There are many ways one can “walk” a labyrinth

On a recent glorious Friday morning, our women's wellness group gathered to walk the Roots & Wings Labyrinth. We did this in such a beautifully unhurried contemplative way --

Later that same day,

I was inspired to do some weeding and path-mulching , when at least 5 young neighborhood kids zoomed down Ramah Lane on their bikes, and called across ,asking to ‘walk’ the labyrinth (they were introduced to it by one of their mothers before).

They did it their way  with such joie de vivre and spontaneity, running fast follow-the-leader style most of the time, heads held high, hair streaming, and high-fiving each other without stopping when passing in opposite directions, with at least a two of them  doing a few cartwheels as they made their way to the center. There they all sat down on the grass in a circle, heads bent  towards each other. Then they came running across to me, asking to make a phone call  to a parent...

I wish I had had a video camera!! Perhaps they caught some of our vibes from the morning!  It was certainly a beautiful reminder of the many ways one can “walk” the labyrinth.

AN: While this Labyrinth is no longer open, you can google local labyrinths in your area. 

Nurturing Your Passion for Creativity

It's a delight for me to support a young person's aspirations. Here’s what Tracy Tanoff shares about how she discovered her passion for reading and writing, leading to her choice of English and Journalism classes at college and hence her current internship at ROOTS & WINGS:
 

"When I was a kid, around five or six, my biggest dream was to be a veterinarian—everyone always observed that I was good with animals; I loved animals as much as they seemed to love me. More than that, I was interested in healing those who were hurt. I was strongly affected by negative emotions and any sort of discord, and while I shied away from the idea of healing people, I wanted very much to help animals, who’d brought me plenty of joy and amusement during my childhood.

 

As I grew older, I found that I wasn’t as cut out for veterinary training as I’d once imagined—I wasn’t very good at science and math, foundations any doctor would need, but fortunately, I did have another strong suit. Another childhood passion of mine was reading and, after fourth grade, writing. As a young girl, I was enthusiastic about and absorbed by fantasy and science fiction stories. I soon began writing some of my own, modeled after the books I loved most, by authors like Bruce Coville and Mary Stanton, and such epic series as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. I was encouraged by the fourth grade teacher who first told me my writing had a real “voice,” and my supportive mother and stepfather.

 

When I reached my last year of middle school and entered high school, I discovered that my love of language also opened up another door for me—like my mother, I was a good editor. Peer-editing my classmates’ papers in a college-level English class, and being commended by my teacher for the help I was giving students who needed it, I decided on my future career path. I knew as early as eleventh grade that I wanted to be an English major, and my determination certainly surprised adults who were used to students who were undecided!

 

At SUNY New Paltz, I learned to extend my range as a writer and an editor; I took Journalism classes in addition to my English classes, and my minor in Journalism requires an internship in a communications field, such as publishing. I knew I wanted a position that would help me grow as a writer and an editor, as well as one with a specific geographical component: I wanted to stay local. New Paltz, as a community, has always welcomed me and made me feel safe; I feel much more grounded here than I would have in New York City or on unfamiliar parts of Long Island, my home.

 

Puja’s listing in the job fair catalogue called my name right away—not only was it in the New Paltz area, it was seeking someone with the skills I had and wanted to hone. It seemed like a dream, but I was still nervous; I’d been disappointed by seeming “dream jobs” before, overlooked in favor of other candidates. I tried to pour my nervousness into something other than needless stress: the hunt for the right black pants to wear to the fair, the right résumé paper to print my qualifications on.

 

The day of the job fair wasn’t nearly as stress-free as I’d been hoping—the humidity was awful and I lugged my six-pound Shakespeare anthology to class only to find out my professor had unexpectedly cancelled. By the time I got to the job fair, I was hot, upset, and slightly panicked, and I was sure that whatever chances I’d had at being hired had surely slipped down the drain!

 

I remember being so relieved after my interview—I liked Puja and she seemed to like me, and even the unfamiliar subject area I’d be working in didn’t seem quite so daunting after our talk. I waited nervously to hear whether I’d gotten the position or not, and was relieved and excited when I opened my inbox one Saturday morning to an email from Puja informing me that I’d be working at Roots & Wings along with another intern.

 

Since January, I’ve been greatly enjoying my work at Roots & Wings. I’ve been opened to so many new experiences—I’ve been editing manuscripts and seeing how layouts are formatted (and reformatted), and learning about how to write book proposals. I’ve even found that working with writing on health and well-being resonates with why I wanted to be a vet as a child—it’s all about cutting down on pain and negativity. The idea of “roots and wings” even applies to why I wanted this internship in the first place: I wanted to allow my New Paltz roots to flourish, and the knowledge and connections I gain here will hopefully allow me to spread my wings and take off into the professional world!"

By Roots & Wings Intern Tracy Tanoff

Learning at any age!

