I confess. I am a procrastinator. I know Mae West said “He who hesitates is last.” And American writer, Don Marquis wrote “Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”, but didn’t Mark Twain say “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow”?

But there comes a time when you realize there may not be many more “days after tomorrows”. And you decide it is time to take charge; grab the bull by its horns – if only you could find your misplaced glasses to see the bull. (Some of you may have the urge to add a comment here, but I will hold my pen.)

To take control you need to decide what you want – what are your goals? It may be losing weight, visiting family, moving more, sending emails or just climbing 20 steps without stopping. You decide. But “someday isn’t another day of the week”. How do you move from “want it” to “done that”?

By creating an action plan: dividing your long term goal into doable weekly short term action steps. Remember the adage? “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” The book “Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions” lists the following characteristics of a successful action plan. Is it something YOU want to do; are the steps reasonable (something that can be accomplished in a week; are they specific behaviors (losing weight is not a behavior; not eating after dinner is; does the plan answer the questions: What? How much? When? How often? And are you confident you can fulfill the entire plan.
Now that you have sliced your goal into smaller doable bites, start eating. Along the way you may need to make some adjustments – a little more salt here, another vegetable there. And finally, as you accomplish each step reward yourself: a pat on the back or maybe an after dinner glass of wine?

Two musical favorites are returning to the Center this month. Truman’s Country Gold, Silver and Bronze – he plays them all – will be the headliner for next Tuesday night on the 9th. And tonight the Strawberry Mountain band will be playing for your dancing and listening pleasure. The price is right – if your pockets are bare, but donations are appreciated. Music starts at 7:00 pm and everybody is welcome – whether you have two left “foots” or one.

You may have noticed the new look on the Center’s corner at 10th and Cherry Heights. Thanks to Jack and Alvena Smith who generously coordinated and paid for the landscaping, replacing my feeble attempt from last year, the corner now looks as nice as the Center’s neighbors

The Center’s November 9th Tuesday Lecture at 11:00 will feature Lynette Black, 4-H Extension Faculty, discussing the exciting opportunities 4-H and its many volunteers offer our youth so they can “learn, grow, and work together as catalysts for positive change”.

Last week I forgot to mention the Center’s second Tech Talk scheduled for this Wednesday the 3rd at 1:00 pm. Josh Price will demonstrate how to set up and use Skype – the most popular free software program that allows you to make phone and video calls over the Internet. It is a great way to see and talk to family and friends – and all you need is a computer and a webcam for the video calls.

The Center still has seats available for what has become an annual trip to Portland for the 1:30 matinee performance of the “Singing Christmas Tree” on Sunday November 28th. Call or stop by the Center to pay (only $65 including transportation) and select your seats.

I heard several touching stories of how families reacted to the Cuban Missile Crisis that almost brought the United States and Russia to a nuclear showdown in October of 1962. Fortunately for all, cooler heads prevailed. And of the seven correct entries the winner of a free breakfast was Jo Ann von Borstel. Since it is Election Day, let’s go with one more political history question. What person, at the time a U.S. Senator, gave a half hour television address defending himself against alleged improprieties and stating, regardless of what anyone said, he was going to keep one gift: his children’s dog named Checkers? E- mail mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or write it on back of a 1952 Presidential campaign poster.

Well, that is another night looking for the silver lining in all the wrong jackets. Until we meet again, in life there are always ups and downs or as John Lampe reminded me “sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug”.