This article describes a philosophy for the activity program that helps each resident reach out, using his special strengths and skills, to become a viable part of something bigger than himself, thus enhancing himself and the larger situation of which he is a part. It is the author's belief that the main job of the activity director is to mesh and mix the colors and patterns of many lives into a new creation vivid with color, durable, and capable of continuing to serve a useful purpose. To understand the challenge, accept the challenge, and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to implement the challenge, is the central task of the activity director in the 1980s.