I’m teaching a SUNY Lifetime Learning class for seniors,

Use Your Energy to Welcome Change

, One way I keep my own energy moving is to connect with younger people at other points of the age spectrum. I love to mentor SUNY student interns through the publishing aspect of Roots & Wings. It can be a reciprocal win-win for us all: interns have a hands-on learning business experience, practicing essential skills, while their perspective can be very helpful to me.

Here’s what Lauren Boudreau wrote about becoming one of my two current interns at ROOTS & WINGS:

“Take a moment and close your eyes; picture yourself at age ten stepping into an amusement park for the first time. You are overwhelmed by the lights, the music, the rides seeming to break all laws of physics. You are excited yet scared at the same time, but not to worry, your parents are right there holding your hands.

This scenario is pretty much exactly what I felt the first time (and many times after) I stepped into a career and internship fair. The chills that ran through my body were only numbed by the fact that I knew I was not alone. There were hundreds of other students just like me waiting to start their lives.

This year’s fair included companies in my field (publishing) and when I saw Puja sitting at her small table labeled

Roots & Wings

I knew this could finally be my big break.

It did not take long after the Fair for her to ask me for an interview. As I sat in my car across the street from the Bakery where we were to meet, my hands were shaking and my teeth were chattering in the cold December weather. However, when I started actually speaking with Puja my nerves calmed down. Thankfully, I got the job! Since January I have been an intern for

Roots & Wings!

At first I was a little worried at what I could possibly do to improve this one-woman company. I quickly found out that even though Puja is the sole proprietor, there is so much work to do! I am never bored.

What I really like about this internship is that I can do it on my free time. Puja will send me pieces to edit via email and I can do it at 3 AM if I want to (I don’t). At times when I go to Puja’s home office, I feel relaxed—I am even

distracted by the sheer beauty of the surroundings, looking up to the ‘Gunks.’ (Roots & Wings also serves as a getaway for BnB guests.)

The most fun assignments are when I get to edit her material. I remember being so completely satisfied with myself when after I sent her some edits, she ended up going with most of my suggestions! It’s truly the best feeling ever, feeling that you did something worthwhile.

I’m learning a lot also. I’m more aware of writing clear and concise sentences than I was before, especially for the type of self-help books Puja is writing and publishing. You must use colloquial language and organize it in a way that easy for readers to understand. Editing is truly an art form and must be done with a careful eye. As I have learned, good editing is what truly makes a good book.

Words cannot express how grateful I am that I get to do this. One day I can only hope that I turn these valuable skills into a full-time job!”

Roots & Wings Interns Spring 2013 - Lauren on left; Tracy on right.

Puja's current writing and contributions to previous Chronogram blogs

Past entries of Puja's blog for the Chronogram magazine can be found here. She is no longer writing a blog for Chronogram, but some of the entries may be of interest.

There have been some changes in the management of this blog. Puja would like to thank Cynthia Stewart for her contributions to the entries in 2012.

Puja is busy expanding her My Hope & Focus Cancer Organizer, which is near to completion.

Also in the works is an organizer for any health challenge. Its guidelines will help you manage and coordinate everything you need, from emergency contact information to health history, questions to ask your doctors, treatment decisions, tests, medication, billing, insurance and much more...

Look out for other posts to come!

Get Organized! How to Keep Track of your Medical Paperwork*


A handful of people braved the snow to participate in Puja Thomson’s practical workshop, Get Organized! How to Keep Track of Your Medical Paperwork at The Desmond Campus, Newburgh on November 27th, 2012.

Each class member brought an empty three-ring binder and filled it with material Puja Thomson provided: such as a copy of the already 3 hole-punched 87 page My Hope & Focus Organizer, extra dividers, named tabs, sheet protectors, and a business card holder sheet. Puja Thomson introduced guidelines and helpful hints to show the class how to divide the paperwork for each aspect of their health journey. This way they would have everything—their emergency contact information, professional team, medical history, questions for doctors and their answers, test/lab results, prescriptions, billing, insurance, family involvement, and other useful information—all at their fingertips!

Next, everyone got involved adding personal information to specific pages, such as emergency contacts, and began to work on their health history log, confident that they could complete the entries at home after the class.

Puja encouraged everyone to:  
·      Use only the pages that are relevant at any given time and come back to other details as needed later. Take breaks!
·      Change to a much bigger binder, or subdivide the information between several binders, as your info accumulates—so that, e.g, everything concerning medical visits is in one binder, while insurance and billing is in another. Place Resource information in folders in a file box on a shelf
·      Get help!
·      Put in place your health care Proxy and Living will immediately, even BEFORE illness knocks at your door, if you haven’t done so yet. (A good resource is  Five Wishes from www.agingwithdignity.org/)
·      Remember! What matters is that YOU can find everything without fuss or stress.


It was well worth braving the elements! As one participant put it, “This course absolutely met my expectations. It was well-organized and informative. Having had a recent hospitalization and long illness, the paperwork has been overwhelming. Puja’s wonderful “My Hope & Focus Organizer”, the extra dividers, tabs and pages she provided along with her very clear guidelines were very helpful. I wish I had this information 8 months ago… I will use it and pass it on...”  Another found the organization ideas “original, detailed and useful.” And another shared that the “Questions to ask your doctor” were particularly valuable.

