” Kelly said. 

 Contact Curt at 573-4224 or cprendergast@tucson.com

---

Curt Prendergast

Reporter

Curt has been with the Star since 2015 and covers the border, immigration and federal courts. He previously worked at the Nogales International.

Look what this group is doing around town.

BEFORE AND AFTER HABITAT TUCSON HELPS VETERANS

Since 2011, The Home Depot Foundation has invested more than $160 million to provide safe housing to veterans, and along with the help of Team Depot volunteers, has transformed more than 26,700 […]Read More

ALL MARIKAY WANTS IS A SAFE HOME

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RESIDENTS IN AMPHI WORK WITH HABITAT TO UPLIFT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD

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VOLUNTEERS HELP VETERAN AFTER STROKE

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CRITICAL HOME REPAIR FEELS LIKE A BLANKET OF HOPE

“The weight on our shoulder was, ‘How are we going to pay for this?” says Albert, “And then we thought—why not try Habitat?”Read More

SERVING THOSE WHO SERVED: JOHN JOHNSON

A veteran who served in the 82nd Airborne Corp, John Johnson was struggling with the repairs his aging home required. A friend called on John’s behalf and Habitat Tucson’s Home Repair Supervisor […]Read More

ELIZABETH SKIDMORE – LIVING WITH DIGNITY THANKS TO CRITICAL HOME REPAIR

Elizabeth had not had heating in her home for the last 11 years. She recalls her house getting as low at 32 degrees – literally freezing. Elizabeth would have to bundle up in her husbands’ old […]Read More

ADDRESSING THE GROWING CRISIS OF CRITICAL HOME REPAIR

Habitat’s Home Repair Specialist, Shianna Searcy, says, “The cost of living is increasing, but most people are on fixed incomes and cannot keep up with expenses. Some are barely […]Read More

GRATEFUL FOR HELP

Patricia is an 87-year-old Airforce Veteran living in Tucson. She told our volunteers how thankful she was for their help repairing her home.Read More

Write me at webby140@yahoo.com to get the latest on my most recently published books and articles.

…..https://endhomelessness.org/

Also, the homeless situation is completely out of control in LA. California based real estate companies are pushing their way into Arizona so they can repeat their nonsense all over again here.

Home / Blog / Affordable Housing / New Research Quantifies the Link Between Housing Affordability and Homelessness

New Research Quantifies the Link Between Housing Affordability and Homelessness

Written by Joy Moses December 13, 2018

Over the last couple decades, rents in America have been on the rise. Housing experts describe “severely cost-burdened households” — people who are spending far too much of their income on rent. Citizens rightly insist “the rent is too damn high.” Researchers and citizens alike suspect this status quo is hurting the nation’s efforts to end homelessness. A recent study, Priced Out: Rising Rent and Homelessness Across America, affirms the suspicions.

The study, commissioned by real estate company Zillow and conducted by a team that included Alliance Research Council Co-Chair Dennis Culhane, confirms a link between escalating housing prices and homelessness. This link is especially present in some of the nation’s largest cities. Affordable housing, therefore, is a critical solution to homelessness.

The Tipping Point

Priced Out reveals a tipping point among rising housing prices. When housing prices force typical households to spend more than 32 percent of their income on rent, those communities begin to experience rapid increases in homelessness. This finding puts a new perspective on a measure already in common use: Government agencies and researchers have long been guided by the notion that individuals and families shouldn’t be spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs. We can see that there are broad consequences of passing that threshold.

A Tale of Two Cities: Los Angeles and Houston

Delving into the realities of actual communities is the best way to understand the study. Comparing Los Angeles and Houston is helpful.

L.A.’s housing costs are well over the tipping point. Median-income residents spend more than 45 percent of their incomes on rent. In 2017, the city and county had the second largest number of people experiencing homelessness in the country and one of the highest homeless rates in California. L.A. is not alone. Other major cities have median rents well above the national norm. Only 15 percent of Americans live in such areas but those areas account for 47 percent of the homeless population.

Circumstances in Houston are quite different. Homelessness rates are lower than the researchers expected based on housing costs. Houston belongs to a group of communities in which the relationship between affordability and homelessness is weaker than in places like L.A.

Why? The Zillow team suggests that these communities possess specific assets and/or liabilities that cause them to defy expectations.

For example, in recent years, Houston overhauled its homeless services system. After being targeted for an intervention by HUD, the city made effective use of data and improved agency coordination. While speaking at a recent Zillow event, a representative from Houston’s coalition for the homeless stressed the importance of redirecting extensive resources from programs that weren’t producing permanent housing results to ones that are.

This tells us that an effective crisis response system is an essential tool for combating the affordable housing crisis.

Implications

Priced Out sends a strong message to any community concerned about homelessness: we must preserve and create affordable housing.

Key considerations for any community could include:

• Rewriting local ordinances to reduce barriers to creating housing and prioritize building affordable housing.
• Using city-owned land for affordable housing development.
• Exploring new housing models such as single room occupancy units, smaller housing, or accessory dwellings.

Homeless service providers can look to cities like Houston for model practices in responding to homelessness. Through prioritizing Housing First approaches and effective systems management, they too can create community assets that help disrupt the connection between housing affordability and homelessness.

Omega Z Advisors – Mike Lehr

People with a best friend at work are “seven times more likely than the typical worker to be engaged on the job.” Socializing is one of two keys to job enjoyment. Herman Miller, the office furniture company, found that “fostering better social interaction equals increased contentment.”

The down side is when these relationships are bad. That is when we refer to them as office politics. Office politics are relationships gone sour.

We can use socializing at work as a teambuilding tool.

What Does Socializing at Work Mean?

Socializing at work can mean taking breaks together, sharing work tips and venting. It can mean talking about vacations, families, fashions, sports plus many others. The face-to-face contact that comes with this is very important. Simple social actions correlate to happiness and success on the job. “Those who sat at larger [cafeteria] tables were 36% more productive during the week.”

Socializing at work means sharing. Share ideas, tips and experiences. Share problems and solutions.

Turning Socializing at Work into Teambuilding Tool

People like breaks in training and seminars. They can network. They can socialize. This adds to the event and to job enjoyment and productivity.

There are many other ways to promote socializing at work:

• Form small project teams of two or three.
• Create smaller groups within larger teams and committees.
• Increase the length or number of breaks in meetings.
• Avoid always putting the same people together.
• In three-person teams put one quite different from the other two.
• Sometimes assign seats to break up cliques.
• Have teams share training, product, service or other ideas before the group.
• Assign coming up with a meeting’s agenda or content.

General Concepts

The idea is to encourage:

• Discussion
• Engagement
• Diversity
• Dissent
• Achievement

Small, diverse teams do well. Once groups get beyond three, it becomes too easy for some to become disengaged.

The task or purpose for the small team does not need to be grand. Teambuilding occurs from the process of working to a goal.

It is best if there is no single, obvious answer. The more teams must work together, the stronger they become.