Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   

     People are flowers. Music is water. Musicians are the hose. Music rearranges your molecular structure. There's a melody in everything. And once you find the melody, then you connect immediately with the heart. Because sometimes English or Spanish, Swahili or any language gets in the way. But nothing penetrates the heart faster than the melody. First of all, the music that people call Latin or Spanish is really African. So Black people need to get the credit for that. I can show you that I have played with just about every jazz musician, every African musician, every blues musician. It's not like I'm cashing in on a false concept. This is what I do.

~Carlos Santana~

WELCOME TO 
SMOOTH
 CONTEMPORARY JAZZ 
FRIDAYS

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   

     Gardening is how I relax. I adore gardening, and whenever I have time off, that is my passion. It's another form of creating and playing with colors. When I was a boy, I thought scent was contained in dewdrops on flowers and if I got up very early in the morning, I could collect it and make perfume. You have to appreciate every single day that you're alive. Life is a little bit like a garden - you have to find time to plant the seeds for beautiful flowers to grow.

~Oscar de la Renta~

Best vegetables to grow in pots - Experts share the 8 easiest veggies to grow at home...Story by Katie Sims https://www.idealhome.co.uk/

     With the weather finally starting to warm up, now is the perfect time to practice your planting and start growing your own veg. And you don't have to have a fully-fledged kitchen garden to join in either, because the best vegetables to grow in pots can become part of any small garden ideas, or even adorn windowsills, patios or balconies. Growing vegetables in pots is something that beginners and experts alike can get stuck into and enjoy. It's a nice way to incorporate more veggies into your diet, and the process of planting and growing is something that many people find therapeutic.

     Growing vegetables in pots is great for gardening beginners, as it's much easier to keep in control of what you've planted and how you need to look after them,' says Steve Chilton, Gardening Expert, LeisureBench. 'The pots also take up less room than large vegetable patches and flower beds.'

Best vegetables to grow in pots

     But you might be wondering what are the best vegetables to grow in pots, that don't require a lot of effort but can still be enjoyed in plentiful supply when they're ready to harvest? We've streamlined our top picks, only including vegetables which really are simple and easy to grow in pots, but also delicious.

1. Tomatoes

When to plant: once the last frost has gone - usually middle to late May

Pot size: at least 36 inches deep and around 24 inches in diameter

Harvesting period: mid-late summer

     Tomatoes are technically classed as a fruit, but for many of us they reign as a vegetable, and if you're a tomato lover, you'll be pleased to know that you can learn how to grow tomatoes in pots quite easily. Just make sure you choose a large pot as tomatoes have an expansive root system, and use a few strong stakes or a trellis to support them as they grow,' says Daniel Carruthers, Grow Your Own Expert, Cultivar Greenhouses.

2. Radishes

When to plant: spring or early summer

Pot size: diameter of at least 8 inches and a depth of 10 inches  

Harvesting period: 3-4 weeks after germination

     Thanks to their short roots, radishes are one of the best vegetables to grow in pots, and you won't need overly large containers to grow them. Pots with a depth and diameter of around 10 inches will do. Radishes are quick to mature and are usually ready to be harvested in as little as 3 weeks,' Steve from LeisureBench explains. 

3. Green beans

When to plant: late May

Pot size: around 10 inches deep and 18 inches in diameter 

Harvesting period: 3-4 weeks after germination

     Up the amount of greens in your diet by growing your own green beans, another easy vegetable to plant in a pot. Green beans like temperatures of 15°C or above, but as long as you wait until after the frost has gone to sow your seeds, you'll still see germination. Like tomatoes, green beans are climbers, so give them a little extra support with a stake or trellis.

4. Lettuces

When to plant: early spring

Pot size: diameter of at least 12 inches and a depth of 6-8 inches is ideal

Harvesting period: 6-8 weeks after germination

     Say hello to fresh salad leaves by learning how to grow lettuce in pots. This is a nice easy vegetable to grow for beginners, and the pot doesn't have to be huge. Lettuce is a cool season crop, so you can sow your seeds in early spring. Ideally, lettuces need around 8 hours of sunlight every day,' Steve says. 'If you are growing your lettuce during a particularly hot heatwave or in the middle of summer, make sure to put them in the shade during the hottest parts of the day.'

