Meals on Wheels hits road blocks

For over twenty years I have brought hot meals to seniors and the disabled in my neighborhood. Every Wednesday, I load up the van with coolers of hot and cold food and have lunch with 22 neighbors who would otherwise go without a hot meal. 

I pick up my clipboard at the American Red Cross office each week, hoping not to see a name off the list due to a death or hospitalization. But the real hope of the program is knocking on the door of a neighbor's home and seeing the smile on their face when you bring not only a hot meal but a warm smile. 

There is Mrs. Libby, who lives in the house behind my daughter's. She is 97 years old. She has lived in that house for over 50 years. 

Mrs. Raterman is an invalid. She is 65 years old and is crippled from polio. She is unable to get out of her bed and I deliver her meals through a window in her bedroom. 

Mr. and Mrs. Nether both in their 80's. Mr. Nether cares for his wife who is blind and in a wheelchair. 

Mr. Stafford is a widower, suffering from Alzheimer's. 

Can you help me decide which one of these neighbors to cut off my route? That is the result of the sequester cuts. Meals. Meals to people who can't afford to pay will be cut from the program. Does this make sense to anyone? I understand why it doesn't make sense to Congress. They don't deliver the meals. They don't receive the meals. I wonder how many of them have loved ones or neighbors who depend on Meals On Wheels to bring a hot meal. 

Interesting how when air travel was crippled by the sequester, Congress was able to hear themselves think over the din of angry taxpayers and fix it. Unfortunately, the people I serve can't yell loud enough to be heard. So I intend to write my Congressman and ask him to help me decide which one of my neighbors should come off the clip board. Believe me, they will hear me, loud and clear. 

All across America, Meals on Wheels volunteers deliver meals to hungry seniors. Sequestration now means senior nutrition has been reduced which means less food for old people. How much?  Meals On Wheels Association of America put the loss at 19 million meals. In general, the federal government subsidizes only a portion of the cost of every meal, so whether individual seniors will stop receiving food really depends whether they can pay. Our chapter is no longer able to deliver meals if the client is unable to pay. 

Please tell me this is as crazy as it sounds. Congress will act on what impacts their lives, their voters, their chances for re-election. My seniors are impacted by not having a hot meal. Basic human needs. Vote on that, Congress. I will gladly wait longer in an airport, if it means I don't have to decide who will not get a meal this week.

Read more from another driver, Steve Duin, writer for the Oregonian in Portland, OR. 

Images: Flickr Roger4336, a hot meal delivered every weekday

From typing to swiping

My Dad would swear at his computer by stating empahtically, he was an "Underwood man". For many of us, typing class was a required course, a modern technology from pen and paper. Underwood was the Apple of the time and like the personal computer of today, a typewriter was in every home.

Correcting mistakes was not as simple as cut, paste or delete. We used the backspace key, whiteout and strips that were placed over the wrong letter, or a typewriter eraser that usually smeared more than it erased. There was no saving unless you had carbon paper in between the pages. But this only afforded you a copy of your work, a hard copy to file. We used all 10 fingers, although some typed "hunt and peck" style, with two or three fingers.

Fast forward and along with penmanship, keyboarding skills are quickly becoming obsolete. Students find it easier to text than to type out their work. They claim it is faster and they are more accurate. The two finger process is now being reduced to one and the latest technology uses swiping across the keyboard. Letters and words are memorized by the smart keyboard as you work. 

I am not sure how this will affect our word count and accuracy, but soon enough we will just say the word and the keyboard will type for us, correct it, email it and file it in google docs. For those of us with arthritis, it sounds like a dream come true. 

My Dad's Underwood typewriter holds a place of honor on my bookshelf. His great grandkids marvel at its mechanical behavior and the letters that magically appear on a piece of paper that rolls up and down. Watch this video and ask yourself. Will young people even know what a typewriter is in the coming decade?

Are you depressed?

My Dad refused to acknowledge when he was depressed. He would stare out the window and say "I am not depressed". But after several of my friends and family have been diagnosed with depression, I have come to understand that he was right. 

Depression isn't just about seeing the glass being half empty or half full. It is not being able to see the contents of the glass. Depression is a word bandied around as if, like a senior moment, it can be dismissed at will. My Dad was down, tired, frustrated, discouraged due to his physical health. He suffered through cancer and multiple heart ailments. But he was not depressed. Quite the contrary. He fought his way back from the brink many times.

My mother in law has suffered from depression for many years. Being an incurable cheerleader, I mistakenly thought I could help her with a sunny disposition and attentive care. The weight of her depression began to affect me, as all she wanted was to die. After years of suffering she finally agreed to see her doctor. She will always be a glass half empty person, but her quality of life has definitely improved with the proper medication and monitoring.

