Community Guide 2017
Rolling Stones Autumn 2013 Growing Old Happily by Dave Cort, Executive Director Recently, I had the opportunity to
more to celebrate. I think that Howie has the same vision, so we look to couples like Beth and Rowland for guid- ance. With all of this in mind at the conference, Rowland shared his “10 essentials for growing old happily.” Here’s Rowland’s list which I jotted down; it also appeared in Beth’s IJ column on May 28, 2013. • Good health—exercise regularly, get those hearing aids, make sure you eat a healthy diet, and don’t forget to take your meds. • Have enough money to head off misery, starvation or debilitating stress. • Have at least one strong relationship with another hu- man being—spouse, relative or friend. • Have or get a pet. • Grow something. Vegetables, fruit or flowers. • Improve something in and around your home. • Learn something—read, take a class, or attend a lec- ture. • Keep your sense of humor. • If you’re annoyed at someone or angry enough to ex- plode, count to 10 before you say anything. • If you’re really annoyed, count to 100. I thought this would be an excellent list to share with all of you. I am getting to work on it. I feel extremely blessed to be in a 30-plus year relationship right here in our beau- tiful San Geronimo Valley. Lyme disease. Here in the Valley, because it is a Lyme hot spot and many of us enjoy spending time outdoors, I’ve been pleased to find out that people want to learn about prevention. I’ve had the opportunity to share the latest information on effective Lyme prevention at the Valley Health Fair, in meetings with neighbors, and in the Lyme article in this Community Guide . The feedback I’ve received has been great and the work has been very gratifying. For any Valley residents interested, I offer free Lyme prevention education through my Lyme coaching practice. The second discovery I’ve made while living here has been that I’ve been able to get more in touch with my Native American roots. Various aspects of the nature that surrounds us here will, unexpectedly, remind me of stories and rituals my grandparents spoke to me about when I was a very young girl. It is at moments like these, I feel a profound sense of being home here in the San Geronimo Valley.
participate at a Marin County Division of Aging confer- ence which was titled “It’s Never Too Late to Live, Love, Laugh, and Learn.” The Marin County Commission on Aging cosponsored the event, and I attended with some of my fellow Community Center staff members. Two of the speakers at the conference were Marin Independent Journal columnist Beth Ashley and her husband Rowland Fellows. I have been a big fan of Beth’s columns in the Marin IJ for years. I was especially appreciative of Beth in the early 2000s when she wrote an in-depth feature story on the Community Center’s Arts and Events program. This arti- cle really helped us increase our audience and countywide interest in the Community Center’s arts activities. Beth retired a few years ago, but she continues to write columns for the “IJ” twice a month. Many of her recent columns have been about her marriage to Rowland and their travels around the world. Beth is now age 87 and Rowland is 88. They were married a few years ago after being out of touch with each other for over 50 years. I find their story fascinating. Beth, through her columns, gives a tremendous amount of insight into a loving rela- tionship as a couple approaches their 90s. I have been blessed to be with my wife, Howie, since we were in our early 20s. Last month we celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary, and I’m really hoping that we have at least 30
Being Home by Diana Rocha
After starting a string of businesses, including Elephant Pharmacy, while living in San Francisco, my husband, Stuart, and I wanted to slow down and leave the city. He had lived in Lagunitas over 30 years ago and always want- ed to return. He would regale me with stories about the incredible beauty of the Valley’s flora and fauna. In one story, he recounted how, because he lived at a certain spot next to the creek, he would be woken up by the sound of coho salmon splashing around in just one inch of water. Three summers ago, we relocated to the Valley and it was as beautiful and special as Stuart described it to be, with two additional surprises. For 14 years now, I’ve had a practice focused on helping Lyme patients get better. It began with my own recovery from late stage chronic
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