5. Peppers

When to plant: late May

Pot size: at least 12 inches in diameter

Harvesting period: 2-3 months after sowing

     Peppers are one of the best vegetables to grow in pots, and you can even include them in window box planting. 'Like tomatoes, peppers have a large root system so prefer a roomier pot so that they have space to spread out,' says Daniel from Cultivar Greenhouses. 'Peppers also prefer a more acidic compost, so ensure you use an ericaceous fertiliser to get the best results.'

6. Kale

When to plant: early spring or autumn

Pot size: at least 12 inches in diameter and 12 inches deep

Harvesting period: 30-40 days after germination

     One of the great superfoods we all should probably be eating more of, kale is another great vegetable to grow in a container. 'Kale can be grown in a pot that is at least 12 inches in diameter, and it’s best to use a well-draining potting mix for this plant,' says Fiona Jenkins, Gardening Expert, MyJobQuote. Kale likes to germinate in cooler temperatures, so you can plant the seeds either in early spring or fall, and have a fresh supply of greens all year round.

7. Spring onions

When to plant: March onwards

Pot size: at least 12 inches in diameter and 12 inches deep

Harvesting period: summer and early autumn

     Spring onions can easily be grown in containers, which is good news if you like adding this vegetable to your stir frys. Young spring onion plants can be harvested in just 60 days and mature spring onions can be harvested at 120 days, Fiona says. These plants require full sun to thrive.

8. Potatoes

When to plant: early March

Pot size: at least 14 inches in diameter and 15 inches deep

Harvesting period: early summer

     You might be surprised to learn that potatoes are one of the best vegetables to grow in pots, given that spuds can often grow quite large. You'll need a bigger pot, at least 15 inches deep, or you can learn how to grow potatoes in bags if you'd prefer. Make sure your pot has some drainage holes, and keep in a sunny, frost-free spot. You can harvest when the plants start to flower - simply tip the pot upside down and get your homegrown potatoes from the soil.

FAQs

What garden vegetables are easiest to grow in pots?

     Some of the easiest vegetables to grow in pots include peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, kale and lettuce. Cherry tomatoes, in particular, are very well-suited for growing in pots, says gardening expert Fiona. They can be grown in a relatively small pot. Just be sure to provide adequate support for the plant and keep it well-watered.

     Any leafy greens do well in pots, so you can have a plentiful supply of salad this summer at a fraction of the price of supermarket salad bags!' says grow your own expert Daniel. Loose leaf lettuce, which is any type of lettuce that doesn’t form a head and is known as a ‘cut and come again’ lettuce, is often the easiest to grow and adds a wide range of colours, tastes and textures to any salad bowl.

What winter veg can I grow in pots?

There are plenty of winter vegetables that can be grown in pots, says Fiona. Some examples include:

⦁ Garlic

⦁ Onions

⦁ Spring onions

⦁ Broad Beans

⦁ Brussel Sprouts

⦁ Beetroot

⦁ Shallots

⦁ Kale

⦁ Lettuce

⦁ Carrots

Now you know some of the best vegetables to grow in pots, which seeds will you be sowing this spring? 

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   

     Your Lord is a God of mercy and bountifulness: be a source of mercy and bountifulness to your neighbors. If you will be such, you will find salvation yourself with everlasting glory. Leave all human injustices to the Lord, for God is the Judge, but as to yourself, be diligent in loving everybody with a pure heart. How will it be with us in the future life, when everything that has gratified us in this world: riches, honors, food and drink, dress, beautifully furnished dwellings, and all attractive objects-how will it be, I say, when all these things leave us-when they will all seem to us a dream, and when works of faith and virtue, of abstinence, purity, meekness, humility, mercy, patience, obedience, and others will be required of us?

~John of Kronstadt~

Kenneth Davis

     The bitterest tears shed over graves

are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.

~Harriet Beecher Stowe~

Kenneth Davis

ACKNOWLEDGING THE PROFESSIONAL NURSES FROM "THE CLASS OF 1970"

THANK YOU SO MUCH !

National Nurses Day and Week: May 6-12, 2023

     From The American Presidency Project, Proclamation 4913—National Recognition Day for Nurses, 1982: “Scientific advancements in recent years have dramatically expanded the role of nurses in our health care system, and their knowledge and skills have increased to keep pace with new technologies and methods of treatments. Yet, the very core of nursing—caring for patients at the bedside—remains unchanged. Nurses bring a special compassion and concern for the patient and for the patient's family. Nurses play a vital role in educating people in how to avoid illness and promote good health. Nurses are essential to every health care setting—in hospitals, nursing homes, ambulatory care centers, and patients' homes.”
     According to the American Nurses Association, National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale's birthday. These permanent dates enhance planning and position National Nurses Week as an established recognition event. As of 1998, May 8 was designated as National Student Nurses Day, to be celebrated annually. And as of 2003, National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurses Week (May 6-12) each year.

