A holiday meal
Seems like we go directly from Halloween to Christmas without even a skip for Thanksgiving. Is a holiday an occasion or just a day off work? What is the purpose of a holiday? National Holidays have evolved over time from their original purpose and usually come on Monday to allow for a 3-day weekend.
When I was a kid, Halloween was trick or treat. But that’s become too dangerous and has been abandoned. “Monster” or “Death” houses seemingly rise for the grave and can really be scary, not just a little bit. Some people decorate for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and more people (except in the South) don’t decorate at all. Lights, blow-up plastic figures on the lawn, pumpkins, hay, are more popular now also for Thanksgiving. New England has everything but the blow-up figures because the fall is a big tourist season. The fall “color” season is also a big tourist draw in the North Carolina mountains, but I’ve never been able to pick the “peak weekend.”
Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh. © John Suddath
The Triangle of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill contains a wide range of venues and types of entertainment. It doesn’t matter if you prefer classical music or blue-grass, theater, dance, street fairs & shows, touring groups, concerts or intimate cabarets, the Triangle has an option for you.
The larger venues such as the Performing Arts Centers in downtown Raleigh and downtown Durham and the PNC Arena in Raleigh carry the national touring companies as well as local productions. The annual blue-grass festival draws thousands of people as well as the music festival in the big field in Dorothea Dix Park.
The Joy of Well-Being by Colleen and Jacob Wachob
Book Review of The Joy of Well-Being by Colleen and Jacob Wachob
Intentions help you see the big picture…. Practices ground you in the moment…. The secret is to develop the ability to listen to your body and to be intentional about incorporating well-being into your life…. We are mostly sedentary creatures…. Our front stoops and backyards are not spontaneous meeting places…. Having a sense of purpose and a sense of what makes your life meaningful is linked to better health and a longer life…. We know these things are bad: chronic stress, lack of sleep, financial insecurity, aimlessness, and loneliness. You are the one who has to live with the consequences of your health decisions, so you have to be the one to call the shots…. If you don’t have a diagnosis, it’s impossible to get help from medical doctors.
The nine chapters of the book are about learning how to get those answers and to achieve better results: