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On The Bricks

September 18, 2014

The current People magazine mentions a local fellow on page C20, part of the Country and Western Music Special Section. In an article about the group Lady Antebellum, band member Charles Kelley said, “…the guys, who had been hanging out with co – writer Rodney Clawson…”. So, I guess we’re all kind of famous now, aren’t we? I mean I talked to Rodney Dale a couple times back in the 1980s. I am pretty sure he would remember it. Or maybe he wouldn’t. Ah, well, notoriety is so fleeting.

What isn’t fleeting is good works. Recently read in the September 2014 Rotarian magazine an article entitled “We can be heroes, if just for one day.” It was interesting. Almost as interesting as the make-up tips in People. Hmmmmm, that was sarcasm. I haven’t used make-up since 1976.

Anyway, back to the article. It says, “…why we help others and whether humans have evolved an instinct for what’s called ‘group selection’ – meaning that we help others because group survival is better for all of us. As evolutionary biologist Charles Goodnight explains: ‘You put one person in the middle of the jungle and they’re dinner. Twenty people, you have a village. We can’t survive on our own, but we can collectively.’”

Makes teamwork pretty simple, doesn’t it?

The article goes on to say, “Svoboda reports on neuroscience research that has found that donating to a worthy cause activates the same brain regions as our craving for food and sex, suggesting a similarly deep motivation. She also explores how volunteering can boost health and life satisfaction ….

“Altruistic people tend to see themselves as capable of getting things done, and consider themselves part of a larger human family. They also, she says, see life through a redemptive lens, focusing on the good that comes out of the bad. These things make the difference. ‘Heroes,’ Svoboda writes, ‘are mostly regular people who harness their desire to care for others and make an extraordinary commitment to reach out to them.”

So it seems that we feel better when we are helping others. And when we work together we are more likely to be successful. I knew that. But they say it so much better.

And don’t forget to help yourself, too. Step out and learn something new. Go visit a place you’ve never been (even a local store). Expand. And I don’t mean by going to the Pizza Hut buffet.

You can work on your writing skills by attending the Writing Workshop on Sept. 20 at the Guymon Public Library. Teaching is published author Deborah Elliott-Upton. It goes from 9 – 3 pm, with registration at 8.30 am and the cost is $55 per person, which includes lunch. Go there and get the nerve to write your memories down for your grandkids. Go there and get the nerve to start that book you’ve always wanted to write. Go there and have some fun learning something new.

You can get support at the Dementia Support Group on Saturday, Sept. 20, if someone you love is suffering from this disease. They meet from 4 – 5 pm at the Main Street Guymon office, 116 NE 5th Street. Dorothy Countryman is the leader.

You can attend the Healthy Moment at the Noble Center in Goodwell on Thursday, Sept. 25, from 5 – 6 pm. You can learn who wins the $100 drawing! You can also learn why the goat milk soap is so good for your skin.

You can learn Zentangle on Saturday, Sept. 27, at The Studio, 209 N Roosevelt, in Guymon. This is a lovely type of art that anyone can learn. Check it out. The class costs $5 and you can call Denise Gebara at 806-339-4851 for more information.

And, remember, you can do anything, but not everything.

See you on the bricks!