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     Every morning I awake torn between a desire to save the world and an inclination to savor it. It's hard to know when to respond to the seductiveness of the world and when to respond to its challenge. If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between the desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority. 

~E. B. White~

IT'S TIME FOR
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

     With a pile of 300 resumes on his desk and a need to pick someone quickly, my boss told me to make calls on 50 and toss the rest. Throw away 250 resumes?” I asked, shocked. “What if the best candidates are in there? You have a point,” he said. “But then again, I don’t need people with bad luck around here.”

~Becky Horowitz~

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     Great truths that are stumbling blocks to the natural man are nevertheless the very foundations upon which the confidence of the spiritual man is built. Time is given us to use in view of eternity. If lips and life do not agree, the testimony will not amount to much. Beware lest we mistake our prejudices for our convictions. If what they are saying about you is true, mend your ways. If it isn't true, forget it, and go on and serve the Lord. Grace is the very opposite of merit... Grace is not only undeserved favor, but it is favor, shown to the one who has deserved the very opposite.

~Henry Allen Ironside~

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Anna Jarvis Turns Mother's Day Into a National Holiday

The official Mother’s Day holiday arose in the 1900s as a result of the efforts of Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis. Following her mother’s 1905 death, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children.

After gaining financial backing from a Philadelphia department store owner named John Wanamaker, in May 1908 she organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia. That same day also saw thousands of people attend a Mother’s Day event at one of Wanamaker’s retail stores in Philadelphia.

Following the success of her first Mother’s Day, Jarvis—who remained unmarried and childless her whole life—resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar. Arguing that American holidays were biased toward male achievements, she started a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood.

By 1912 many states, towns and churches had adopted Mother’s Day as an annual holiday, and Jarvis had established the Mother’s Day International Association to help promote her cause. Her persistence paid off in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     A desire to be in charge of our own lives, a need for control, is born in each of us. It is essential to our mental health, and our success, that we take control. Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth, personal achievement, begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding and lack of purpose with self-actualization.

     While we are focusing on fear, worry or hate, it is not possible for us to be experiencing happiness, enthusiasm or love. Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something can be done rather than saying it can't be done. A dead end can never be a one way street; you can always turn around and take another road.

~Robert Foster Bennett~

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

     May is Mental Health Awareness Month! This national month of awareness and action has been recognized since 1949, as mental health activists and practitioners across the country work to spread the word that mental health is something everyone should care about. With events, screenings, activities, and more, Mental Health Awareness Month is a catalyst for us to learn more, seek help, offer support, and open our hearts and minds to vulnerable conversations.

 © Provided by Good Good Good ( https://www.goodgoodgood.co/)

Activities & Ideas To Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month

Take Care of Yourself

     Create strong self-care practices. Self-care is a big buzzword these days, but we encourage you to create strong, proactive self-care practices that give you the energy and space to thrive. We’ve put together a number of guides to support your self-care journey:

⦁ Self Care Ideas‍

⦁ ‍Best Self-Care Apps‍

⦁ Self-Care Quotes

⦁ ‍How To Cheer Yourself Up

⦁ ‍How To Build a Self-Care Kit

⦁ ‍Self Care Journals & Planners

⦁ ‍Self-Care Affirmations

‍Find a therapist

     A great therapist can help you gain valuable insights, provide support and guidance when you are facing challenges, help you confront and heal trauma, and give you the tools to create a life you love. You deserve to find your perfect fit! Good news: we created a comprehensive guide to finding a therapist. 

     Celebrate good news. Speaking of good news, the world is full of it! Take it from us, we’re a good news media company that literally makes a monthly print newspaper filled with good news. (And you should subscribe!) When we fill our brains with reminders that there’s lots of good in the world, it helps us feel more hopeful about the future and encourages us to be a part of creating that better future.

