March/April 2016

Like many life skills, optimism doesn’t come as easily as it did when we were 20. Optimism is an exercise we can practice. We can attain it — and maintain it — if we put in the effort and keep our sights on a better future.

Optimism is a positive, empowered frame of mind while contemplating times to come (“Let’s do this!”) Pessimism is a negative, helpless outlook (“It’ll never work. Don’t even try.”) Optimism and youth often go hand-in-hand, because that’s when time, energy and ambition are on our side. Over time, disappointments and setbacks come, relationships and health fail, loved ones die. Suddenly, our options seem limited. Our hopes fade.

But hope and optimism can be renewed. Springtime is the ideal season to shake off stagnant wintry thinking and regain a fresh perspective. Restoration, refreshment and rejuvenation can be cultivated if you plant the seeds of optimism.

MOVE FORWARD

Dr. Ronald J. Morrison is in the practice of pushing back against despair. As senior pastor of Hope Alliance Bible Church in Maple Heights, he serves an inner-city community where poverty, poor education, unemployment, homelessness and violence prevail.

From the pulpit and also as executive director of community development corporation Alliance for Family Hope, Inc. (AFH), he instills hope in people. The goal is to transform the communities in Southeast Cleveland, reversing the pattern of deterioration and instability. With educate, encourage and enrich as its guiding principles, the AFH provides educational, enrichment, mentoring and vocational programs for disadvantaged and at-risk youth “to become productive citizens, well educated, deeply encouraged, and enriched beyond their wildest imaginations.”

Morrison says that optimistic people like himself keep an eye on the future, which helps them get through the difficulties of the present. Their optimism is founded on a belief that the best days are yet to come.

If somnolence (also known as sleepiness) is what eludes you, then it’s time to start taking the problem more seriously.

Sleep issues often can be underdiagnosed because people think it’s just part of getting older, and they don’t raise their concerns with a doctor. That’s the word from a local sleep expert who’s made a career out of helping people fall — and stay asleep.

THE AGE FACTOR

“Don’t give up hope,” says Dr. Dennis Auckley, Director of MetroHealth’s Center for Sleep Medicine and associate professor of sleep medicine at Case Western Reserve University.

He cautions those suffering from sleep challenges to distinguish between the many causes of disruption, some of which are natural.

“Sleep architecture changes with age,” he says. “A person may sleep the same amount as in the past but they’re in a lighter stage when they aren’t dreaming and can be awakened easily, leading to the perception that they are not sleeping as well. It’s just normal physiology.”

Sleeping is an activity that consumes one third of our lives. It’s hard to ignore the role it plays, so disruption to it requires serious consideration.

SLEEPLESSNESS CAUSES

Two common causes of sleep disruption include apnea and menopause symptoms of hot flashes and hormone imbalance. Up to 18 percent of people 55 -70 suffer from apnea, and among those, three to five percent require therapy.

Snoring, a byproduct of apnea or its own issue, eventually becomes widespread as people get older. By age 50, 60 percent of men and 40 percent of women snore. By age 60, 55 percent of people snore, Dr. Kingman Strohl, Director of Sleep Medicine at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and a professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University says.

The most common treatments for both apnea and snoring include weight loss, oral appliances, a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) device, increasing fitness levels and positional therapy such as sleeping on your side.

What happens when you style a professional photographer and a retired rocket scientist? They become one of the most inspiring and fashionable couples around.

Linda Ford of North Olmsted wanted to refresh and streamline the remnants of her former corporate life to better reflect her current passion, capturing milestone life moments as a photographer. She started with her closet and turned to Traci McBride, a wardrobe stylist and founder of STYLEDbyTee.com.

“Working with a wardrobe styl- ist gave me a freedom I never had before,” Ford says. “Learning why certain items worked and others didn’t was eyeopening – it wasn’t me, it was the cut of the clothes.

I have more space in my closet, clothes I love that express me and mix into so many unique outfits, and a “Look Book” so I just effortlessly recreate outfits every day. My style is fun and expressive, which is how I live my life.”

Her husband Bill, says, “It’s priceless to have a wardrobe that easily transitions and layers into my on-the-go life, supporting my beautiful wife on photo shoots, enjoying activities with our grand kids and traveling around the world. “My style is colorful and complementary to the love of my life.”

CLOSET DETOX

• Avoid hanging onto sizes that no longer fit you; they are using valuable real estate in the closet. Remove what doesn’t reflect who you are now, andm embrace your ‘now’ body.

