Hilltowns Senior News for Thursday, March 23, 2017
I remember, when I was quite small, sitting at the old mahogany-veneered dining room table for dinner. The menu that night was shrimp.
“I don’t like it,” I said.
It was very clear to me; the shrimp was there in front of me and I didn’t like it.
My mother said to me, “But you love shrimp!”
Her remark made no sense at all. I knew what I liked, and it was not this shrimp.
“I don’t like it,” I repeated.
“But the last time we had shrimp you couldn’t get enough!”
I vaguely remembered that other time, and yes, I had liked the shrimp then, but this was now. What did then have to do with now? There was obviously some sort of erroneous assumption that these two separate events were connected; that having loved something, or done something at some past time made them assume that once done, it became permanent.
What a ridiculous idea! Now was where I was, not then, and now I didn’t like those shrimp.
I felt a bit angry, and a little bit guilty; obviously I had disappointed her somehow, or failed to meet her expectations. But the liking or not liking of shrimp was only one example; my approach to life and time was oriented almost exclusively in the now. The past had no connection to the present; history was irrelevant.
This worldview has become muddled over the intervening years. What keeps us safe is usually our belief that, if something happened in the past, it will happen again.
Our beloved “scientific method” is based on it. We develop elaborate explanations for the times when this belief is challenged. We talk of “miracles” and “exceptions to the rule,” but there is always a rule, never randomness.
This perception seems to develop as we age; we make safer choices, which hopefully allow us to live longer, and we assume that longer is better.
Is longer presumed to be better because we have developed an awareness of our own mortality? It seems that at some age, we begin to connect our actions to the possible cessation of life, and fear kicks in. At what age do we begin to believe that death could happen to me, and to fear that outcome?
My mother saw a continuum, a chain of cause-and-effect. I didn’t. It seems that it is only as we get older that we impose those connections.
How about you? Does the future scare you, or present itself as an adventure waiting to begin? Fear, or excitement?
I work at holding onto my faith in possibilities, but it’s a tough line to walk. I have no desire to be dead in the near (or distant) future, but I can choose to be, or feel, anything I want to right now. This time has never happened before; its potential is infinite. Time is infinite, and all time is now. I think I’d like some shrimp.
Coming up
Speaking of hope, March is Spiritual Wellness Month, National Nutrition Month, and Sing With Your Child Month. The upcoming week is Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Week and American Crossword Puzzles Week. March 26th is Make Up Your Own Holiday Day, Purple Day, and Spinach Day. Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day is the 27th, and Barnum & Bailey Day is the 28th. National Mom & Pop Business Owner's Day is the 29th. March 30th is Grass Is Always Browner On The Other Side Of The Fence Day, I Am In Control Day, and World Bi-polar Day. We end the month with Bunsen Burner Day and Cesar Chavez Day on the 31st.
The Westerlo Reformed Church’s next lunches will be Thursday, March 30, and Thursday, April 13. Lunch is at noon, and there is no fixed cost; only your free-will offering. The meal is followed by an hour of Bingo. The Reformed Church is at 566 Route 143 in downtown Westerlo; call Pastor Chris Allen at 797-3742 for more info. They also have a food pantry on site; donate or take what you need.
The first and third Thursdays lunches are put on by the South Westerlo Congregational Christian Church at 282 County Route 405. First Thursday is most likely pizza; third Thursday is a hot dinner. Call Pastor Will Balta for information at 966-5094.
Need some legal advice? Appointments with attorneys from the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York can be scheduled at the Knox town hall by calling Pat Lightbody at 872-9400.
Cooperative Extension has free water test kits available. No outside labs or special fussing; you can do the test at home. The main number at Co-op is 765-3500.
The Hilltown Seniors are sponsoring a trip to the Culinary Institute of America and the Vanderbilt Mansion on April 5. Cost is $50 for members, and $70 for non-members. The trip includes a lunch of antipasto, Italian Roasted Chicken (Petto di Pollo Alla Salvia), Glazed Carrots, Chocolate Lava Cake (Tortino di Cioccolato), and coffee or tea at the renowned Caterina de' Medici restaurant. Shirley Slingerland is taking reservations at 797-3467.
Menu
The Helderberg menu for next week is:
— Monday, March 27, chicken with peach sauce, broccoli, brown rice, wheat bread, tapioca pudding, and milk;
— Tuesday, March 28, chili con carne with tomatoes and beans, spinach, corn bread, apple crisp, and milk; and
— Friday, March 31, grilled Muenster cheese sandwich on wheat bread, tomato soup, coleslaw, apple juice, brownie and milk.
Doors open at 11 a.m., and lunch is served promptly at noon. We also have transportation to and from lunch. Just tell Linda Hodges when you call with your reservation.
Does your Highland Heritage group, heirloom seed-collecting consortium, or Hot Wheels collectors club need an easy place to meet? Why not meet at the Senior Center? Come have lunch, and then get together with your friends. There’s plenty of space, and the center is open for all of us. We already have games, dominoes, and cards after lunch on Mondays and Tuesdays, so join us.
Please call Linda Hodges 24 hours in advance to 872-0940 to reserve lunch, or email her at: , or sign up when you come in. Tell us how many are coming, your name, and your telephone number. If you’d just like to come and help out, call Linda or send an email to , and put “volunteer” in the subject line. Lunches are provided by Helderberg Senior Services, the Albany County Department of Aging, and Senior Services of Albany. The town of Berne Community and Senior Services Center is located at 1360 Helderberg Trail (Route 443) in Berne.