     Subscribe to a positive news email newsletter like ours ( https://www.goodgoodgood.co/), check out good news websites, and do everything possible to make sure you’re exposed to hopeful news stories on a regular basis. Here are a few positive news stories to get you started:

⦁ U.S. Senator John Fetterman used his email list to fundraise for mental health organizations

⦁ These barbers are helping Black men talk about mental health

⦁ Mental health activists are creating safe and inclusive spaces online and IRL

⦁ This therapist and TikTok creator is helping us learn how our homes can take care of us — not the other way around

⦁ Wyoming created a mental health hotline for farmers and ranchers

⦁ You can also check out our whole library of mental health good news. ( https://www.goodgoodgood.co/)

‍Consume the news thoughtfully

     Although we’re big fans of finding the good, we know that the news can feel incredibly heavy at times. While it’s important to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in the world, (because the privilege of experiencing bad news through the news comes with the requirement that you use that privilege for good) you can still consume the news responsibly. Choose who you get your news from thoughtfully. We’ve also put together a guide on how to read the news with intentionality. 

‍Try meditating

     Apps like Headspace, Calm, and Breethe make self-care activities like mediation easy and accessible. Give your meditation practice a go this month and see what can happen when you expand your self care toolkit. 

Celebrate

     Attend an event in support of Mental Health Awareness Month. A great way to spread awareness about mental health is by engaging in events in your community or online to learn more and connect with others who are willing to share their experiences with mental health conditions.

     On a national scale, you can look forward to Mental Health Action Day on May 18, where organizations, agencies, and brands will come together to encourage folks to get the mental health support they need. You can even host your own event, gathering friends and community members to reach out to elected officials, lead a fundraiser, organize a walk or run, or include a local mental health professional in a forum or Q&A.

     Contact your representatives to urge them to prioritize mental health. You have the tools to urge your elected officials to make mental health a priority! Here are a few things you can do:

⦁ Ask your governor or mayor to formally declare May as Mental Health Month. Mental Health America has a toolkit with a sample proclamation. 

⦁ Check out Mental Health America’s State of Mental Health In America report and share it with your elected officials. 

⦁ Contact your member of Congress or Senator to express why you think they should make mental health policy a priority — remember, midterms are coming up!

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     To get joy, we must give it and to keep joy, we must scatter it. An attitude of gratitude creates blessings. Help yourself by helping others. You have the most powerful weapons on earth - love and prayer. Life is made up not necessarily of great sacrifices or high-level duties but of little things. The smiles, the kindnesses, the commitments and obligations and responsibilities that are given habitually and lovingly are the blessings that win and preserve the heart and bring comfort to one's self as we as to others. This is the ministry of service performed by every useful life.

~John Templeton~

IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Do you remember using Pet Milk labels to get into the Ace Theater? We would pack snacks and spend the day watching the same move over and over again.

The Ace Theater located on Mississippi Boulevard opened 1928 and closed 1967. According to www.historic-memphis.com the theater, owned by Dave Lebovitz, was for colored patrons.

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   

     There's no future without the past and anybody who doesn't really understand where jazz has come from has no right to try to direct where it's going. You don't decide you're hip. It just happens that way. Hipness is not a state of mind, it's a fact of life! Understanding is the least important thing when it comes to digging jazz because, like anything else, jazz is a form of entertainment. It is created to be enjoyed, not understood like you read a blueprint.

~Cannonball Adderley~

WELCOME TO 
SMOOTH
 CONTEMPORARY JAZZ 
FRIDAYS

Kenneth Davis

     Age is not measured by years. Nature does not equally distribute energy. Some people are born old and tired while others are still going strong at seventy.
~Dorothy Thompson~

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS
 TO
 FELIPPA FIELDS SCALES
 & 
EDWARD JOHNSON

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Welcome to Friday!

Days after the Guinness World Records  designated Monday as the 'worst day of the week', it said that “Friday probably becomes the best day”.  Most people love Fridays because it is the last day of their work week. It is the last day of school. It is the last day for getting up early. It is the last day of going to bed at a regular time. 

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

      Successful gardening is not necessarily a question of wealth, it is a question of love, taste, and knowledge. Still, no gardener would be a gardener if he did not live in hope. The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before. The more one gardens, the more one learns; And the more one learns, the more one realizes how little one knows.

