inspiration & motivation M AY I H AV E Y O U R AT T E N T I O N P L E A S E ?
A
female voice came over the loudspeaker as the plane taxied toward the runway to begin its flight to Indiana last week. “May I have your attention please?” Down the aisle came three attendants, two women, and one man with instruction cards, seat belt buckles and life vests in hand. Once positioned at their designated locations, the voice began instructing the passengers on the procedures to follow should there be an emergency.“ … In case there is a loss of cabin pressure, an oxygen mask will fall from its compartment. If you are traveling with small children or an elderly person, put your mask on first before attending to others.” These instructions were not new, but this time, they set me thinking. Why is it that women find time to take care of everything, but they have no time for themselves? Each of us is given the same 24-hours in the day, so that isn’t the reason. The answer is that it’s a mindset that we have learned. Haven’t we all been told that women are the caregivers and that it’s more important to put our needs aside for the needs of others and that it is selfish to think about ourselves first? We may not even have been aware that we were processing these ideas, but subconsciously, we accepted them and turned them into our beliefs. Yet, on the airplane they tell us to put ourselves ahead of those small children and elderly people. Why? Because the truth is we have nothing to give to others when we don’t care for ourselves first. Take a few minutes everyday to do something that recharges your battery and makes you feel good. Go for a 15-minute walk, meditate and enjoy the exquisite sound of silence or polish your toenails, laugh on the phone with a friend, or do whatever brings you joy. Let it be the first thing, not the last thing you do. It will quiet the brain chatter, reduce stress and energize you. Everything else will be easier to accomplish once you have made some time for yourself.
• Jean Summit-Riker, Tranquility Based Life Coach, 631-289-1371
THE HUMAN ELEMENT Life is an ephemeral thing. This notion is an irrefutable fact when set against the vastness of time. And if life is so painfully brief, why waste time worrying about things that will fade even sooner than life itself? The sorrows of today are nothing more than the dust of tomorrow. Life is about emotion, for emotion is what makes us human, makes us whole. It should not matter how many designer clothes you have or how many dollars are in your bank account. These things are materialistic, and when the core of life slips away, what will you have if you cared only for material possessions? When you are old and worn and your grandchildren huddle at your knee, what will you tell them if your life amounted solely to brand names and dollar signs? Somewhere, along the twisting path of life, the human element can be lost, and the fact that we are human is all we really have. • Courtney Buoncore, 10th grade student Centereach High School 32
gemmagazineli.com
AMND ALS FUNDRAISER Eight years ago, a group of high school students witnessed their healthy, active and fun-loving teacher, David Deutsch, face a terminal diagnosis – ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The students rallied around him and another teacher in their district who had been diagnosed with the same fate ten years earlier. Their first fundraising effort was a 3 v. 3-basketball tournament that raised a remarkable $25,000. They set their sights a little higher and have now held seven gala benefits at Oheka Castle on Long Island since 2005 and have raised over $2 million for ALS research and families afflicted with the disease. The eighth annual A Midwinter Night’s Dream event will take place on January 12th, 2012. Please join the students and alumni of Northport High School as they put on a magical evening filled with entertainment, unique raffles, silent auctions, exquisite cuisine and above all, hope. Tickets are available starting November 15th, 2011 ($150 per person). For more information, please contact Don Strasser at dstrasser9@optonline.net, 631-262-7428, or visit our website at www.amnd.org. • Sarah Pattison, AMND