Wed. February 8 - Global Action on Aging: Join fellow retirees to discuss being free from abuse! A light lunch will be served. Time: 11:00am. Location: 777 UN Plaza, 7th floor, Presbyterian Conference room. Southwest corner of 44th Street and 1st Avenue.
Fri. February 10 - Managing Stress: Creating New Options - Join Connie Gemson, LMSW, and find out new ways to create more serenity in your life. Discover how meditation can provide time for reflection and contemplation. Learn how the three R’s may help you. Time: 1:00pm—3:00pm.
Tue. February 14 - Valentine’s Day Mix & Mingle - Let’s get together to celebrate Valentine’s Day! Time: 1:30—3:00pm.
Wed. February 15 - Broadway Theatre Porgy and Bess: Limited Engagement! Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess now comes to Broadway in a stunning and stirring new staging, featuring such legendary songs as "Summertime", "It Ain’t Necessarily So", and "I Got Plenty of Nothing" plus a remarkable cast! Location: Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 West 46th Street. Time: 2:00pm. Approximate end time is 4:30pm. Price: $95 Orchestra limited seats!
Fri. February 17 - Restaurant Club—B. B. King Blues Club & Grill: in celebration of Black History Month, join fellow retirees for lunch at this famous establishment! Time: 1:00pm. Location 237 West 42nd Street (between 7th & 8th Avenue). Pre-fixed at $22. Must select entrée in ad-vance.
Wed. February 22 - Annuities: One way to secure your future financially is through annuities. Come to this informative workshop to find out everything you ever wanted to know about them from Certified Financial Planner Cary Carbonaro. 10am -12noon Reverse Mortgages: If you are 62 or older, own your home and are con-sidering selling because of rising expenses, you may be interested in learning about reverse mortgages. A reverse mortgage is a loan against your home with no monthly payments. Come obtain the facts. Time: 1:00pm—2:30pm.
Fri. February 24 - Ace in the Hole Productions at the Royal Manor in Garfield, New Jersey Presents…"A Change Is Gonna Come", an African American heritage celebration with a thrilling tribute to Sam Cooke! Starring Joe Coleman, vocalist with the Soul Men Band and Enga Davis, vocalist! Family style menu, 2 free drinks during happy hour (additional drinks $1 each) and free soda all day! Bus departs Union Head-quarters at 9:30am sharp! Approximate return time is 5:30pm. Price: $60.
Wed. February 29 - Frames Bowling Lanes: Join fellow retirees for a fun time bowling. No experience necessary! There is a new entrance located at the corner of 40th Street and 9th Avenue.
Dear retirees, friends and visitors,
Have you ‘gone green’ yet? You must have heard of it. Some of you may have seen the sign on your recycling bin or seen some public service announcements. Basically, going green means to live life, as an individual as well as a community, in a way that is friendly to the natural environmental and is sustainable for the earth. In practice, going green means adopting basic principles in your daily life that support these goals. Going Green is what they call it these days, but it really is nothing new. Consumption is so over the top these days that we now need some clever Madison Avenue marketing agents to create a campaign for a population that knows little of moderation and a lot about excess. In fact, other than the term Go Green, the philosophy is something that only in recent decades was not practiced . For most retirees, it is the belief systems that you have been following for years. A belief of caring for yourself, your family, your community and this earth. There was no challenge in doing this. It was a daily practice and a way of life for all.
As I review this list of the going green principals, I think about how hard for some to incorporate them to daily life. For me, it is rela-tively easy since I cant escape the voice in my head. Let’s take a look at some of the principals.
1. Conserve Energy - ‚TURN OUT THE LIGHTS!‛ - Yes, that is the sound of my father as soon as my big toe stepped over the threshold of a room. The same was true for the television or radio. If we were not there actively using it, we had to turn it off. How many of you still follow this rule to this day.
2. Conserve Resources – ‚TURN IT OFF!‛ You’re wasting the water‛! That would be the sound of my parents in unison as we brushed our teeth, took a shower, or washed the dishes. The same was true for the gas and electricity. Some of you may actually remember the time when the hot water might actually run out! If you grew up outside of NYC, the well might literally run dry. It was known that you should not waste water or any resource for that matter. The conveniences of our modern service filled life, make these situations a thing of the past.
3 ‚DON’T THROW THAT AWAY, YOU CAN USE THAT AGAIN‛. Paper towels, foil, plastic bags, boxes, and almost everything had multiple uses. We were creative and clever with these things. Things were traded and handed down several times before they actually landed in the garbage. We borrowed and lent to/ from friends and neighbors. We did not spend money and buy unnecessarily. We were careful and thrifty. This had the dual purpose of reducing waste as well as reinforcing the community bond. The understanding of having a world and resources that are here to be enjoyed by as many generations after us, as there were before us, was the way we all were used to thinking and living. I am grateful for our abundant modern lives and all that we have access to, but I am even more grateful that we are returning to a way that I think is a simpler and nicer way of being. Caring for community and environment, for genera-tions to come. It seems to me it is the only option there is.
Sincerely,
Suzanne E. Beatty, LMSW