Sharon Hayashi, Interior Designer What are some of the things that’s fulfilling in your life? I joined the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Honolulu in 1989 for its local and international projects. I have enjoyed renovation projects at Princess Kaiulani School, Hale Kipa Youth Housing, and Clubhouses for the Hawaii Adult Mental Health Hawaii Division. And I serve on the board of Friends of the Library of Hawaii.
David Behlke, Artist, KCC Koa Gallery Director, Instructor What inspires you at this time in your life? What brings me into the world each day is my passion for my work, my personal creative fire along with my desire to share my knowledge. We all wait for the teacher to appear and I try to make myself available for those who need a little creative nudge now and then, the teacher in me comes through, I just can’t help it.
Lisa McVay is our on-the-road reporter — talking story with friends and neighbors, and sharing her many Talk Story encounters. Mahalo to all that “Talk Story” with Lisa.
Sharon Hayashi, Interior Designer What are some of the things that’s fulfilling in your life? I joined the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Honolulu in 1989 for its local and international projects. I have enjoyed renovation projects at Princess Kaiulani School, Hale Kipa Youth Housing, and Clubhouses for the Hawaii Adult Mental Health Hawaii Division. And…
My mother just got her first cell phone. It doesn’t take pictures or play music — it just makes phone calls. It took her a while to get used to the idea — she would talk into the wrong end of the phone in the beginning. But she’s got the technology figured out and now she can call me any time. ANY TIME. But I’m glad about that.
Sometimes, we forget that technology is just a tool. If it gets in the way of what we’re trying to accomplish — communication, for example — then it’s no longer a tool. It becomes a *&$*/% waste of time and money.
The Elderhood Project will use whatever technology we have available to get important information to our kupuna and their caregivers. We broadcast our reports on television and put them on the internet. Now, Generations Magazine gives us another avenue to spread the word. We are grateful.
When our newsroom first started using computers some years back, a reporter friend of mine quit, saying he would never type his stories on “one of those things.” He is still working, of course, in another field. And using computers every day. Never say never. We are thrilled to be a part of Generations Magazine. It’s portable and doesn’t need batteries.
In the past month on the Elderhood Project, which airs on KHON2 every Thursday morning on the morning news and Thursday afternoon at the 5 p.m. segment, we have covered subjects such as cataract awareness with Dr. Jorge Camara, palliative care (dealing with pain), homeless seniors and tips on how to avoid medicare identity theft. Much more in the weeks ahead.
Gotta go. Mom’s on the phone.
My mother just got her first cell phone. It doesn’t take pictures or play music — it just makes phone calls. It took her a while to get used to the idea — she would talk into the wrong end of the phone in the beginning. But she’s got the technology figured out and now…
The 2020 State of Hawai‘i VFW Voice of Democracy (VOD-HI) winner is Alexandrea Wong (holding certificate), a high school senior at St. Andrews Priory, for her four-minute audio essay on “What Makes America Great.” She was awarded a $500 check, VFW certificate and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete nationally for a $30,000 VFW first-place scholarship paid directly to a university, college or technical/ vocational school. Also pictured (L–R) are George Barlett, chair, VOD-HI; James Kahalehoe, commander, Windward O‘ahu Post 10154; Ron Lockwood, VFW-HI acting commander; Gerri Enos, VFW-HI Auxiliary VOD chair; and Take Shiroma, president, VFW-HI Auxiliary.
Like our friends at PBS, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the VFW Auxiliary work to be relevant to all ages with early childhood through end-of-life programming.
“Patriot Pen” and “Voice of Democracy” programs are available to all public and private middle school and high school students. Building off of lessons learned early in life through shows like “Sesame Street,” “Conjunction Junction” and other PBS offerings, our VFW programs utilize their writing skills to earn scholarship money at the local, state and national levels. For middle schoolers in the upcoming school year, “What is Patriotism to Me?” will be the theme. For high schoolers, “Is This the Country the Founders Envisioned?” will be the topic. All the details can be found in each county through any of our 21 VFW Posts and through the VFW Auxiliary or at www.vfw.org.
