WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
I’ve been retired for almost four years and find myself busier than I was when I was punching a time clock. I’ve heard from other retirees that, if you do the right thing after you retire, you don’t have time to work for someone else. I guess I’m doing the right thing, because I still get up early in the morning and usually go to bed after midnight. The one benefit of being retired is that I can sleep in whenever I want. This winter I’ll probably sleep in more often, because the neighbors don’t appreciate the sound of a snow blower at 7 AM.
Most of my retirement time is devoted to volunteering. Ninety percent of my volunteering involves working with Lions Club International. One of the Lions projects that I’ve been busy with is something called “Project KidSight”. It’s a very worthwhile project, and, as with all Lions projects, it does a lot of good for those less fortunate.
The goal of Project KidSight is to identify and help children who have vision disorders that hinder their ability to succeed in school and develop normally. The way this project works is to screen children from ages one to seventeen. They use a camera-device that takes eighteen pictures of a child’s eye in three-quarters of a second. From the picture, they can tell if the child has a problem that should be referred to an eye doctor. The screening, of course, is FREE.
Worldwide, the leading cause of reduced vision in children is an unidentified need for them to wear glasses. About 5% of children between one and five years of age experience reduced vision resulting from a serious vision disorder like Amblyopia (lazy eye). If treated while the visual system is still maturing, eye disorders can typically be corrected with non-surgical intervention, and usually, normal vision can be restored. However, when vision problems go undetected or intervention is delayed, permanent and irreversible vison loss can occur. If you’d like more information on how to receive this screening, please let me know and I’ll put you in contact with someone who can help.
Thanksgiving is a week from Thursday. It’s that time of the year when we gather with family and friends and give thanks for all that we have. If you know of someone who is living alone, it might be a great idea to invite them to join you and your family. It’s another one of those holidays when no one should be alone. It’s also another opportunity to take advantage of the “BOGO” deals. You know, “Buy One – Get One Free”. There’s always someone out there who can use an extra can of soup. If you don’t know of anyone like this, take the extra items from your food pantry and take them to a local food pantry. I can’t remember a time when the local food pantry was overstocked. Homeless shelters can also use your extra food items.
I remember about five or six years ago, my wife and I helped out at a homeless shelter in Grand Rapids. We helped serve Thanksgiving dinner to the residents. What a wonderful feeling we received for doing this. It was a win-win situation. We made sure some homeless people had a hot meal with all the trimmings, and we also were able to have a delicious Thanksgiving dinner at no cost. If you’ve never volunteered at a shelter or a soup kitchen, you have no idea on what you’re missing out on. Once you volunteer at this, you’ll want to do it again and again.
A few interesting facts:
Eating celery is technically exercise. When you eat celery, you burn more calories digesting it than you consume.
Running bacon under cold water before cooking, will reduce shrinking by up to 50%.
Apple Cider Vinegar will remove moles, warts, and skin tags.
See you Out and About!
Submitted by Norm Stutesman