People who suffer from true depression lack the ability to see the light at the end of the tunnel. They feel suffocated by its enveloping presence, and helpless to do anything more than standstill. The physical manifestations are loss of appetite, irregular sleep patterns, and a lack of interest in daily life. It is a serious concern and should be addressed with a physician. In some cases, medication can help. Even diet changes, better hydration, increased oxygen and addressing sleep apnea have been known to help ease symptoms.

An estimated 1 in 10 adults suffer from this mental illness. It affects the outcome of chronic conditions, such as arthritis and heart conditions, but more importantly, it affects a person's ability to live a full life. Who tends to be depressed? People between 45 - 64 years of age. Aging and the results of changing body images or marital status, health concerns, loss of job or family and friends can be a catalyst for clinical depression.

Do you know someone who is suffering from depression? How did you encourage them to get the help they needed?

Freedom From Taxes

I am fine with paying for the freedom that I so greatly appreciate. I am fine with helping those who are suffering, hungry or homeless with my tax dollars. As scary as it sounds, I am also fine in taking a cut in my Social Security if it keeps the fund healthy for my children and grandchildren.

That being said, I would prefer to break even come tax filing. It irritates me to pay in addition to what the IRS has tapped out of what little I make at working the three jobs that keep my boat afloat. The operative word being "boat". Not a yacht. A simple boat with enough provisions to get by.

This, however, doesn't mean that I will not take full advantage of the free stuff available to all Americans come Monday, April 15th! What kind of true red, white and blue taxpayer would I be if I was not smart enough to keep my eye on the piggy bank.

Check out this information on the sweet and free deals in your neighborhood. Take a look and take advantage.

• Arby's has free value sized curly fries or a small order of potato cakes with printable coupon
• Cinnabon has two free Cinnabon Bites on April 15th from 6 - 8 PM
• Schlotzsky's offers the original small sandwich with purchase of 32 oz drink and chips
• 7-11 has a free Slurpee when you text "Slurp7" to "711711" until April 30.
• Melting Pot is giving away a second portion of cheese fondue when you buy one portion
• Subway gives second 6 inch sandwich free when buy one before 9 AM
• Chili's has free appetizer or dessert when you "like" its Facebook page
• AMC Theatres have free popcorn from Friday, April 12 through Monday, April 15
• Great American Cookies offers free birthday cake cookie
• Pinkberry is giving away Pinkberrygreek yogurt from 11 AM - 2 PM every Wednesday until April 24
• Panda Express is giving away a free Samurai surf and turf entree on April 17 with coupon
• Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill is offering a free dessert and free meals to last minute filers from 7 PM to midnight.
• Other deals - Office Depot free document shredding 5 lbs until May 1

Now get out there and enjoy your freedom from tax giveaways!

Images: Flickr by Tax Credits

Putting Yourself in Time Out

When I was child, spanking was the rule of thumb for parents to essentially "knock some sense" into you to prove your actions were unacceptable. As a parent, I used time out as a means for my children to "reflect" on their unacceptable behavior. Recently, I have come to find that you are never too old for a time out.

A friend and colleague sent me a transcript of author, Elizabeth Gilbert's interview from an O magazine video. She said that her one true passionate pursuit is writing. But after the success of her book, Eat, Pray, Love, she found her passion had fizzled and her writing in her words was "awful". Upon writing to her editor to confess about her lack of creativity and production, she received this advice. "Take a break! Don't worry about following your passion for a while. Just follow your curiosity instead."

Gilbert took her tired soul out to the garden and spent six months digging dirt instead of writing. The result was a renewed energy upon returning to her passion of writing. Gardening had given her a necessary time out.

Three simple words redirected Gilbert to her new book Committed, which she says she loves. The video is worth watching and perhaps her insights will produce a more mindful way of looking at "time out" for adults.

I have spent the last six months in utter turmoil with the caring for my mother-in-law, her move to independent living apartment, the clearing of her house and worldly possessions and the ultimate selling of the house on March 25th. I had no idea the burden that existed until it was gone.

I tried writing and found my thoughts were scrambled, unintelligible and not worth the click of the keys. I tried reading but within a few paragraphs my thoughts were wandering. I stayed in a motel for a few days while visiting friends and outside of visiting them, I slept. My passion was gone and all I wanted was to retreat, literally.

After reading the transcript of Gilbert's presentation, I am convinced that I, too, need a time out. Time to reflect on what I do, who I am and how the two have somehow become a jumble I no longer recognize. So if my posts seem few and far between, it is not because the thoughts are not tumbling through my exhausted brain. I am in a self appointed TIME OUT and don't intend to come out of my room until I have learned my lesson. 

Images: Flickr by nist6ss