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
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