Hilltowns Senior News for Saturday, August 27, 2016
Several decades ago, some friends of mine started a business called the Acme Worry Service. The idea was that you could hire them to do all your worrying.
Membership entitled you to a nifty membership card (genuine plastic!) And an unlimited number of worries that you could turn over to their highly-trained staff.
Concerned about the mortgage? Your love life? An upcoming interview? Give it to Acme, and they would worry about it for you. Finito!
You could then go on with your life, secure in the knowledge that all your worries were getting the attention they deserved. It gave you permission to go ahead and live your life unburdened by all those things that kept you from focusing, or doing a good job with all the tasks at hand.
I love it! Because, as we all know, worrying doesn’t change a thing; it only makes us nervous and miserable. What will happen, will happen, regardless of our misery or the amount of time we waste thinking about it.
Of course, there are things we can influence and control, but they are comparatively few, and generally involve some definitive action on our part. Worry is not action; it’s putting the car in neutral, stepping on the brake, and racing the engine.
So why do we spend so much time in that giant hamster wheel? Somewhere along the line we have come to believe that worrying is the responsible thing to do. If someone is not worried about the state of the world, we conclude that they are irresponsible, immature, or selfish.
It’s as though we assume that worry is the necessary precursor to action, and that somehow, if we can’t or don’t act, worrying is an acceptable substitute. Did you ever bring homework on the weekend, do nothing with it, and then say, “Yeah, but at least I thought about it?”
Perhaps it goes back to those ancient arguments over whether thoughts are the same as actions. You know; if you think about punching your neighbor in the nose, you are just as guilty as if you had done it.
I personally do not subscribe to that philosophy; I find that thinking about something is often a good way to bleed off a lot of the anger and frustration that might otherwise have turned into unfortunate action.
I once bought a book titled “Spite, Malice, and Revenge.” It’s an awful book; it consists of pages and pages of nasty, underhanded, and possibly criminal things you can do to someone who has somehow displeased you. I never actually read it, but it makes me feel better that, if I really wanted to cause upset and trouble, I could. Believing that I could is enough, so I never have to go any further.
Another way of looking at it was posted on the wall of a retreat center I visited. It said, “If you have so many problems that you can’t sleep, give them to God. He’s going to be up all night anyways.”
Coming events
Regardless, there are no worries about what to do for the senior community; there are trips to take, holidays to celebrate, and lunches to eat for all of us.
August is Happiness Happens Month, Boomers Making A Difference Month, and National Panini Month. This week is Be Kind To Humankind Week, and the 28th is Pony Express Day, Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day (I have no clue), and Go Topless Day. The 30th is International Cabernet Sauvignon Day, International Whale Shark Day, and National Toasted Marshmallow Day.
September is Library Card Sign-up Month, AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Month, and All American Breakfast Month. Aug. 1 is Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day and Random Acts of Kindness Day. Aug. 2 is V-J Day, Cow Chip Throwing Day, and National Lazy Mom's Day.
The Hilltown Seniors have a bus trip to the 9/11 memorial in New York City on Wednesday, Sept. 14. The cost is $65, and no refunds. Call Linda Carman at 872-2448 to sign up.
Hilltown Seniors will be joining a planned L&S Journeys trip to Amish country on Oct. 5 and 6. Trip includes an overnight stay, Amish dinner, visits to Amish sites, and a buffet lunch at a popular restaurant, gift shop, and farmers’ market. Costs vary depending on motel needs (single, double, etc.), and range from $220 for a member triple room to $305 for a non-member double. Call Shirley Slingerland at 707-3467 for info and reservations.
Shirley is also taking reservations for an Octoberfest visit to the Log Cabin in Holyoke, MA, on Oct. 18. Cost is $55 for members, and $65 for others.
Menu
Lunch at the Senior Center for next week will be:
— Monday, Aug. 29, chicken Parmesan, spaghetti, Romaine salad, wheat bread, citrus ambrosia with whipped cream, and milk;
— Tuesday, Aug. 30, chicken Parmesan, spaghetti, Romaine salad, wheat bread, citrus ambrosia with whipped cream, and milk; and
— Friday, Sept. 2, baked ziti with cheese, Italian vegetable blend, wheat roll, applesauce, and milk.
Doors open at 11 a.m., and lunch is served promptly at noon. Remember, no lunch on Labor Day, Sept. 5. We also have games, dominoes, and cards after lunch most days.
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, give Mary Moller a call at 861-6253, or email her at , 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 (State Route 443) in Berne.