Category: Personal Growth

Golden Reflections by Tracy Geisz

September 3, 2021

Golden Reflections by Tracy Geisz

“If you want to be young, you need to have young friends,” recommends Shirley Moore.

Can you imagine living 36,500+ days and still having the excitement to see what is next? Shirley Moore is 100 years young, born on May 25, 1921, at Proctor Hospital in Peoria. She graduated from Pekin High School in 1939 and married her high school sweetheart, Alfred “Baldy” Moore, on America’s Birthday, July 4th. They were married for 48 years before Baldy’s passing. She remembers when the going rate for office work or a job at the factory was $0.50 an hour.

It didn’t take long to get this South Pekin resident to start sharing her stories. I only wish you could hear her infectious laugh. She was ready for me to ask my questions as we enjoyed a pork chop sandwich.

Tracy: “What is something you did in your life that was your most favorite thing?”

Shirley: “Going to Charlevoix, Michigan. I love the beach and the water!”

Tracy: “What are you most proud of in your life?”

Shirley: “My son and his two children.”

Tracy: “What are some things you discovered that are most important in life?”

Shirley: “The Lord. My strength. My gift of organization. Having fun. I love to garden and I am not afraid to get dirty. Loving my friends.”

Tracy: “How did you overcome the obstacles you faced in your life?”

Shirley: “With my strength, determination, and persistence!”

Tracy: “What does it take to be happy in life?”

Shirley: “Not a whole lot: two meals a day and a roof over your head. One more thing: Sex on the Beach. The drink.”(There was a great story with that one but I am unable to share.)

Tracy: “What was one of your favorite places to eat, shop, or hang out in Peoria?”

Shirley: “Hunt’s Drive-In was always fun. I loved shopping at Shradskees, Bergners, and Block & Kuhl.”

Tracy: “Who has made the biggest impact on your life and why?”

Shirley: “My Dad. He was a happy-go-lucky Irishman. I could talk to him about anything and everything. He called me “Jack” because he wanted a boy. He never criticized me. He would ask me if I would take the time and think about this or that in my life. Also my Grandma, Ada Barr. She was a feisty, red hot Democrat. She taught me how to cook. She would come over for Sunday dinner and in a teaching way analyze my dinner and give me tips on how to make it better. “Tracy: “What was it about your spouse that you knew he was the one?”

Shirley: “He showed me a lot of love.”

Tracy: “If you could visit any place you’ve already traveled, where would it be and why?”

Shirley: “Besides Charlevoix, Michigan, the time I took Amtrak from Bloomington to Seattle. I loved being on the train with the people and I loved the food.”

Tracy: “How did you get to be 100?”

Shirley: “I have been asked that question a lot lately and it really irritates me! I grew up differently than everyone else. I didn’t go to a doctor until I was 82. When I grew up everyone had a garden, fruit trees, and a grape arbor. We were outside to work in the garden or to play—we were not sitting in our living rooms. It’s also important to have a good sense of humor. Life gives you valleys and mountain tops—just have fun! Also, stop complaining about your aches and pains. We all have aches and pains but I don’t advertise it. My secret to living to 100? Don’t hang out with old people!”

There are five generations alive in Shirley’s family right now. She talked lovingly of her family and told hilarious stories of days gone by. I had the biggest smile in my heart after our interview. Her smile and energy is contagious. I didn’t want the moment to end

Why Therapy? by Amanda Crusen

September 3, 2021

Why Therapy? by Amanda Crusen

“It could always be worse.”
“I’m not struggling as much as someone else may be.”
“I’m just overreacting.”
“I’m just being too sensitive.”
“I just need to get over this.”
“I should be able to handle this.”
“We’re all in this together!”

Do any of these phrases sound familiar? While they help us to cope, too often they also discredit and invalidate our struggles, causing us to put them off or not deal with them at all. They are frequently the things we tell ourselves that keep us from reaching out to others. But what if instead of shrugging off our struggles, we could face them? What if being brave didn’t have to mean facing things alone, but rather, with a friend? What if instead of convincing ourselves that we can manage, why not just simply ask for help?

Mental health and self-care are overlooked as part of our overall health, yet therapy and mental health are an integral part of self-care. A healthy mind makes for a truly healthy you, because if your mind isn’t healthy, this is going to affect every other part of your life: job performance, friendships, relationships, your ability to parent your children, and even your physical health and well-being.

Let’s take a moment to acknowledge that these “unprecedented” 18 months have taken a toll: adjustments, transitions, isolation, cancellations, and so much more. After the year we’ve all been through, more than ever, therapy may be helpful for you and your loved ones. Finding a good therapist may help you go from just surviving and coping, to being able to more fully embrace your life and your experiences.

