Among Friends

I have been on the board of the Friends of the Roxbury Township Public Library for a number of years. Like many non-profits we are struggling in todays economic climate to maintain let alone increase donations. As a result non-profits are looking for new ways to connect with their membership. A monthly Among Friends e-newsletter is one of those ways the Friends are using. The e-newsletter will quickly catch you up with what's going on with the Friends. This month's message is about our upcoming May events. Please check out this issue of Among Friends. If you like what you see subscribe to future issues by clicking on the Join Mailing List link in the e-newsletter. 

Changing Shoes

Today is the official release of Tina Sloan’s new book “Changing Shoes”. Lucky for me my copy arrived yesterday. Curled up in bed I began reading Tina’s journey of growing older in the spotlight of celebrity.  I barely started chapter 2 and already I’ve been inspired to get out of bed and moisturize my face. Ok, I know that sounds nuts. I have been really lax lately in my personal grooming. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve had a crappy stressful year – but that’s not a good enough excuse to wallow in self pity, ignoring my personal appearance and living inside myself. It’s time that I pull myself out of my funk and re-engage life. My short term goal is to look glamorous for Tina’s one woman show on Monday. Alright, that might be a tall stretch since I’ve probably only been glamorous about twice in my life. I’m going to have to work up to that and 4 days just isn’t going to be enough time – instead my aim for Monday will be to look pretty.

Now for the To Do List:

            Hair – color & deep condition

            Manicure – I’ve got zero talent for doing my own nails, so off to the salon I go.

            Skin – Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! It really stinks to have gone through 40 years with one kind of skin & hair and suddenly have completely different textures. What do I know of dry skin & hair? I’ve always had to worry about too much oil, detangling rinses and adult acne. Now I’m trying to figure out face creams and what to do about straw hair. Oh, and I still have adult acne. Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?

Clothes – What fits and what looks good rarely are the same thing for me lately. I see myself burrowing into my closet in a quest to find something appropriate. I also see a large pile of clothes that will be donated to charity come Monday morning.

            Shoes – The easy part is there won’t be any heals, sorry Tina. I’d like to enjoy the evening, not worry about my ankle collapsing.  I did get a cute pair of silver sandals; maybe I can make an outfit around them.

            Inspiration – Finish Tina’s “Changing Shoes”

I’d love to lose a 5 to 10 pound before the party, but since that’s not realistic; everyone will just have to take me as I am.

We're having a heatwave

Martha & the Vandellas had it right we’re having a heat wave.  This summer has been unbelievably hot & humid in the NYC area. The sun setting at the end of the day which usually brings cooler temps has had minimal impact on the stifling heat. Thunderstorms that usually bring relief to the heavy humidity have no effect. A friend & I went to a jazz concert last night in a church - no a/c. We thought we’d get a little exercise so we walked from her house. I think I sweated off 10lbs. If I wanted this kind of sweltering summer heat, I’d live in the south. I’m headed to the pool to cool off. Since it’s still Ice cream month, I’ll top it off with some of the cold stuff. 

The Wildwater Walking Club

I love to listen to books while driving in the car and running errands. The current book playing on my MP-3 is The Wildwater Walking Club by Claire Cook. So far, this is a fabulous read.

I’ve got a lot in common with the lead character, Noreen Kelly. I’m single, live by myself, out of a job I had for a number of years, and trying to discover what to do next. After wallowing in the depression of job loss she wakes up to find she’s packed on the pounds. To combat the weight gain, she straps on her pedometer and heads outside for a walk. This galvanized to pick up a pedometer of my own. After leaving the store I strapped on the pedometer to start counting my steps.

Guidelines suggest we should be aiming to walk 10,000 steps every day for weight management. A sedentary person (me), tend to average 1000-3000 steps a day. That’s a long way from 10,000 steps. So I grabbed friend and went walking around Horseshoe Lake. Not only was it energizing exercise, it was enjoyable to spend time catching up with a friend. Best yet, it has inspired me to do it again.

