Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
B5
SENIOR LIVING
Keys for making good decisions
Senior
Living
Scott
McKay
W
E’RE FACED WITH
dozens of decisions
all day long. Most
of the choices we need to
make are no big deal: Which
hat should I wear? Do I eat
the whole pint of ice cream
or not? Should I visit the
bathroom before I leave for
the store? Do I sit someplace
else or move the cat? What
should I write about this
week?
But there are times when
there are major decisions
you need to make: Should
we sell the house and move
to a small rental? Should
I retire or find a part-time
job? Do I finally need in-
home care that I have been
refusing for so long? Should
I change my Medicare plan
during Open Enrollment in
October?
In his web post, “Keys to
Making a Good Decision”, Z.
Hereford offers a seven-step
process for making any
important decision.
1) Identify the decision to
be made as well as what you
want to achieve.
2) Do your homework.
Gather as many facts and as
much information you can
to assess your options.
3) Brainstorm and come
up with several possible
choices. Determine if the
options are compatible with
your values, interests and
abilities.
4) Weigh the probabili-
ties or possible outcomes.
In other words, what’s the
worst that can happen?
What will happen if I do A, B
or C, and can I live with the
consequences?
5) Make a list of the pros
and cons. Prioritize which
considerations are very
important to you and which
are less so.
6) Solicit opinions and
obtain feedback from those
you trust or someone who
has experienced a similar
situation.
7) Make the decision and
monitor your results. Make
sure you are achieving what
you want.
While working through
this decision-making
process, you may also want
to consider the following
points.
1) Don’t get caught up in
your emotions. I’ve found
this to be easier said than
done.
2) Avoid choosing some-
thing you’ve already invested
in when it’s not the best
option. Don’t keep throwing
“good money after bad” or
what psychologists call “the
sunk cost bias.”
3) Get a good night’s
sleep. We tend to make more
accurate decisions in the
morning.
4) Don’t get stuck and
do nothing for fear that you
don’t know enough (I found
I never know enough!). Or
the fear you will make the
wrong choice. As Yogi Berra
once said, “When you come
to a folk in the road, take it.”
5) Sometimes “good
enough” is the best decision.
Older adults generally worry
less about whether they
made the optimal decision,
which could be one reason
older adults are happier than
younger adults.
6) Don’t beat yourself
up if you make the wrong
decisions — let the chips fall
where they may. At the very
least, you will have learned
important lessons.
That’s a lot to digest. But
when you have to make a
significant decision, these
suggestions can help you
make the wisest and most
satisfying decision with the
information you have. Now,
let’s see. Which hat should
I wear?
•••
The singer and ukulele
player best remembered for
his hit “Tiptoe Through the
Tulips” and who married
Miss Vicki on The Tonight
Show was Tiny Tim. I re-
ceived correct answers from
Emmett Sampson, Michelle
Hines, Donnie Bergstrom,
Susan Ellis, Stephen
Woolpert, Joanne Keith,
Billie Maxwell, Lana Tepfer,
Norma Sampson, Richard
Shaw, Jay Waterbury, Gene
Uczen, Kim Birge, Keith
Blaster, Doug Nelson,
Rhonda Spies, Patty Burnet,
Barbara Young, and Eva
Bryant, this week’s winner of
a quilt raffle ticket. Last week
I missed Carolyn Burns.
I don’t remember re-
ceiving or giving this sign
of affection back in high
school, but they would often
inspire quite the chatter in
the hallways. For this week’s
“Remember When” ques-
tion, what was the name for
a bruise created by someone
sucking on your skin so hard
that it becomes discolored?
E-mail your answer to mcse-
niorcenter@gmail.com, call
541-296-4788 or send it with
a copy of the June 25, 2021,
Cleveland Clinic web post
about how to get rid of one
— in case you need to know!
•••
Well, it’s been another
week enjoying seeing the
stars in the sky before bed-
time. Until we meet again,
someone has to be the first
to say, “I’m sorry.”
•••
“Life isn’t about waiting
for the storm to pass. It’s
about dancing in the rain.”
— Vivian Greene
•••
Nutritious home-deliv-
ered meals and pick-ups are
available for anyone over
sixty. For more information,
you can call the meal site in
your area.
Hood River Valley Adult
Center at 541-386-2060 —
now open for in-person
dining;
Sherman County Senior
and Community Center at
541-565-3191 — now open
for in-person dining;
The Dalles Meals-on-
Wheels at 541-298-8333;
Klickitat County Senior
Services — Goldendale
at 509-773-3757 or White
Salmon at 509-493-3068;
Skamania County Senior
Services at 509-427-3990.
WHAT’S IN THE SKY OCTOBER 2021
October, the month of the Hunter’s Moon
What’s
in the
Sky
Jim
White
October, the month of the
Hunter’s Moon, Halloween,
the first full month of
Autumn, and great stellar
views when skies are clear.
The solar system giants
Jupiter and Saturn still grace
our southern skies, and are
joined in the southwest by
even brighter Venus. Step
outside and give the skies a
look!
Evenings are coming ear-
lier with the advance of the
seasons. The Sun sets at 6:45
p.m. on Oct. 1, and 5:52 p.m.
on Halloween. By the end
of October, we’ll have about
10 hours and 7 minutes of
daylight.
The solar system’s
brightest planets shine in
the southern sky this month,
well-placed for observing
after sunset. On Oct. 12,
the first-quarter Moon will
join them in a very nice
alignment (see the picture at
right). A few days earlier, on
the 9th, you will find the thin
crescent Moon just to the left
of Venus.
By the 14th, the waxing
gibbous Moon will be below
Saturn and Jupiter. Compare
the location and phase of the
Moon on different nights,
if skies are clear. It provides
a good example of how the
Moon’s position and phase
change in our sky, as it orbits
the Earth. October’s new
Moon will be on Oct. 6, and
the full “Hunter’s” Moon on
the 20th.
If you are an early riser
and have a good view to the
east, look for Mercury near
the eastern horizon, late in
the month. Mercury is quite
bright, but never strays very
far from the Sun, so you have
to look for it right before sun-
rise, or at other times of the
year, just after sunset.
With October, we continue
to bid adieu to the constel-
lations of summer, and greet
those of fall and winter.
Sagittarius, with the Milky
Way’s center in the back-
ground, is sinking into the
southwest during the month.
Cygnus, the swan, and Lyra,
with the bright star Vega, still
are high in the southwest.
In the east, constellations
Pegasus and Andromeda are
now well above the horizon.
A bright beacon in the north-
east is Capella, the brightest
star in the constellation
Auriga. By mid-month,
Auriga will be entirely above
the eastern horizon.
To Auriga’s right, look
for the bright star cluster
Pleiades, the seven sisters. In
the northern sky, you’ll find
that Ursa Major and the Big
Dipper are very low in the
north, directly below Ursa
Minor and the Little Dipper.
Make sure the kids have
flashlight for Halloween,
because the Moon will not
be in the evening sky to
help light the way. If skies
are clear, their “treat” can
be the bright planets in the
southern sky.
Enjoy October!
401-K Plans
Start Ups- Rollovers-
Consulting-Education
Sept. is 401-K month.
Gary Akiyama, CPIA
Understanding the First Amendment is key to
protecting our free society.
Columbia Gorge News
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