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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2017)
in other words december21 2017 Natural Path to Health: Season of Compassion By Dr. Carol McIntyre 21 Bridge Street Bits ONCE AGAIN, we want to remind everyone of the three local restaurants HI EVERYONE! participating in our senior lunch program. HOPE you all have gotten all of that For a reduced price you can get a great delicious chocolate out of your system meal at these locations: Mariolino’s, Black since the Spirit of Christmas Chocolate Iron Grill, and Subway. Order from their Walk here in town on December 9. I’m senior menus for the specials. Thank you always up for chocolate, how about you? Hope they do it again next year. I took two to all three of these restaurants for helping granddaughters on Rick Hobart’s carriage us out until our Senior Center is built! MEALS ON WHEELS drivers are always ride, that was their favorite. Plus I had a huge bowl of Lorna Poetter’s winning chili needed and very much appreciated. Please call coordinator Jack Agee at (503) at the chili cook-off; where ALL the chili looked devine. Hit up the bazaars, too. An 429-2005. enjoyable day with the girls. Good job to A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU FROM all you organizers. ALL OF US ON THE VERNONIA SENIOR By Karen Miller This is the season when we tend to reflect on the past year and all of its happenings. It is a time when the compas- sionate nature in people spreads to others unconditionally. Compassion is defined by the Webster dictionary as: “sym- pathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” As a physician, having compas- sion is a very important part of practice. Recently I have been attending continuing edu- cation forums as part of my yearly licensure renewal process. One of the lectures I have attended discussed therapeutic alliance and what that means. Much of it was dealing with compassion. By having compassion and increasing its application in daily life one can help with self-healing as well as the healing of others. This is an important concept because unless we heal ourselves it is more difficult to help others. Many of us go through difficult times in our lives. Some of us have post-traumatic stress (PTSD) from certain incidences. We build resilience, because without it, we feel we cannot survive. Maybe we don’t trust like we use to, or at all. Depression, anxiety, and even social phobia set in. Why do I bring this dismal subject up now you ask? For the same reason we reflect during this season of joy; to alleviate despair, guide ourselves and others to gather together, and find com- passion and support and inspire someone, or even your- self, to always stay optimistic. Being optimistic and having compassion actual- ly decreases your mortality rate! People who are positive rather than negative live longer. Compassion increases the levels of all kinds of neurotransmitters in our brains including dopamine, endogenous canna- binoids, and many others. Showing compassion makes you feel good - literally! Resilience can also be a positive attribute because it helps one to become more socially interactive as one seeks support. People who have greater social support have decreased incidence of depression, anxiety and PTSD. Think about others in our community this season and reach out. Even a smile can brighten someone’s day. Laughing with someone is even better! Enjoy community events and reach out if you are feeling that you need support. The elderly especially need companionship to combat lone- liness. It was conveyed to me just recently that my ability to just be present for my patients can sometimes have the greatest impact. The fact that my patients can contact me with concerns helps them to feel supported and that the compassion I give is sometimes the most therapeutic medicine I can offer. This is what it’s truly about. We can all do this every day. Helping others and support- ing their wellbeing is not just a seasonal job; it’s everyone’s job and when we work hard we feel better and when we feel better we do better and the circle of life shines brighter. Give someone a smile today. Remember those who are special to us and reach out to them whether they are close or far. It is so important to keep our connections to people. Staying con- nected helps us to become more compassionate, optimistic and resilient. I plan to stay more con- nected to my loved ones who are far away this coming year and I hope that in doing so I will grow even more; having more confidence, love and compassion to share. Please have a wonderful holiday and do your best to promote healing all year round. Thanks for joining me. Be Well~ ON Friday, December 9 the VERNONIA SENIOR BOARD met one final time for this year. Our Board members were re-elected and are as follows: Larry Bernardi, Janelle Cedergreen, Tobie Finzel, Ilene Grady, Sally Harrison, Jack Harvey, Carl Holsey, Wayne Marr, Karen Miller, Sykes Mitchell, Pat Ray, and Sandy Welch CENTER BOARD. Come join us for only $15 for the year. Be a part of the Exciting Days ahead! See ya’ around town… Vernonia Senior Center • 939 Bridge Street • (503) 429-3912 Grey Dawn Gallery 879 Bridge St. (503) 429-2787 O noohmn O `hmshmf Photography - Bronze Jewelry - Glasswork Pottery - Custom Framing www.greydawngallery.com 503-429-7101 Shl Onoohmn 19025 Vnncr Qn`c Udqmnmh`, NQ 97064 Featuring the finest in northwest art BBL#90548 Visit US today for all your financial needs! 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