Like our friends at PBS, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the VFW Auxiliary work to be relevant to all ages with early childhood through end-of-life programming. “Patriot Pen” and “Voice of Democracy” programs are available to all public and private middle school and high school students.
Many of us are affected by the anxieties that come with the COVID-19 pandemic. But my boss once told me, “In chaos there is opportunity.” That quote resonated deeply in my heart. How can this be true for a pandemic?
I soon learned that some positive things are happening around the world and here in Hawai‘i.
For example, the unprecedented absence of the 3,000 daily visitors to Hanauma Bay beginning in mid-March has caused coral reefs and fish to rebound and flourish in the bay’s now clear waters.
Local distilleries are producing hand sanitizer. People have stepped up to sew thousands of face masks to support hospital staff and others. More importantly, business and nonprofits are making special accommodations for seniors. Senior centers have ramped up sanitation in an effort to protect residents and guests from COVID-19.
Grocers are dedicating special shopping hours for seniors and those with special needs.
I think the best part is that seniors and their families have a renewed appreciation of each other and the time they get to spend together.
Many of us are affected by the anxieties that come with the COVID-19 pandemic. But my boss once told me, “In chaos there is opportunity.” That quote resonated deeply in my heart. How can this be true for a pandemic? I soon learned that some positive things are happening around the world and here in…
Cliff and his daughters, Cathlene and Cynthia, sell plants at the Pearlridge Saturday Market. Cliff just loves sharing his cactus and succulent expertise with new and repeat customers.
When my husband told me in early 2019 that he wanted to retire, my first reaction was, “No, you’re still young and can work until you’re 70.” When we had a serious conversation a few months later, I agreed with his desire to retire, but said, “You need to have an exit plan because I have a home office and don’t want to see you sitting on the couch watching TV.”
Wow, written out, that sounds mean (hahaha); however, he had a little (a lot of) help from his two daughters — thus, the creation of a small business called “Cactus Cliff.” My husband, Cliff, as you probably figured out, has been an outdoor/yard person since we purchased our Kane‘ohe home almost 35 years ago. Right away, he planted a mock orange hedge (now a croton hedge) and a Meyer lemon tree, to name a few. For the past 25 years, Cliff has taken an interest in cactus and succulents. Fast-forward to spring 2019, when our youngest daughter asked and received 300 potted cactus and succulents for her December wedding favors.
Cactus Cliff began in January 2020 with a variety of pots, cups and bowls, etc., filled with an assortment of cactus and succulents. Cliff continues to make decorative arrangements and centerpieces, and cultivates a wide variety of plants from seeds and cuttings. His daughters found ways to feature these products for retail and at open-market venues — something they all enjoy doing together.
My advise to anyone looking to retire is to be prepared so that you can have many years of pleasure. Make a checklist, not a honey-do list, of what you want to do after retirement in order to have control of your life. That list is never set in stone because it is your life and you can change anything any time you like. As for my husband and me, we moved a desk into our guest room and made it into Cliff’s office.
Our house now has two offices — everything is going well in this household!
When my husband told me in early 2019 that he wanted to retire, my first reaction was, “No, you’re still young and can work until you’re 70.” When we had a serious conversation a few months later, I agreed with his desire to retire, but said, “You need to have an exit plan because I…
“Two roads diverged in a wood and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” — Robert Frost
Maybe you’ve never thought of your life in those terms. But everyone, whether they are aware of it or not, has selected a particular pathway in life. The most popular road seems to be aligned with what the world tells us we need — a nice home, a fancy car, a good job, exciting sports events, live entertainment and travel to exotic places. We are told, at least subliminally, that focusing on and fulfilling our needs and wants will lead to a successful, happy life.
However, where does this road actually lead? {Play}
It may be beneficial to observe what has happened to others on this self-centered road. Stories abound of people who thought they had it made in life but ended up lost either due to their own mistakes or someone else’s.