~Vita Sackville-West~

FRUITS OF LABOR FROM THE GARDEN OF JOHN THOMAS

CHEAP WAYS TO IMPROVE GARDEN SOIL  by Ali Southerland
COPYRIGHT © 2023 · FOODIE PRO & THE GENESIS FRAMEWORK

     Soil is the heart of your garden. And if we want to keep our gardens healthy and producing plenty, it’s essential to care for the soil diligently. Here are some practical and cheap ways to improve garden soil.
FERTILIZER
     When people think of improving soil, they most often think of adding fertilizer. This is because plants pull nutrients out of the soil, so we must put them back. There are 2 ways to add fertilizer: organic matter and inorganic fertilizers.
ORGANIC MATTER
     Adding organic matter means adding products from living things into your soil. Some common ways of doing this include adding compost, manure, blood/bone meal, or seaweed-based fertilizer.
INORGANIC FERTILIZERS
     You can also use inorganic products. You can buy these at any gardening store. And they come in all kinds of varieties, like succulent, for encouraging blooms, fruits, or houseplants.
SOIL AMENDMENTS
     Nutrients are just 1 facet of keeping soil healthy. Paying attention to several soil characteristics like pH and permeability/drainage is essential.
SOIL PH
     Soil pH is a measure of the soil’s acidity. For example, you need acid soil to grow blueberries, corn, cucumbers, and onions.
HOW TO LOWER SOIL PH
     The easiest way to lower soil pH is to add sulfur, which you can find at garden supply stores. How much sulfur you need is determined by how much you need to lower the pH, so it’s a good idea to start with a pH test. Then you work it evenly into the soil according to the package directions. Be sure to wear protective gear as indicated. Be sure to give a 1 month’s break between adding sulfur and planting. If you do not, you will burn the roots of your plants.
HOW TO RAISE SOIL PH
     Adding agricultural lime, or simply lime is the go-to way to raise soil pH. Lime is ground-up limestone. Like lowering the pH, you need to start with a soil test to add the proper amount of lime. Then work it into the soil until evenly distributed. Allow at least 2 months, ideally 3, between treatment and planting to ensure enough time for the lime to neutralize the acid.
PERMEABILITY
     The rate at which water moves through the soil is an integral part of growing healthy gardens. If water moves too fast, it may not be absorbed by the plant and leech nutrients away.If it drains too slowly, it can cause root rot and encourage fungal growth.
IMPROVING PERMEABILITY
     There are several cheap ways of improving the permeability of your soil.
SAND
     Sand is a cheap way to make soil drain. How much and how fine the sand needs to be depends on what your soil is composed of.
MANURE
     You can add aged manure to increase your soil’s permeability.
MULCH
     An excellent way to prevent water loss from the soil is to keep the soil mulched. It will also make the soil cooler and prevent weeds from growing.
CONCLUSION
     Growing delicious food starts with caring for your soil. So what do you add to it?

Kenneth Davis

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY  


 

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     Faith hasn't got no eyes, but she's long-legged. She's got those big black eyes with plenty shiny white in them that makes them shine like brand new money and she knows what God gave women eyelashes for, too. Her hair is not what you might call straight. It's negro hair, but it's got a kind of white flavor. Like the piece of string out of a ham. It's not ham at all, but it's been around ham and got the flavor. The morning air was like a new dress. That made her feel the apron tied around her waist. She untied it and flung it on a low bush beside the road and walked on, picking flowers and making a bouquet… From now on until death she was going to have flower dust and springtime sprinkled over everything. Here was peace. She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes! She called in her soul to come and see. Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to 'jump at the sun.' We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.

~Zora Neale Hurston~

Margie McRae (Reed)

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     I never really write the jokes. I just sit down over a week or two and try to figure out what I want to talk about. Once I narrow that down, then I start working on the material, like "How do I make this stuff funny? Everything's funny - in the right context and done by the right person. One of my daughters told me the other day, "Kevin Hart is funnier than you, Daddy." I told her, "Does Kevin Hart make you pancakes?
 

~Chris Rock~
 

IT'S TIME FOR
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

     The young father took a seat on the bus next to an elderly man and plopped his one-year-old on his lap, just as the little boy began to cry and fidget. “That child is spoiled, isn’t he?” the old man remarked. “No,” said the dad. “They all smell this way.”

~Robert Howe~

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     When you pray, remember that you are not praying to a distant God, but to the God that dwells within you. Don't just speak the words; feel what they mean in your life. Don't pray from your lips, but from your heart. Your prayers aren't for God, they are for you, to remind you of the presence of the Holy Spirit within you. When you say "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done," remember that you are loved and protected. God has planned greater things for us than we can imagine. The more we maintain an awareness of God's unchanging love, the safer and more at home we will feel in the world.

~Susan L. Taylor~

Kenneth Davis

     Maturity is achieved when a person accepts life as full of tension. Treasure each other in the recognition that we do not know how long we shall have each other.

~Joshua L. Liebman~

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Did you know that Mose Walker, assistant principal at BTW, earned a BS degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry?  He also earned a MS in Bacteriology and an MS in Science Education.

