If I asked the question, “What kind of artist are you?” you might answer, “Art is just for the gifted and professionally trained, and I’m neither.” Or “Art is a waste of time; I have more important things to do.” Or you might just try to evade the question by shouting out, “How about those Seahawks in the Super Bowl!”
The Korean author Young-ha Kim, in his TED talk “Be an Artist. Right Now!”, believes there is an artist in all of us—waiting for opportunities to emerge from the shadows of neglect. And we would all be better off and happier if we listened to our inner artist.
Remember when we were young children. We would unabashedly show off our pictures even though the colorful scribbles on scraps of paper told a story only we could understand. As children, we just created because it was fun. But as we grew older, we were told to make something “good” and “artistic.” Our creations were compared and evaluated, and most of us (I can at least speak for myself) couldn’t meet those “adult world” standards. We learned to fear the judgment of our parents, teachers, and friends.
But Young-ha Kim believes we need to reconnect with our inner artist that has been too quiet for too long. And ignore the fear of judgment while getting lost in the play of creating, even if the results aren’t considered “good” and may be just temporary. For example, you could take pictures of your neighborhood on your daily walk, decorate a sidewalk with colored chalk, carve a wooden salt and pepper set, combine drawing, painting, and writing in a daily journal, create your own personal poetry, or write a song and sing it in the shower!
Once more experience the joy in the moment and the pleasure in the creation. As Kurt Vonnegut said, “To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.”
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After last week’s column on brushing your teeth correctly, a reader wrote that as an effective alternative to dental floss, he uses a water flosser and recommends it to all his friends. A water flosser, also called an oral irrigator, harnesses the power of a pulsating water stream to clean the spaces between your teeth and along the gumline, particularly if you have crowns, bridges, or implants. It’s like a mini power washer, efficiently blasting away plaque, food particles, and other debris that traditional brushing might miss. A good water flosser can cost between $30 and $100, and can be tricky to learn, but they are worth considering.
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BrainTease: Here is a riddle you should be able to solve — once you correctly identify the first word.
The first word is “How one might move if their house were on fire.”
Change one letter, and “I come after all the others transpire.”
Again, change one letter, and “I’m often used by a grocery buyer.”
Again, change one letter, and “You might find me in your clothes dryer.”
Now, for the last word, change one letter, and “I might take you to a digital page.”
What are the five words? Hint: Each word is four letters.
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This series of 72 books, published between 1904 and 1979, featuring the adventures of two sets of fraternal twins: Bert and Nan, and Flossie and Freddie, was the Bobbsey Twins. I received correct answers from Bruce Johnson, Doug Nelson, Donna Mollet, Rhonda Spies, Tina Castanares, Kathy Bullack, Eva Summers, Judy Kiser, Patti Munk and Kym Zanmiller, who is this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket.
And last week, while watching Paul Harvey’s “So God Made a Farmer” commercial that aired during the 2013 Super Bowl, I only missed Rebecca Abrams.
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In 1960, my family watched the first televised Winter Olympics at Olympic Valley, California: the downhill ski races, ski jumping, and, of course, my mom’s favorite, figure skating.
For this week’s “Remember When” question, eight years later, during the 1968 Winter Olympics, what 19-year-old American figure skater was the undisputed star for the United States, winning the only gold medal for the team in the entire competition? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-980-4645, or send it with a picture of her with Dorothy Hamill, a 1976 Winter Olympics champion in figure skating.
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Well, it’s been another week, looking in all the dark corners for the bright side. Until we meet again, when you take care of others, make sure you take care of yourself.
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“If you are losing a tug of war with a tiger, give him the rope before he gets to your arm. You can always buy a new rope.”
— The Luck Factor
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Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through Friday unless otherwise noted.
Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) — Wednesdays with music on second and fourth Wednesdays; Mt. Hood Town Hall (541-308-5997) — Tuesdays; Hood River Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center (541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333).
For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services: Goldendale office (509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068), and in Skamania County call Senior Services (509-427-3990).
Answer:
The words “fast”, “last”, “list”, “lint”, and “link” respectively.
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