December 2020 - A Beautiful Voice

Creating Community
New Year’s resolution tips for 2021: Focus on getting to the end of COVID-19

"The future has become less predictable, which also means that setting long-term goals is much more difficult. It’s hard to imagine an ideal self without knowing what that self will be experiencing." - Katherine Arbuthnott, Professor of Psychology, University of Regina Welcoming the new year may feel a bit [...]

Susan Troyer2020-12-31T09:37:06-06:00December 31st, 2020|Categories: Creating Community|Tags: challenges of 2020, Coronavirus, COVID-19 2021, Goals, Longterm goals, Mental health, New Year’s resolutions, Pandemic, Pandemic lessons, Pandemic problems, personal vulnerabilities, physical and mental health, resolutions for 2021, The importance of long-term aspirations, Thinking beyond day-to-day activities, Uncertainty about the future|0 Comments

Mindful Presence
Great time to try: travel writing from the home – 2nd in a series

Being in isolation might be a great time to try something new. In this series, we get the basics on hobbies and activities to start while you’re spending more time at home. Author: Ben Stubbs, Senior Lecturer, School of Creative Industries, University of South Australia While many are cancelling [...]

Susan Troyer2020-12-30T10:07:46-06:00December 30th, 2020|Categories: Mindful Presence|Tags: A Journey Around My Room, A Week at the Airport, Another life in Paris, Great time to try, Isolation: A Different Oxford Journey, remembering, thinking about journeys, travel book, travel writing, WRITING, Writing tips|0 Comments

Creating Community
How the rich reacted to the bubonic plague has eerie similarities to today’s pandemic

"Humans, Boccaccio seems to be saying, can think of themselves as upstanding and moral – but unawares, they may show indifference to others. We see this in the 10 storytellers themselves: They make a pact to live virtuously in their well-appointed retreats. Yet while they pamper themselves, they indulge in [...]

Susan Troyer2020-12-27T10:17:26-06:00December 27th, 2020|Categories: Creating Community|Tags: Black Death, Cities, Coronavirus, Inequality, Italy, Literature, Plague, Poor, Wealth|0 Comments

Mindful Presence
Retrospective from this side of the mountain

A wrap-up of some of the highlights of recent weeks follows... Words that resonate: I’m not afraid December 16th, 2020 I don’t worry. I’m not afraid: “I’ve done a lot of thinking about what I want my life to look like as I age. Two of the most important [...]

Susan Troyer2020-12-26T09:05:35-06:00December 25th, 2020|Categories: Mindful Presence|Tags: A retrospective look, Aging fearlessly, Alzheimer's care partners, Dementia, Hygge - why we all need some, Isolation, Joy alongside sorrow, Joy in the midst of suffering, Magazine highlights, music as medicine, Nurturing the soul, Social and physical distancing|0 Comments

Music as Medicine
“Music gives a soul to the universe”

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” (Plato) From my apartment on the 33rd floor, which I dubbed “the perch,” I had a great view of the city. It was a run-walk through the park to the [...]

Susan Troyer2020-12-25T19:55:33-06:00December 25th, 2020|Categories: Music as Medicine|Tags: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Finding respite, Fine Arts Theater, Handel's "Messiah"|0 Comments

Music as Medicine
Still Miss Ethel

“A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.” – (author unknown) We liked all kinds of sacred music and Broadway show tunes, but overdosed on Southern gospel, because of its bold, colorful imagery. It fit with our use of metaphors. [...]

Susan Troyer2020-12-24T23:17:55-06:00December 24th, 2020|Categories: Music as Medicine|Tags: Alzheimer's care partners, Alzheimer's diagnosis, Learning new music, National Institute on Aging|0 Comments

Creating Community
Stop pathologizing! Start humanizing!

“People without dementia are not used to enforced isolation, or social and physical distancing, whilst people with dementia experience it from the day we dare to share our diagnosis.” – Kate Swaffer Do you ever wonder about stigma and where it begins? Have you ever experienced it? How does stigma [...]

Susan Troyer2020-12-25T23:14:01-06:00December 23rd, 2020|Categories: Creating Community|Tags: "Behaviours and symptoms of COVID-19", "Behaviours and symptoms of dementia", Alzheimer's, Care partners, Dementia, Isolation, KateSwaffer.com, Physical distancing, Social distancing, Stigma, Stigmatization, Why study Alzheimer's?|0 Comments

Mindful Presence - soul care
Celebrating soul care

Not long after being introduced to Gaby, a graphic artist skilled in animation and a graduate of the university here in Guanajuato, I received an unexpected offer. She and Zyan, Gaby's friend and fellow graphic artist, proposed some design upgrades on our magazine which had just been launched! While unexpected, [...]

Susan Troyer2020-12-25T22:59:58-06:00December 17th, 2020|Categories: General, Mindful Presence|0 Comments

Food for Life
Words that resonate: I’m not afraid

I don’t worry. I’m not afraid. “I’ve done a lot of thinking about what I want my life to look like as I age. Two of the most important things for me are maintaining my physical mobility and strength and staying mentally sharp. And I’m grateful that I can say [...]

Susan Troyer2020-12-23T12:17:57-06:00December 16th, 2020|Categories: Food For Life|Tags: Functional Medicine, Longevity Roadmap docu-series, Mark Hyman MD, The Cleveland Clinic|0 Comments

Mindful Presence
Why Denmark dominates the World Happiness Report rankings year after year

"Yes, Danes have a stable government, low levels of public corruption, and access to high-quality education and health care. The country does have the the highest taxes in the world, but the vast majority of Danes happily pay: They believe higher taxes can create a better society. . . Perhaps [...]

Susan Troyer2020-12-20T17:47:29-06:00December 15th, 2020|Categories: Mindful Presence|Tags: Denmark, Emotional intimacy, Friendship, Happiness survey, Language, Quick reads, Trust, United States|0 Comments

Monthly Archives: December 2020