• Fit is next. Try on every item in front of a mirror. Note what needs to be tailored and consider the costs involved. Do you love the item enough to reinvest in it?

• Proportion is key. Too long or too wide for your body looks sloppy.

• Subtle details make all the difference. Mix pin stripes and plaid as Bill did in the photo.

When the 40th annual Cleveland International Film Festival kicks off March 30, at least 100,000 people are expected to attend the 12-day movie marathon in theaters around Northeast Ohio.

“We like to say there’s something in this festival for everyone,” says Patrick Shepherd, CIFF associate director. “People hear “international film festival” and they think they’re walking into a film with subtitles, and that’s true for some, with films from over 60 countries. But it’s a wide selection of films and lots of documentaries.”

The CIFF offers a great opportunity not only to see unusual and highly regarded films, but also to interact with the people who make them, he adds.

“A lot of times the credits will roll and the lights go up and the director or an actor or the subject of a documentary is there and there are discussions,” Shepherd says.

PLENTY OF CHOICES

From family-friendly films, which are perfect for all ages, to intense documentaries and quirky feature films, choices are broad and the selection vast.

“Some people want a film from their ancestral homeland. Others want to see films of women of the world,” Shepherd says.

An average of 45 screenings are held each day starting around 9:15 a.m. The late shows begin Fridays and Saturdays with 11:30 p.m. screenings. In all, around 400 films will be shown. More than 500 screenings are scheduled.

Most films are in the Tower City Cinemas, offering a convenient way to see movies all day, every day throughout the event, Shepherd says.

One way to plan your day – or days – at the festival is to look at the festival program and choose a category of films to see. The program meticulously indexes the films to make it easy for visitors to find a good film fit, he adds.

This year, join thousands of others for some “fun in the dark.”

Celebrate Arbor Day at Holden Arboretum with a visit through the treetops and a presentation by a tree canopy expert, which are planned throughout the weekend from Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1 at the arboretum’s Corning Visitor Center.

“Out on a Limb – Exploration of Global Forest Canopies,” will also be the featured Arbor Day lecture at 7 p.m. Friday. The speaker, Meg Lowman, Chief of Science and Sustainability at the California Academy of Sciences, is an internationally known tree canopy researcher and the author of “Life in the Treetops.” The lecture is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Come join the nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care. Guided tree climbing, crafts, portable sawmill demonstrations and character presentations by Johnny Appleseed and John Muir are just a few of the family friendly activities that are planned at Holden from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Admission to the grounds is free Friday. Non-arboretum member tickets for the Canopy Walk and Emergent Tower are $4 for adults, $2 for children. On Saturday and Sunday, non-member discount admission is $10 per car or $20 per car (which includes admission to the Canopy Walk/Emergent Tower) while supplies last.

Holden Arboretum is located at 9500 Sperry Road in Kirtland. For more information, including specific event times, visit holdenarb.org or call 440-946-4400.

Refresh and Renew

Those are my goals for spring. Most of the time the reality is much different. That’s why there’s a bucket of soapy water and a mop by the back door. I’m trying to refresh, but it’s tough during Ohio’s mud season. Thanks to the dogs, I battle a constant onslaught of sloppy paw prints. The place looks like a barn.

The good news is that by early May the bucket goes back in the closet. I’ll soon turn my attention to the outdoors. The mud that bothered me in March and April fades to just another hallmark of the season, as predictable as the forsythia blooming along the side yard and the birds frantically making nests in my wreaths.

In my search for an early spring, I came upon our cover subject, the dynamic India Pierce Lee and Green City Growers. She’s one of the public faces for several vibrant community programs aimed at bolstering distressed neighborhoods. Her warm enthusiasm and the lush lettuces and microgreens growing in the sprawling greenhouse close to downtown are the perfect antidote to a chilly early spring day.

To continue the theme, our main feature story this issue (pg. 22) is about cultivating optimism. It’s a worthy goal, especially at this time of year. Full disclosure — I’m a pessimist at heart. I like the idea of optimism, and most of the time I’m able to fake it with smiles, positive thoughts, a good book and a new lipstick. But I’ve found that nature is far more powerful than anything I can nurture in that department. I picked up some good tips from our story and learned that optimism is possible even in difficult times. Please note the accompanying story about pessimism. It’s not such a bad thing after all; the world needs us.