Mental Health

By Carrie VittitoeFayon Davis has been an avid softball player since she was a child. During her childhood, she was the victim of sexual abuse, and playing softball offered her a way to cope. Fayon says, “I had to keep a lot inside, but softball was my out. I’m just grateful that I didn’t explode through the years.”She says she was a tomboy who played with the local boys in the neighborhood, but she enjoyed the game so much that she went on to play softball on scholarship at Florida State. For six of her [...]

By Bob MuellerOur lives often resemble an old-fashioned pressure cooker, the pressure building and the whistle about to blow. Most of us accept such on-the-go pressure. We’re oblivious to its damage until the harm is done, and though we may question it at times, we remain on the move.Let’s just stop for a moment! Can’t we enjoy full and serene lives? Have we exaggerated the obstacles barring us from tranquil days? Why not pursue serenity? Wait. Just what is serenity?Serenity is the possession of a steady spirit that provides a consistent day of being in [...]

Happiness comes in music and friends.By Carrie VittitoeMarty Woelfel didn’t sing in a chorus in high school or college, although she did sing a bit with a church choir during her younger years. She would often become frustrated because bass parts were not written for women, and she would have to modulate her voice to sing a man’s part.Still, she loved music, so in 1983, Marty became a member of the Pride of Kentucky Chorus of Sweet Adelines International, where she continues to be involved today as a retiree. Singing with the group can be [...]

By Bob Mueller Once our physical needs are met, the basic desires of the mind and heart remain. Simple pleasures feed our essential selves: listening to music, being outdoors, seeing a beloved face at the door, laughing all the way, knowing we did our best work, wearing clothes softened by age, reading all day, watching a flight of wild geese, and breathing deeply. Such soul food has been at our fingertips all along.We overlook “ordinary joys” completely when we overextend our reach into the world of things. It’s time to use a paring knife to [...]

Changing for the better — addiction, failure, and then recovery.By Amanda BeamMeghan found her way into a new and better life after rising above addiction. Photos by Melissa Donald As her face lay pressed into the gravel, Meghan Adams watched the cars drive around the swarm of police cruisers blocking the Indiana road. In the distance, she heard a dog barking from one of the back seats.An officer pushed his knee into her back to secure her. The flash of a gun and demands for pills from a local pharmacy had placed her in this position. [...]

We have all been injured emotionally at one time or another, in one way or another — and the bitter urge to strike back becomes our first reaction.By Bob Mueller There is a better, more productive route, although it can be emotionally difficult. The instructions are simple: Move on. Figure that this, too, shall pass.Put things behind you. Forget about replacing lost money, ignore a competitor’s below-the-belt blow, and never try to second-guess anything. Accept what has transpired and move ahead in a positive and dignified way.Grudges are physically, emotionally, and mentally draining, if not [...]