B4*Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 12, 1992
TAKING
TIME
by Rebecca Escott
Extension Home Economist
Turning Holiday
Blues To Joy
I opened my advent calendar
window this morning. Just 13
more days until Christmas Day! I
am excited, but'many people in
our communities don’t share my
excitement. In fact, for some peo
ple the approaching holiday may
be the loneliest time of year for
them.
Any person can be a victim of
loneliness regardless of age, mari
tal status, or social-economic
level. However, according to Dr.
Glen Jenson of Utah State Univer
sity, women, teens, and divorced
people are the most prone to it
And a person may experience a
greater sense of loneliness at parti
cular times. Jenson lists winter as
the loneliest season, Sunday as the
loneliest day of the week, and late
night as the loneliest time of the
day.
You can have an active part in
helping a person turn her holiday
blues into joy. One way to combat
loneliness is to volunteer within
the community. Could you pro
vide transportation or issue the
invitation to someone who may be
alone during the holidays so that
he could volunteer to help at an
event? Maybe your neighbor
could help you deliver packages to
homes. A young single person
may be thrilled if you ask her to
chaperone a high school dance or
band trip.
A person can be also overcome
his loneliness by planning some
thing important or interesting for
future days. This gives the person
a reason to get up in the morning
and get dressed even “dressed
up”. If you are planning a visit to a
neighbor, you can actually height
en the joy by calling a day or two
in advance to ask if it would be
okay to stop by or to confirm your
visit time. To make the visit less
hectic for you, you may want to
schedule it after December 25. But
ELECTRIC RANGE
—
drop a card in the mail to your
friend now.
Exercise and a balanced diet
help fend off the possible loneli
ness of the winter months. If you
suspect that a family member may
not be eating well, you could
invite that person to join you for a
meal. Improper nutrition can actu
ally contribute to a person’s feel
ings of depression, discourage
ment and loneliness. A mug of
hearty soup and a warm conversa
tion may be “just what the doctor
ordered.” Also encourage the per
son to exercise with you. Do you
take morning or afternoon wafics?
Who could you invite along for
company? Another way to help
your friends conquer their sadness
is to ask them to share talents.
Does your neighbor bake a special
holiday recipe? Ask her to bring
her recipe and join you in your
kitchen for a morning of baking. I
always seem to need an extra hand
when wrapping gifts. Again,
include an isolated person in this
activity. Show them that they are
needed. Put them to work tearing
tape, holding a ribbon in place or
cutting paper.
Children and animals have a
magical way of helping turn holi
day blues into joy, too. Keep that
in mind as you reach out to help
someone who may be particularly
lonely this month. A visit from
young carolers or a stroll with
your dog'can be gifts of joy.
Perhaps one of the best tips for
helping someone deal with the
losses and changes that often
result in loneliness is to be a good
listener. Be prepared for laughter
and tears. Both are healthy parts of
coping. You may have heard of
the proverb, “A joy shared is
doubled, a sorrow shared is
halved.” It’s true. The first step in
being a good listener is to slop
talking. Silence, like tears, is also
okay. Use the phrases, “I know
just how you feel” and “Things
artland
Marilyn, right, said that it was in her marriage contract that her husband would buy
her a horse after they married. He did. And, now her daughter Alicia shares her pas
sion for horses.
Togetherness Marks Family
(Continued from Page B 3)
the children about the use of each
item.
Sandra also enjoys visiting
senior citizens where she gives
them a quiz that compares pro
ducts and teaches them to read
labels.
Sandra continues to milk even
ings and weekends at home when
she isn’t doing promotional work.
“Everyone in the family is will
ing to work at home so that I can go
will be all right” less often.
Instead try, “Tell me about it” or
“How did that make you feel?” By
all means, it is okay to talk about
special people who have died or
who are living far away. A gentle
touch on the hand, back or shoul
der and eye contact can communi
cate your concern. t
:es inc
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iking
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to a promotion,” she said.
She was thrilled that her sister
wanted to take the “Dairy Prin
cess” to school for Show and Tell.
Her peers are also supportive
and offer to help with promotional
activities.
Sandra said her friends have
nicknamed her Cow Queen, Dairy
Queen, and Milk Queen.
In the state competition, Sandra
received honorable mention for
As you approach the last few
weeks of this holiday season, take
a few moments out of your own
schedule to reach out to an iso
lated person and help them turn
their holidays to joy.
Rebecca Escott is a Home Eco
nomist with Penn State Coopera
tive Extension in Lehigh County.
%
vL'
If your local itorc
doej not have it,
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FREE
BROCHURE
• j
her scrapbook and skit. Her skit is
based on a space age theme.
In the state competition, Sandra
received honorable mention for
her scrapbook and skit. Her skit is
based on space age theme.
With all her responsibilities,
Sandra has time for only four to
five hours of sleep each night.
“But it*s worth going without
sleep to see all the satisfied peo
ple,” she said.
After high school graduation,
Sandra plans to attend either Kutz
town or Penn State University. She
wants to be a child psychologist.
Her experience with dairy princess
classroom demonstrations con
firms how much she loves working
with children.
But, she also loves the farm and
that promises to play a major role
in her future.”
“Hopefully, PH many a dairy
farmer,” she said.
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