Steps on Day 1 8604

Health-e-Motion

Yesterday was the Grand Opening Celebration for Health-e-Motion.  There was the typical meet & greet, food, drink and tour. Unique to Health-e-Motion were the Nia classes you could jump into for a song, intuitive readings in a private room or the Drumming Ceremony which was the finale for the day. Now I have never seen a Drumming Ceremony much less participated in one, but that didn’t stop me from picking up a drum and banging along. What a hoot. Everyone started out trying to follow the rhythm but as the ceremony progressed, we all just did our own thing. Some people were drumming or using other percussion instruments, some danced and some enjoyed the performance. Usually I’m in the latter group. Just spending a few minutes in this new space and I was already enjoying being out of my comfort zone.

Health-e-motion is the brainchild of Christine Clifton. She describes herself as a Personal Growth Trainer and has worked as a life coach and Nia instructor. Christine wants to bring healthy living modalities under one roof. Whether you are searching for spiritual, intellectual, emotional or physical enlightenment Health-e-motion is the place to be.

I first met Christine a few months back at a Rock Your Chakras class she was leading. It was fantastic! It was a mix of movement, meditation and soul searching. Just weeks before my mom’s death, I came into the class hopeless and dark and left feeling hopeful and light. It was an awesome internal transformation. Excitingly, this is one of the classes being offered during the free Monday evening classes in March. I can’t wait to take it again. To me the real excitement about Health-e-Motion is the opportunity to try new things in a safe environment. There’s this Dance Your Chakras (March 31) billed as all about chakras and balancing these energy centers through dance meditation. Sounds like something not to miss to me. 

National Man Day

February 7^th is National Man day, how appropriate that today is also the Superbowl .  Superbowl Sunday, a day to scream at a big screen TV with your buds while drinking Bud and chowing down on chips, dip and wings. I’ll be spending National Man day at Bud’s (and Joanne’s) splitting my time between catching up with the “girls” in the kitchen and the man cave for the big game.  Happy Man day guys may your favorite team win.

Memo from God

I received this the other day from a friend. It lifted me up, so I thought I’d share it with everyone.

To:              YOU

Date:           TODAY

From:          GOD

Subject:       YOURSELF

Reference:    LIFE

This is God.  Today I will be handling ALL of your problems for you.  I do NOT need your help.  So, have a nice day.

I love you.

P.S.  And, remember...

If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do NOT attempt to resolve it yourself!  Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME.  All situations will be resolved, but in MY time, not yours.

Thank God, I can just sit back and enjoy the day.

Books for Babies

The Friends of the Roxbury Library invite you to participate in the Books for Babies program. Books for Babies introduce parents of newborns with the important role they play in their child’s literacy development. Parents can start their babies on the path to success in reading and learning by regularly reading to newborns.   Studies show that babies who enjoy early and frequent experiences with books start kindergarten well ahead of those who have lacked such experiences. The packet features baby’s first board book, and library card.  There are a number of brochures giving parents ideas to encourage their children to become readers including: “Babies Love Books” a guide for grown-ups, “Read to Me” with tips on reading to children and “Raising a Reader, Raising a Writer” – a booklet from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  Drop in Tuesday, December 1^st at 10:30 for the next Books for Babies program and pickup your packet.

Libraries & Literacy - V

Vital information for a healthy and productive life = life skills literacy

The library is a family resource center providing health and consumer information, personal growth & development resources for all stages of life. The lobby walls are packed with brochures on a wide range of topics from the Girls Scouts to Morris County Mental Health.

Sponsored by The Friends of the Library sponsor the Books for Babies program introduce parents of newborns with the important role they play in their child’s literacy development. Parents can start their babies on the path to success in reading and learning by regularly reading to newborns.  Studies show that babies who enjoy early and frequent experiences with books start kindergarten well ahead of those who have lacked such experiences. Stop by the circulation desk for your packet.

Programs like the upcoming Money Saving Tips from a Coupon Queen on Tuesday, December 1 at 7PM helps consumers cut costs in this uncertain economic climate.