Aging Well in the Gorge December 5th 2018

I have been fighting a cold this last week and on Friday I started feeling better. Was it because I was drinking plenty of fluids? Getting extra sleep? Or the cold medicine was finally kicking in? Maybe. But I realized what seemed to make the most difference was the sun was shining!

Do you often feel more motivated, energized and in a better mood when the sun has broken through the clouds? And does it sometimes get you down when during the winter months of inversion and overcast skies, the sun becomes that friend who runs off spending the winter in Arizona.  

Feeling a little down during the winter months is not unusual. But for a few people it may be more than just the winter blues. They may be experiencing Seasonal Adjusted Disorder or SAD. Symptoms of SAD include a depressed mood, feelings of hopelessness, a lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep and appetite, a loss of pleasure in activities you once loved, and even thoughts of death or suicide. If you experience these types of feelings causing disruptions in your life, you should reach out to your primary care provider or a mental health professional because treatments are available.

But for rest of us there are things we can do to lift our spirits. Suggestions include getting outside more often, trying to get more sunshine (although you may have to drive to Dufur on Mt Hood), getting plenty of sleep, practicing relaxation exercises and keeping up your physical exercise.

During the winter it is easy to get stuck inside - adding pounds and moving slower. But the Center offers several movement classes, so you don’t lose “your get up and go” over the winter months. Classes range from Tai Chi to Zumba Gold with Chair Yoga, Strength Yoga and Strong Women in between.

Planning a healthier lifestyle during the winter months is always a good idea - staying active and engaged even when you might just want to stay under the covers in a nice warm bed all day.

The bazaars keep cascading through the holiday season and one of my favorites is Habitat for Humanity’s Annual Christmas Bazaar on Saturday, December 8th from 10 – 2 PM at the UCC Church. Besides a variety of local vendors and baked goods, you won’t want to miss their always popular Soup and Pie Luncheon for $6.00. And this year they have added the “Festival of the Wreaths” – wreaths made by the local banks and credit unions. You can vote for your favorite wreath and maybe take one home.

Quick reminder. Nehemiah Brown will be performing his Christmas Concert at the Center on Tuesday, December 11^th 11:30 – 1:30 sponsored by The Dalles Health and Rehabilitation

The Center’s annual Christmas Breakfast will be December 15th sponsored by the Center’s friends Dean Dollarhide and Dennis Morgan. The menu will include “All-You-Can-Eat” Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Sausage plus fruit and your favorite beverage. The cost is still only $6.00 for the general public and $3.00 for children 12 and under.

The four Disney animated films that were among the top ten grossing films of the 1950’s, listed in order of gross earnings, were Lady and the Tramp (1955), Peter Pan (1953), Cinderella (1950) and Sleeping Beauty (1959). (I received correct answers from Cheri Brent, Jeanne Pesicka and this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket Ruth Radcliffe. And from the week before the only answer I could find was also from Cheri Brent who answered correctly Ray Price.)

We’ll stick with movies for a couple more weeks. If I asked my kids who the most popular movies stars are today, I’m sure I wouldn’t recognize half of their names. But they probably wouldn’t recognize Julie Christie who starred in several box office hits in the 60’s. For this week’s “Remember When” question what 1965 epic romantic drama did she star in that was directed by David Lean; set in Russia between the years prior to World War I and the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922: and was based on the 1957 Boris Pasternak novel of the same name? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send your answer or the back of the score for “Lara’s Theme”.

Well, it’s been another week trying to pay attention to where I am in life. Until we meet again, you know you are getting older when your memories are found in museums.

“I still have a full deck; I just shuffle slower now.” ~Author Unknown