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     Some people run away from things. I have health challenges, I have life challenges, just like everyone else. I continually still fight every day for my life, not only still battling mental health problems but battling multiple sclerosis, which also has depression as one of its side effects. When I was suffering with depression, people weren't talking about depression. It had a stigma. A lot of times we base everything just on our immediate circumstance. We don't see a big picture for our lives. We don't love ourselves. We don't have a way of kind of gauging the future, so we count it lost. I have been blind. I have been paralyzed. But each day, if I wake up, then I know He's left me here for a reason, and I have to say yes. And I have to get up. And I have to make the best of that day.

~Jennifer Holliday~

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

Caring for Your Mental Health

     Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, act, make choices, and relate to others. Mental health is more than the absence of a mental illness—it’s essential to your overall health and quality of life. Self-care can play a role in maintaining your mental health and help support your treatment and recovery if you have a mental illness.

About Self-Care

     Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. When it comes to your mental health, self-care can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact.

Here are some tips to help you get started with self-care:

⦁ Get regular exercise. Just 30 minutes of walking every day can help boost your mood and improve your health. Small amounts of exercise add up, so don’t be discouraged if you can’t do 30 minutes at one time.

⦁ Eat healthy, regular meals and stay hydrated. A balanced diet and plenty of water can improve your energy and focus throughout the day. Also, limit caffeinated beverages such as soft drinks or coffee.

⦁ Make sleep a priority. Stick to a schedule, and make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Blue light from devices and screens can make it harder to fall asleep, so reduce blue light exposure from your phone or computer before bedtime.

⦁ Try a relaxing activity. Explore relaxation or wellness programs or apps, which may incorporate meditation, muscle relaxation, or breathing exercises. Schedule regular times for these and other healthy activities you enjoy such as journaling.

⦁ Set goals and priorities. Decide what must get done now and what can wait. Learn to say “no” to new tasks if you start to feel like you’re taking on too much. Try to be mindful of what you have accomplished at the end of the day, not what you have been unable to do.

⦁ Practice gratitude. Remind yourself daily of things you are grateful for. Be specific. Write them down at night, or replay them in your mind.

⦁ Focus on positivity. Identify and challenge your negative and unhelpful thoughts.

⦁ Stay connected. Reach out to your friends or family members who can provide emotional support and practical help.

     Self-care looks different for everyone, and it is important to find what you need and enjoy. It may take trial and error to discover what works best for you. In addition, although self-care is not a cure for mental illnesses, understanding what causes or triggers your mild symptoms and what coping techniques work for you can help manage your mental health.

When to Seek Professional Help

     Seek professional help if you are experiencing severe or distressing symptoms that have lasted 2 weeks or more, such as:

⦁ Difficulty sleeping

⦁ Appetite changes that result in unwanted weight changes

⦁ Struggling to get out of bed in the morning because of mood

⦁ Difficulty concentrating

⦁ Loss of interest in things you usually find enjoyable

⦁ Inability to perform usual daily functions and responsibilities

     Don’t wait until your symptoms are overwhelming. Talk about your concerns with your primary care provider, who can refer you to a mental health professional if needed. If you don’t know where to start, read the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Tips for Talking With a Health Care Provider About Your Mental Health. Learn more about how to get help or find a provider on the NIMH’s Help for Mental Illnesses webpage (https://www.nimh.nih.gov/).

What to Do in a Crisis

     If you or someone you know is struggling or having thoughts of suicide, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. This service is confidential, free, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In life-threatening situations, call 911. 

‍

Kenneth Davis

May 20 South City MEMFix

     MemFix is a series of community events designed to rethink and activate streets, vacant storefronts, and beloved landmarks. South City will be hosting its own MemFix near the intersection of Georgia Ave./Lauderdale/Mississippi Blvd. Imagine local vendors, live entertainment, art, South City historians, delicious food, and more! That sounds like fun, right? It will be but we need great people like you to come and bring your family and friends.
     The theme is "SOUTH CITY: History Lives Here: Progress, Prosperity, Purpose". Come learn about one of the oldest neighborhoods in Memphis. This is a FREE community event. So,

everyone is invited to join the excitement!
     W e are also looking for vendors. If you have a food truck or a business that offers products and/or services. We need you! Please complete this form for consideration

https://forms.gle/99BXeddfCUE9hPMM7

For more information contact Rebecca Matlock Hutchinson at 901.504.5392 or Rebecca@scorecdc.org.