Are we carefully assessing where we are headed or do we think there is plenty of time to make adjustments along the way? Before you know it, you may find yourself way past any side streets that could have taken you down another road — the one less traveled.
Earlier this year, the world began to find itself held hostage by the coronavirus. It hijacked our pursuit of a nice home, fancy car, entertainment, travel opportunities and any kind of job.
What is left? Thank God we have our families,friends and many folks coming to the aid of others. It is amazing what this world crisis has shown us through the goodness of people helping people. Maybe this road less traveled is the one more of us should embark upon. And we may have missed this unexpected detour if not for a world crisis that eliminated our distractions.
Have you heard this before? “We live by sight, not by faith.” If it sounds familiar, it may be because many of us live our lives this way. Living by sight, after all, is how the world expects us to live. That’s why there’s so much “stuff” out there
being advertised as the way to find happiness and fulfillment — and we oblige by over-consuming.
The only problem with this is real life does not support this. We see famous people who have attained more stuff than they will ever need with lives that do not have happy endings.
“We live by sight, not by faith” is incorrect.
The Bible says, “We walk by faith, not by sight,” not the other way around. The “walk” here is a metaphorical reference to the way a person conducts his or her life.
A fulfilling and meaningful life in which transitory material possessions are not the goal is the road less traveled. We must choose this road and decide to not build our lives around things that have no eternal significance.
It requires faith to live this way because we cannot see, hear or touch anything spiritual.
If we base our lives on giving to those in need rather than following the popular “material world” philosophy of our day, maybe we’ll be able to look back years from now and see that there were some positive moral changes made as a result of this worldwide pandemic.
I hope so.
Maybe you’ve never thought of your life in those terms. But everyone, whether they are aware of it or not, has selected a particular pathway in life. The most popular road seems to be aligned with what the world tells us we need — a nice home, a fancy car, a good job, exciting sports…
When under stay-at-home orders, online resources enable participation in the outside world. Visit the UH Center on Aging Facebook page for a continually updated list.
JOINING A ZOOM CALL FOR THE FIRST TIME
See and converse with relatives and friends online. Enjoy virtual happy hours, book discussion groups, music jam sessions, virtual retreats and online meetings. www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI32Xk2Va7M
#CARENOTCOVID
Send messages of support to nursing home and assisted living residents. www.carenotcovid.com
AARP COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS
Organize informal volunteer groups to assist neighbors with simple tasks — getting groceries, walking pets. Especially relevant for condo residents looking for ways to help older neighbors. www.aarpcommunityconnections.org
ONLINE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: CITIZEN SCIENCE
Join a scientific research project. SciStarter trains and links nonscientists to research projects that need their help. The site lists over 3,000 global citizen science projects. www.scistarter.org
FREE COURSES
Learn a new language with Duolingo. www.duolingo.com
Online classes are available on a variety of topics. www.coursera.org
When under stay-at-home orders, online resources enable participation in the outside world. Visit the UH Center on Aging Facebook page for a continually updated list.
Even in this time of uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic, two simple rules dominate the future of your life’s work and options that are available today:
1) Full-time, regular 8 to 5 jobs are off the radar as the singular source for employment. Sometimes we will work for others this way, but who needs long commutes if they can be easily avoided?
2) Even in the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is likely that we will live longer than any previous generation. Do you wonder how you will handle your financial, mental, emotional and physical health? This is the time to consider multiple strategies.
Before you navigate a future that is totally unlike anything we have experienced in the past, consider these options:
Invest in your physical, mental and emotional health.A long walk on the beach, yoga, swimming and other activities help ensure balance, good quality of life and longevity. To avoid isolation and loneliness, reach out to others using social media and the latest technologies.
Limit the intake of news that is likely to cause you stress. Instead, spend 10 or 15 minutes a day discovering what you want to pursue in the future. For example, if you are interested in accounting and finance, search the internet for changes in this field. You’ll be amazed at how a daily peek will open your mind to new possibilities and expand your horizons.
