Personal Improvement

What stands the test of time is the evidence of either a job well done or a trail of sloppy missteps, mistakes, and burned bridges. If you demonstrate that you’re dependable, on time and agreeable, that speaks much louder than your list of accomplishments, awards, certifications and degrees.  ...

TEDxLakeMedinaWomen is hosting a watch party to livestream a session of the 2019 TEDWomen’s Conference being hosted in Palm Springs, CA: Bold + Brilliant Women – Without Apology. The fun-filled evening will be held at Williams on the Lake, 787 Lafayette Road, Medina, OH on Thursday, December 5th, 2019. ...

By Traci McBride

Everything in life comes with its own inventory of pros and cons, especially how you decide to spend your time and efforts in volunteerism. Creating your own list of positives and negatives is good advice before starting any long- or short-term commitments.  

Strike up a conversation with someone who volunteers on a regular basis and ask about their experience. It can give you a good perspective and direction on organizations that match your belief system and interests. Your time is priceless; giving it with joy is selfless and satisfying.

 

Let’s Start with the Cons of Volunteering

Time commitment

Costs of travel/food

Unappreciative recipients of your efforts

Personality conflicts

Personal energy expenditure

Potential of choosing the wrong organization

Emotional drain when engaging with those in difficult life situations

 

And Now the Pros…

Staying active & engaged extends to graceful aging

Influencing another human being can be life-saving

Practicing or elevating your skill set

Mastering time management

Experiencing an organization from the inside

Socializing while creating new friendships with like-minded people

Increasing self-esteem & confidence

Creating the ripple effect in your community & in other people

Inspiring friends and family to get involved

Rewarding effect of aligning with a non-profit that touches you on a personal level

Spearheading ideas inside the organization                     

Source: CharityNavigator.org 

 

Traci McBride of TeeMcBee.com has passionately been a volunteer with Dress for Success – Cleveland since 2008.

 

Our Volunteer Salute

Meet NEO’s Givers

What better way to kick off the season of giving than recognizing some of our region’s most impressive volunteers? No other age group gives as much of its time, talent and energy as Boomers. We want to introduce you to a few outstanding givers recognized by our readers and provided by Greater Cleveland Volunteers (greaterclevelandvolunteers.org). 

 

Meet: Gail Tichy 

Where: Cleveland Metroparks

A retired federal worker, Tichy inherited a love of gardening from her grandmother.

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It’s important for the kids to realize that there are others that do not have the privileges and all the material things that they take for granted. Children need to learn to appreciate the things they have and to develop empathy for others. Developing the habit of giving can be a terrific trait to pass to your grandchildren. ...

An outspoken cyclist and yogi for life, blogger Diane Jenks has much to say about better living after 50. ...

Tattoo artists do more than accessorize Millennials. Many provide cosmetic and medical services.

Pat Peters of Chardon recently tapped into their services for eyebrows. “I was a child of the late ‘50s, early ‘60s. Back then, we all had to pluck our eyebrows. When you keep plucking, eventually they don’t come back,” she says. “Combine that with age and I lost the last one-third of my eyebrows. I couldn’t find the right color eye pencil to replace them and I got tired of crooked eyebrows. They never matched.”

After her husband’s death, Peters decided to do something for herself – get permanent eyebrows.  “I’m trying to be the best me I can be,” she says. “Now I can’t picture my face without them. They frame my face. The color is perfect.”

Ink that Camouflages
Christine Gallowan, tattoo artist and owner of Mirror Mirror Artistry in Cleveland, works with people to camouflage scars from chemotherapy ports, to define lip shape after cleft-palate surgery, to recreate belly buttons and to restore breast appearance. 

For example, mastectomy patients lose nipples and surrounding breast structure. “I will recreate in 3D — using shadow and highlight 0151 — a nipple and areola. Some women visit me before surgery or bring a photograph so when they come back after healing, I can recreate what they had before.”

“I’m not fixing anything, I’m camouflaging,” she says. 

While medical issues draw many Boomers to tattoos, cosmetic changes due to aging such as hair loss and skin fading lead others to find a permanent and convenient solution. 

Peters’ daughter, Anna Peters, 55, of East Claridon Township, had brownish-black eyeliner tattooed onto her lower lids several years earlier. “I like my eyes and like to show them off, ”she says. “Permanent eyeliner is the best thing I’ve done for myself. If I’m just hanging out around town, I never have to put makeup on.

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Decades ago, yoga had an image problem; it was considered some sort of mysterious quackery from the Far East. But time has done its work and yoga has earned its place at the Western buffet of prescriptive options to help prevent and treat common ailments. And now there's a twist: goats. We have the scoop. ...