Three Cheers for American Mural Project and the Tort Museum and Wow! Forum, Oct. 2019

 

 

This Saturday, October 5th, 2019 from 11am-5pm, the American Museum of Tort Law is hosting a day of talks and more at the Winsted Methodist Church at 639 Main Street. As shared in CT's The Lakeville Journal by AF Ambery, "learn about tort law with regard to police violence, civil rights, sexual assault, sports injuries and climate disruption by polluters, medical malpractice and privacy invasions". Surely something to capture everyone's interest and hopefully not to be subject to as a victim or perpetrator. 

 

To unwind, head over to the Falls Village Center on Main for the Silent and Live Auction to benefit the DM Hunt Library. See more on their site.

 

With the Wow! Event in Torrington CT tomorrow, I will be networking with folks from various businesses and among people who care about the tri-corner area. I can share the kinds of things I hear from the main speakers who are listed on the Wow! Forum site as well as people I meet who want to share what they do.

 

I have had the good benefit of helping promote local events and businesses since living in the northwest corner of CT most of my life even though I am in Brooklyn NY as well the past few years feeling that can be a great way to enrich appreciation for smaller towns and hopefully recruit people to come live, work, study and enjoy this area as well.

 

There are many ways to help people 'age in place' from Chore Service based in Salisbury CT and serving many towns in the area. Healing Hands Companions provide home care in the tri-corner area with help to appointments as well. There are many important initiatives such as Construct in Great Barrington MA to help people have housing during transitional periods or the Northwest Y (in Winsted CT) which also offers rooms for rent. Affordable housing so teachers, medical people and many others can work in the area is an important concern more people are considering.

 

Likely having some rental places in Torrington and Great Barrington, Millerton or other larger areas could provide ways for people to live within driving distance. Then vans or other car pooling ideas and help could be promoted ideally with the laws and guidelines in place to encourage safety. Unfortunately many people 'needing to get to work or somewhere else on time and not allowing enough time to do so safely tend to speed, run stop signs or red lights, cut people off, pass unsafely and so on.'

 

Not all or even most, but far too many are taking the privilege of driving for granted. So please get an early start (especially as wet leaves, rain, frost and before long ice and snow will be additional reasons to slow down and pay attention without so much as talking on a hands-free phone for optimum Focus and Functioning!) Thanks for considering these points and learning more each week about safety, eating well to avoid dips in blood sugar levels, not drinking and driving (anything, even a bike but especially not a motorcycle, car, truck or bus, plane or train.) Then there's that issue of stress, worry, over-doing-it (all sorts of stuff.)

 

Much of Chinese medicine and macrobiotics, and other ancient systems encourage living reasonably, breathing steadily and consciously throughout the day, checking in with a sense of mindfulness, learning about others in one's family and social group, neighborhood and area to function as team players, helping one another not hurting each other.

 

That can include the environment, plants and animals so there's always an important growing edge of consideration. I shared on Facebook how I went on a Mountain Day with Mount Holyoke students 5 years ago this time of year..It's a day off to hike a mountain with the whole student body having the day off from classes! Maybe more colleges and schools could enourage some hikes, maybe one for women and one for men for starters with another for 'other or non-gender conforming' and any number of other 'groupings'...by class or by interests etc.

 

The CROP Walk proceeded with a great turn out from what I've heard at the HVRHS Falls VIllage CT location with big bucks raised again annually to address hunger needs in the world, with 25% of the profits going to local outreaches. There is Still Time to Donate so look them up and consider joining or starting a walk in your state or area in years to come.

 

Thanks to all of the local schools, faith groups and others who make time to walk, dug into their fund to donate and to all who help keep their venues going and think of ways to join together to create the next good adventure. To conclude this post on a high note, I'll share that the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville CT has a Philharmonic Orchestral Concert Friday the 4th of October, 2019, so connect with such positive efforts as you can. Music Mountain Concerts are held in Falls Village CT at a wonderful venue in the summers and went through September with recordings likely available online (as they are aired on national stations so never underestimate the power of music to soothe a nation...or of a little town to proceed over 275 years and counting to keep the country on course with a lot of power, activism, love, wisdom and plenty of pondering such as on livfully.org 

 

For a little extra inspiration see the good news about Southern Berkshire Toastmasters Club (a public speaking and personal growth program which involves helping organize and run timely, respectful, informative meetings twice a month or more in Great Barrington MA. ) October 1st, 2019, Jeremy Beckett and Dylan Lundgren gave talks in the club contest for the International Speech section and both did well (did not talk too long and met the prepared speech requirements which can be found online on a subject of their choosing.)

 

Then can now proceed to the area level contest and those winners will go to a national  with those top place holders going on then  to an international level. There are 30,000 people who throw their hat in the ring initially with the club level event which can be done after a member has joined, paid their monthly dues (which run about 10 dollars in America and are generally paid every six months.)

 

Learn more at toastmasters.org and good luck to getting your words and ideas out there in the world, prepared or otherwise! Don't overlook the ideas of journaling, writing down dreams, leaving ideas on your own voice mail (or a google voice account) or other ways to look at 'writing or giving a speech as thinking, creating, brainstorming and crafting.' The process may even be the impetus for a talk or creation of art, a song or other collaboration.

 

The seed is planted, nurtured, grows into a plant and bears fruit (and grows well in a garden not all on its very own generally speaking, so see whose in your garden and allow for collaboration to help one another grow and bear fruit.) That was the jist of a cool book I found about great ideas and innovations. I will jot the title down in a post soon, but for now, it's time to head to bed so I'm up early for the Wow! Forum...and a Wow kind of weeked I'm sure (seeing HS Pinafore at the Sharon Playhouse this weekend too to commemorate a dear one now in spirit who spoke highly of it even though she preferred ballads and folk songs in general...and yes, I know there's a song about The General in that operetta so look forward to seeing what's what.)