Imagine. For today, envision some of the new ways to work from home and around the world:
• Adjuncts and Subject Matter Experts: People who teach, coach, support and use their qualified experience to fill in or augment specific needs as required.
• Barterers: People who trade goods or services for gainful exchange.
• Crowdsourcing and Shared Sourcing: People who provide services by soliciting multiple contributions
• Freelancers: Free agents, temps, piece workers and project workers are the fastest growing segment of the workforce, according to government statistics.
• Full-Time, Remote Workers: People who are members of the regular, full-time workforce, complete with benefits, but work from home.
• Global Pros: People who work from here to there and everywhere.
• Interim Professionals: People engaged contractually during critical stages of business lifecycles, such as during start-up, rapid expansion, turnaround or other transition.
• Network Marketers: Today’s digital answer to yesterday’s in-store retail sales and more!
• Portfolio Jugglers: Multitaskers who apply their talent in several areas to develop and ensure a balanced flow of income from multiple sources.
• Small Business Buccaneers: Those who seize new opportunities in the existing for-profit or not-for-profit marketplaces.
Even in this time of uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic, two simple rules dominate the future of your life’s work and options that are available today: 1) Full-time, regular 8 to 5 jobs are off the radar as the singular source for employment. Sometimes we will work for others this way, but who needs long…
Many patients wish they could enjoy their dentist’s company beyond a quick, customary greeting before their ability to speak is interrupted by the whirr of the drill.
Like everyone else, dentists have families, hobbies, enjoy their favorite beverage, have bills to pay and look forward to having fun. And just like everyone else, “busy” is a dentist’s life.
Public education on dental care keeps dentists hopping, too. Commercials for electric toothbrushes, new toothpastes and improved water flossers (by the way, all of these products are great!) focus people on their smiles. The public is also aware of the new advances in dentistry. Dental-related companies advertise ways to straighten teeth, whiten teeth and freshen breath. Dentists must keep up with technology, convenience and new techniques to do the best job possible.
No wonder dentists are so busy — but with worthwhile results! In a recent national survey, Hawai‘i ranked fifth for oral health. That’s pretty good considering all the sweets we consume and given how much we love crack seed!
The next time you go to your dentist, you’ll understand why he/she is so engaged and focused.
I would like to know my patients better, too. But if there is no time for conversation, just know I appreciate how you are taking preventive care of your teeth. Your healthy smile says it all!
Many patients wish they could enjoy their dentist’s company beyond a quick, customary greeting before their ability to speak is interrupted by the whirr of the drill. Like everyone else, dentists have families, hobbies, enjoy their favorite beverage, have bills to pay and look forward to having fun. And just like everyone else, “busy” is…
The vision of the Alzheimer’s Association is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. To realize this vision, we fund research to better diagnose, treat and ultimately cure the disease. In fact, we are the world’s largest nonprofit funder of dementia research.
A few highlights of our progress:
Diagnosing the Disease: Biomarkers
A biomarker is a measurable indicator of the severity or presence of a disease state. As blood pressure is an indicator for cardiovascular disease, or hemoglobin A1C for diabetes, promising research is being done to identify biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease. There are now ways to measure the presence of amyloid plaque or tau tangles, which are hallmarks of the disease, through imaging, blood tests, saliva, spinal fluid tests and retina screenings. We are optimistic that early diagnosis years before symptoms occur will be possible in the near future.
Early diagnosis will enable early intervention and preclinical research opportunities to understand changes in the brain and body which lead to mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
A Healthy Heart = A Healthy Head: Lifestyle
The brain utilizes about 20 percent of the blood pumped by the heart, so what is good for your heart is good for your head. When people have cardiovascular disease or diabetes, blood vessels don’t work very well. Studies have shown that as many as 80 percent of individuals with Alzheimer’s also have cardiovascular disease.
The Alzheimer’s Association has championed and funded efforts to understand the role lifestyle plays in keeping our brain (and heart) healthy. Through our U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER), we evaluate whether lifestyle interventions (diet, physical activity, mind/ brain stimulation, etc.) that target risk factors for dementia protect cognition in older adults who are at increased risk. U.S. POINTER is the first such study to be conducted in a large group in the country.