People choose therapy for a number of reasons. Some of these may include:

Depression: Some experience situational depression or seasonal depression, but others may have struggled with depression symptoms for as long as they can remember.

Anxiety: Not being able to cope with or handle things as you once could; feeling over whelmed or scared for no particular reason. Feeling nervous or fearful about situations that are benign or should be something we can handle.

Setting Healthy Boundaries: So many find it challenging to set parameters at work, at home, and with family members. This may be your struggle if you have a difficult time saying “no” or tend to be a people-pleaser.

Problem Solving: Getting an objective outsider can help you to see a problem from another angle and help to solve the problem.

Life Transitions: There are so many various transitions in life, learning how to adjust to something new: a new job, a move to a new city, a new baby, a new home. Even positive change scan be stressful.

Dealing with difficult family situations and relationships: Families have rich and diverse histories. Every emotion can be experienced here. For some, family life and childhood memories are happy and safe. For others, family life is, at best, strained. When relationships are dysfunctional and family get-togethers cause dread, therapy can help you deal with these situations.

Work Stress: Work can be stressful in general, but many careers can be fraught with trauma. Unfortunately, this trauma can be considered as “just part of the job.”

This list is not exhaustive. Other struggles like stress, past trauma, parenting difficulties, grief, or Postpartum Depression can all be helped with therapy. So what do you do if you would like to find a therapist?

How to Find a Good Therapist for You
Seeking therapy is a brave and strong move. Confiding personal and private things to a complete stranger—things you may have never told anyone else—is hard and requires vulnerability. You have to find someone you trust.

  • Ask your friends, just like you would ask a friend for a hair stylist recommendation.
  • www.psychologytoday.com offers profiles for therapists in your area, detailing their biographies, specialities and appointment hours. This service is free of charge—just type in your zip code and options will be shown.

It is important to understand that not every therapist will be a good a fit for every person—you may have to see a few to decide if a certain therapist is a good fit for you. And if you’ve had aless than favorable experience with therapy in the past, I hope you are willing to give it another try.

Have questions or comments? you can send in your thoughts to [email protected].

DISCLAIMER: The opinions and advice found in this article are based on this writer’s experience. When necessary, talk with a medical professional before making decisions about your personal health. Neither Amanda Crusen nor Construction Beauty Magazine are responsible for any choices made based on this article.

Small Furniture for Small People by Jenny Witt

August 28, 2021

Small Furniture for Small People

By Jenny Witt

Remember the movie, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids? There is that moment when the children become so small that the blades of grass seem to be the size of jungle trees. Their once fun backyard turns into a danger zone, and even the tiniest ants are as large as dinosaurs!

In our homes and in the daily activities of life, young children are processing the big world in which they live. Objects normal to adults may seem very large and can be overwhelming, overstimulating, or intimidating to the young child. To gain the perspective of your young child’s big world, seat yourself on the floor in the living room or eating area of your house to see the furniture of your home at a new angle.

From that perspective, imagine how inviting a soft, cozy, child-sized chair would be for your little one. If you place it in the living room, it will become their new favorite seat! This is a thoughtful and timely first birthday gift.

You can increase the enjoyment of this little sitting area by adding a basket containing no more than three or four board books (remember, you don’t want to overwhelm the child). These can be changed out with new books once a week. And because the child has a natural desire to learn the names of objects, board books with real images of human faces, animals, plants, or moving vehicles are age-appropriate. The repetition of naming these things out loud with your child engages her mind and the hard pages allow her to learn how to turn and discover on her own.

For the eating area, when your child outgrows the highchair you can add a booster seat to an adult chair. Or what may be even better is a weaning table and chair. The benefit of a weaning table and chair is your child’s ability to place their feet on the ground. This support of their body increases their comfort. They may also enjoy doing other activities such as Play-Doh at “their” table. If you want to save money, be on the lookout for an adjustable table and chair sets that grow with your child.

As children master the art of walking, they also climb to develop their nervous system’s ability to coordinate. Do you have climbing areas in your home that can become dangerous? Is the flooring under that area hard or soft? For the hard surfaces, place a rug under the area to soften a potential fall. In addition, your child will enjoy the texture change between the hard and soft surface.

Lastly, climbing a staircase is like climbing the Rocky Mountains for the young child, and excellent for the nervous system. However, just as it is not advised that you go hiking alone in the mountains, it is essential that an adult is present to keep a child safe while they climb the stairs. Place a gate at the staircase so you can ensure your child can only practice this climbing activity in a controlled setting with an adult present to belay a fall and to coach them in their new skill.

Jenny Witt is a Certified Montessori Infant Toddler Teacher, a Certified Early Childhood and Primary Teacher, a Director of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, and has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).