Monast Law Office - April 2019

No Place Like Home

BE A TOURIST IN YOUR HOMETOWN

Find Local Events Now’s the time to check out the farmers market you’ve been meaning to go to for ages! Then you can swing by that free concert in the park before going to a play at your community theater. Attending local events is a great way to visit places in town you’ve never been before. You might even find a historical tour that can teach you all about the wonders of your town. Download an app like Eventbrite, or go old-school and check for fun local events in the paper. Appreciate the Arts There are countless tiny museums and cultural attractions all over the place that most people overlook — especially those who have lived in an area for a while. Does your hometown have interesting art installations on Main Street? What about museums dedicated to strange and supernatural phenomena, parks, historical landmarks, or giant robotic farm animals? Check Yelp.com for lists of popular attractions near you, or ask your friends for suggestions. You might be surprised by what your hometown has to offer. You might be thinking, “This is would be great if I lived somewhere fun!” If you’ve ever thought your town was boring, that’s all the more reason to try being a tourist! Adventures can happen anywhere if you just take that first step out the door.

Do you dream of adventure? Do you want to see something new, discover someplace interesting, and make memories you’ll cherish forever? Do you still have to be at work on Monday? Finding adventure doesn’t have to mean packing up and trekking across the globe for six months. Being adventurous is all about changing your mindset and looking for the unexpected in the familiar.

As you start planning summer vacations,

instead of spending a lot of money to be a tourist somewhere else, why not try finding a little adventure at home? Get a Room If you really want to experience your hometown through the eyes of a tourist, try waking up somewhere new. One night in a hotel room or bed-and-breakfast can really put you in the adventuring mindset.

DAWN C.

Anyone around my age remembers Olan Mills Photography. The company was founded in 1932 by Olan Mills Sr. and Mary Mills to provide portrait photography and church directories. It went

her discomfort, her condition worsened as she developed bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, requiring surgery on both wrists. She also required a resection of her left first rib because of thoracic outlet syndrome. Her doctors further diagnosed

bankrupt in 2008, and its assets were purchased by Lifetouch in 2011 (now operating as J.C. Penney Portraits). Back in the day, Olan Mills was the place to go for family portraits. My family still has an Olan Mills portrait of my mom and sister taken in the early 1950s! Our dear client Dawn C. (who is “no bigger than a minute,” as my mother used to say) went to work at Olan Mills in Springfield as a portrait finisher after graduating high school. She worked there for 16 years, 6–7 days per week. This position involves a lot of repetitive airbrush work, and she developed bilateral upper extremity pain as well as trouble with her neck, chest, and upper back. Though she continued working through

her with myofascial pain syndrome in her arms and shoulders, repetitive stress syndrome, bilateral medial epicondylitis, and fibromyalgia. Given her strong work ethic and youth, the limitations she experienced because of her occupational disease (that’s what repetitive strain injuries are often called) were very depressing. Even daily activities we all take for granted (cooking, cleaning, going to the grocery store, and just spending time with family) became hard, if not impossible. Fibromyalgia can cause such debilitating pain and fatigue that a person is nearly nonfunctional. Though she can no longer work, her financial future is not in jeopardy. I helped Dawn obtain permanent total disability benefits, including access to medical treatment, for her lifetime. I think of her whenever I see a portrait with that familiar Olan Mills script in the bottom right hand corner — she’s such a delightful person!

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