Medications
Pharmacological therapy has a role to play in treatment and potentially, in prevention. As biomarkers become available, therapeutics and other interventions can be introduced earlier, years before symptoms of dementia develop. The science is working. It isn’t a matter of whether we will find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia, but when.
ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION
1130 N. Nimitz Highway, Ste. A-265, Honolulu, HI 96817 808-591-2771 | www.alz.org
The vision of the Alzheimer’s Association is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. To realize this vision, we fund research to better diagnose, treat and ultimately cure the disease. In fact, we are the world’s largest nonprofit funder of dementia research. A few highlights of our progress…
Negative thoughts are like parasites silently eating away your health. Can we overcome this harmful habit and beat the odds? I say, “Yes! Definitely!”
Our state of mind affects our health, so when you think like a pessimist, always expecting the worst, your fight-or-flight response is often stuck on standby. To illustrate, think of worrisome thoughts as revving your car. It’s useful before a race to test the engine, but if you keep gunning it all the time, you will burn out the motor.
Pessimists tend to have higher blood pressure and triglyceride levels than optimists, according to University of Pittsburgh research. Studies also reveal that a dour outlook can affect your organs, but optimism can boost your health. Jeffrey Huffman, MD, director of cardiac psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, concludes, “Happy and hopeful people are more likely to exercise, eat healthy and, of course, stop smoking.” In other words, happiness empowers us to take charge of our health.
Other studies prove that staying positive can tighten the faucet on cortisol, a stress hormone linked to hardening of the arteries. And IL6,
an inflammatory cytokine, is linked to multiple sclerosis and heart disease. So, looking on the sunny side pays big dividends.
When you reflect on the past, focus on your accomplishments. Savor the present; expect three good things to happen today. When you count your blessings, there may be even more than three! Start today — your health is your wealth.
Our state of mind affects our health, so when you think like a pessimist, always expecting the worst, your fight-or-flight response is often stuck on standby. To illustrate, think of worrisome thoughts as revving your car. It’s useful before a race to test the engine, but if you keep gunning it all the time, you…
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
Wow, sounds pretty negative doesn’t it. Yet, many men and women who have lived long enough to reach that mythical status known as “the golden years” find out exactly what King Solomon meant in the above quote. All those years of striving to accumulate wealth, land and power now might seem a bit wasted. Regrets like “Why didn’t I go to more of my daughter’s soccer games?” or “Why didn’t I spend more time with my family?” rise up and begin to haunt us. Many of us wish we knew then what we know now.
Is it too late to do anything? Is there a way to wind back the clock? If you have been trying to reach back and correct past mistakes but keep ending up failing, consider what C.S. Lewis once said: “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
Lewis makes sense to me, as one who has walked “the pathway of regrets” and ended up even more depressed.
So what can you do right now — starting today — to begin this turnaround?
Well, taking a page from my own life journey, meeting one’s spiritual needs first makes the most sense. Once you are back on solid ground spiritually, all the other parts of life begin to stop shaking. For me, making peace with a God who really loves me and is able to do amazing things gave me hope to move forward rather than dwell in the unchangeable past.
Stop chasing after the wind. Decide exactly what you regret and begin adjusting for what’s ahead. What can I do now? What has to wait? Be proactive and don’t wait for life to just happen.
Another important step toward finding fulfillment in your golden years is to stop being a loner. We need contact with other people. A church is a great place to begin. Try several churches before settling on one. Try praying before you visit each church. You may be amazed at what happens.
Finally, please don’t continue chasing after the wind, even if you think you have no other choice or not enough time to change course.
The great UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once said, “There is only one kind of life that truly wins and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere.” It’s what I call, chasing after the wind.
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Wow, sounds pretty negative doesn’t it. Yet, many men and women who have lived long enough to reach that mythical status known as “the golden years” find out exactly what King Solomon meant…
