Governor
Brown announced a “Framework for Opening Oregon” but there are still details to
work out with all the stakeholders, so any idea when we will get back to the
new normal is anyone’s guess and probably wrong. For some of you, this has been
a time to catchup and do things you haven’t thought about or had the time to
do; reread books you enjoyed ten years ago, watch Bringing up Baby with
Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant - again, or learn to bake a pizza napoletana
as they do in Naples, Italy where pizza was born.
Then
for many of you, you have been inside long enough and about ready to go bananas!
(Do people still use that expression – or am I showing my age?)
But they
say for every cloud there is a silver lining, and one benefit I have found is that
many events are being held virtually so I am able to attend when otherwise I
wouldn’t. An example was the Ageless Awards held in Portland last Thursday sponsored
by the non-profit Age+ that recognized individuals over 75 who have contributed
to their communities and are a role model for all of us. (You may recall that
with the help of Age+ the Center sponsored the Wasco County Ageless Awards last
year recognizing Lucille Petersen, Terry Stoddard, Bill Hamilton and Prudence
Amick.)
The
Ageless Awards was quite an inspiration: hearing the accomplishments and what
motivated the three recipients of the award. One of the recipients you may
recognize: Bev Clarno, who served in the Oregon House of Representatives (Speaker
of the House from 1995 – 1997) and in the Oregon Senate; and at the age of 83 was
appointed by Kate Brown in 2019 to serve as Secretary State. She described
herself as not the oldest but the most experienced person to ever have filled
that position.
During
her acceptance, she made two points that spoke to me. She said that at the age
of 83 she still wants to stay engaged because it makes her feel worthy. And she
believes adults over 75 can do more than they allow themselves to do. Good
advice. We may not reach the heights she has reached, but we can still do more
than we think we can, helping others and caring for ourselves.
Time for
another dose of humor. While researching next week’s column about talking to
yourself (well, that’s not exactly right, but you’ll find out), I read about Franklin
P. Jones, a Philadelphia reporter and humorist. He was known nationally during
the 1940s and 50s for his column "Put it this Way" in the Saturday
Evening Post (do you still remember the magazine?) which set a record as the
magazine’s longest continuously published feature.
Here
are a few of his many quips.
“Experience
is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make
it again.”
“A
fanatic is one who sticks to his guns whether they're loaded or not.”
“The
easiest way to solve a problem is to pick an easy one.”
“Nothing
makes you more tolerant of a neighbor's noisy party than being there.”
“Love
doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.”
The
influential singer thought by many as the King of Soul for his distinctive
vocals and importance within popular music was "You Send Me" Sam
Cooke. I received correct answers from Rhonda Spies, Carol Salusso, Kim Birge, Patty
Burnet, Dave Lutgens, Carol Earl (who I missed last week), Lana Tepfer and this
week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket: Julie Davis.
In
grade school I remember playing my favorite games during recess: four square,
dodge ball, and touch football. Diane Weston remembers playing another game during
recess. See if it’s one you remember. For this week’s “Remember When” question,
what was the name of the game where kids divided into two teams, one on each
side of a building and before throwing a ball over the building would yell out the
name of this game so the other side would know the ball was coming? Email your
answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it
with a picture of Diane’s one room schoolhouse in North Park, Colorado.
Well,
it’s been another week, enjoying meeting people while out walking. Until we
meet again, do something fun.
“America
was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an
unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” Harry S Truman
No comments:
Post a Comment