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The INDEPENDENT, June 16, 2011
Learn to be true to yourself and gain happiness Cataracts will be
by Robert Evans Wilson,
Jr.(www.jumpstartyourmeet-
ing.com)
One afternoon, back in
eighth grade, I was hanging out
with my pal Charlie, when I no-
ticed copies of Sports Illustrat-
ed and Car & Driver magazines
on his desk.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were
into cars and sports,” I said.
“I’m not,” he replied.
“But these magazines are
addressed to you.”
“I read them, because that’s
what the guys at school are
talking about, and I want to join
in. I want them to like me.”
“Why don’t you talk about
what you like?”
Charlie just shrugged.
I couldn’t believe Charlie
would waste his time doing
something he didn’t like or care
about, but a year later I was
guilty of the same thing – only
worse.
I was looking wistfully at pic-
tures of cute girls in my high-
school yearbook when I said to
my friend Tony, “I sure wish I
knew how to talk to girls.”
Tony replied, “The girls al-
ways talk to guys on the foot-
ball team, you should go out for
football.”
It was all the motivation I
needed. So, without ever hav-
ing played the game before,
without even knowing the rules,
I joined the football team. I im-
mediately found that I hated it. I
had to run, in full pads, two or
more miles every day in the hot
sun. I had to lift weights, do sit
ups and push ups, but the
roughest part was tackling. I
was six feet, two inches tall and
weighed 150 pounds; I was a
skinny bag of bones with no
cushion and getting my body
slammed to the ground really
hurt. And, I was getting bruised
for nothing; the girls still weren’t
talking to me.
I wanted to quit, but that
would’ve meant losing face, so
I stuck it out. Then one day, be-
cause of my height, I was
asked to scrimmage on the de-
fensive line with the Varsity
team.
“Ten, twenty-two, seventeen,
hut!” The quarterback yelled. I
burst through the line and
lunged forward to tackle him. I
was inches from grabbing him,
when suddenly I was hit so
hard it lifted me in the air. I
crashed to the ground face first,
and when I tried to stand, I felt
an explosion of pain that made
me black out. Seconds later, I
came to, but my leg would not
move. When I looked down, it
was bent in the wrong place,
and I could see the bone push-
ing against my skin.
My decision to pursue a
sport, not for the joy of it, but in-
stead to impress someone that
I did not even know, put me in
the hospital for two weeks. I
had two surgeries, screws put
into my bone, and a cast on my
leg for six months. Adding insult
to injury, walking on crutches
didn’t get the girls’ attention ei-
ther! It was a Lose/Lose situa-
dical Marijuana
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You would think that I might
have learned a lesson from that
experience, but for years after-
ward, I repeated it again and
again. I would pursue jobs, re-
lationships, even leisure activi-
ties for the wrong reasons. In
short, I was not true to myself.
Sometimes when others are
persuading us, we find our-
selves doing things that make
us feel uncomfortable. We ig-
nore those feelings because
we want to be accepted. Peer
pressure doesn’t end at age 18,
it continues until we learn to lis-
ten to our feelings.
Grow a nutrient rich garden
A garden can be large,
small, or simply in containers.
There are some vegetable and
fruit varieties which are best for
containers. When planning and
planting your garden, plant
seed that will produce vegeta-
bles rich in nutrients. Since gar-
den seed packets aren’t la-
beled with nutrient labeling,
here is a listing of different nu-
trients, followed by the veg-
etable which produces that nu-
trient.
• Vitamins A and C: Spinach
and broccoli along with many
greens like turnip, kale, col-
lards and mustard.
• Vitamin A: Carrots, sweet
potatoes and winter squash.
• Vitamin C: Tomatoes, pep-
pers, cabbage, cauliflower and
kohlrabi.
• Fiber: Fresh vegetables
and fruits are excellent sources
of fiber. And while some veg-
etables don’t measure up on
the nutrients, they do when it
comes to fiber. This is where
our green beans, peas, pota-
Fast Service
503-805-2663
O.M.M.P. card required
Visit us online at www.goweed.org
When we are motivated by
something that makes us feel
anxious, nervous or ill at ease,
we need to pay attention to that
feeling, and find its root. When
we do, we will most likely find
that we are uncomfortable be-
cause we are living a lie. I have
learned that pursuing interests
that bring me joy, also give me
confidence. My confidence
then attracts people who want
to be with me for who I am; and
situations that generate greater
satisfaction. I have finally found
the formula for a Win/Win situa-
tion!
503-901-1705
toes, corn, and leaf lettuce
come into play.
In addition to planting for nu-
trients, plant for the “end” use.
If you intend to freeze the extra
produce, select varieties that
have good freezing qualities.
The same goes for canning
and pickling.
Source: Karma Metzgar, C.F.C.S.
Nutrition Specialist, University Out-
reach and Extension
Columbia County
Mental Health
800-294-5211
-----------------
Suicide Hotline
1-800-
784-2433
or
1-800-273-
TALK(8255)
topic of free talk
Cataracts, a free 90-minute
presentation by Dr. Garrett
Scott, an opthalmologist, will
be held on Thursday, June 23,
at 11:30 a.m. at the Tuality
Health Education Center, 334
SE 8th Ave., Hillsboro.
A cataract diagnosis used to
mean a significant decrease in
quality of life for the elderly. Not
anymore. Cataract correction
surgery, which removes the
cloudy lens and replaces it with
a synthetic clear lens, is gener-
ally viewed as a safe, effective
procedure to resolve problems
with driving at night, reading or
other routine tasks.
This is a free presentation.
Those planning to attend are
asked to call 503-681-1700 to
reserve a spot.
Domestic Abuse
Hotline
503-397-6161
or
866-397-6161
-----------------
Military Helpline
888-HLP-4-VET
(888-457-4838)