Written by Cynthia Stewart for Roots & Wings

Perspectives on Breast Cancer Survivorship at the Benedictine Hospital October the 22nd*

Hosted by the HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley and co-sponsored by Breast Cancer Options

A panel discussion at a local hospital inspired a lively discussion on living a full life after a breast cancer diagnosis. The goal of the event was to help people connect to the emotional, social and spiritual support they need and find meaning and purpose in their lives.

Puja Thomson, author of

After Shock: From Cancer Diagnosis to Healing

and

My Hope & Focus Organizer

, facilitated the event, Perspectives on Breast Cancer Survivorship, at the Benedictine Hospital on Oct. 22. Five panel members represented organizations that work together to offer services and resources in the Hudson Valley to benefit women and families affected by breast cancer.

The panel included, Barbara Sarah, founder of the Oncology Support Program at Benedictine Hospital, Mary Martin, a breast health navigator of the Fern Feldman Anolick Center for Breast Health at the Benedictine Hospital, Wendy Stickley-Ocker of the American Cancer Society and Hope Nemiroff of Breast Cancer Options. The representatives presented their perspectives and offered resources for audience members to receive the support they need. The audience was encouraged to help others find the support they need and positively influence the future of breast cancer.

Methods and perspectives on breast cancer vary, there are even multiple definitions of cancer survivorship, Thomson explained. Some believe that survivorship occurs at the time of a cancer diagnosis, others believe survivorship is won after treatment ends, while some believe that survivorship means living with cancer. “The number of people living with cancer will increase over the next decade because the quality of survival is improving,” 

Wendy Stickley-Ocker of the American Cancer Society informed the audience. The American Cancer Society aims to help your survival plan, and relieve the negative emotional effects of getting a diagnosis.

“You can still have a full and rich life even if you are diagnosed with cancer,” Barbara Sarah said. Sarah’s Oncology Support Program promotes a philosophy of living well. Her work is based on Buddhist philosophy, but teaches people of various faiths to live life with intention and to cope with worry and fear. “Now is the most important word, live everyday fully,” Sarah told the audience. The Oncology Support Program offers more than your ordinary “sit and talk” support groups. Their programs include classes on cooking, memoir writing, art and music therapy, improv groups and much more. Their Nurturing Neighborhood Network

connects cancer survivors to other survivors trained by the Oncology Support Program to provide peer support. Through the Oncology Support Program people can turn their worries into action and find solace in their peers.

Mary Martin is a breast health navigator of the Fern Feldman Anolick Center for Breast Health who works to help people receive cancer treatment, especially the uninsured or underinsured. The Fern Feldman Anolick Center for Breast Health at the Benedictine Hospital provides comprehensive breast imaging like diagnostic screening and digital mammography and ultrasounds. Martin described a new law that helps educate patients in N.Y. The law requires health care facilities to inform patients who have dense breast tissues that their cancer could be concealed on a mammogram. 

People with denser breast tissue have more glandular tissue and less fatty tissue.

“Additional imaging, such as ultrasounds or MRIs, may be necessary,” Martin explained. Women whose breast cancer was not indicated on mammograms because of their dense breast tissue lobbied for this law. The Breast Density Inform bill will take effect Jan. 1st 2013.

The panel stressed the importance of using information from trustworthy sources to create appropriate treatment plans. “People don’t just want support groups, they want information to make their own decisions,” Hope Nemiroff of Breast Cancer Options explained. Breast Cancer Options educates patients about effective treatment options and promotes public awareness regarding cancer risk education. Breast Cancer Options offers free acupuncture for people undergoing cancer treatment and companion advocate programs to support patients during doctor’s appointments in various counties in New York.

Audience members contributed to the discussion and voiced their appreciation for the work of the panel members' community programs. One audience member shared how breast cancer support services helped not only herself, but her family and community. “We struggled, but I think my children will be better people because of our family’s experience with breast cancer.” She mentioned the positive experience her children had at Camp Lightheart, a free summer camp for children whose parents are diagnosed with breast cancer. Camp Lightheart was created by Breast Cancer Options, as a response to the lack of resources for children affected by cancer.

Breast cancer affects every aspect of an individual’s life. The panel members represent different cancer services, but their organizations share a holistic approach to cancer that strives to heal a suffering individual, not just a body part. The resources offered at Perspectives of Breast Cancer Survivorship provide support in the Hudson Valley community. Through evidence based information and programs, people can move forward after a cancer diagnosis and live a full life. 

Written by Cynthia Stewart for Roots & Wings

Breast Cancer Options

Contact Hope Nemiroff

hope@breastcanceroptions.org

845-339-HOPE (4673)

Oncology Support Program brought to you by the HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley

Located at the Reuner Cancer Support House 80 Mary’s Avenue, Kingston NY, 12401 

845-339-2071

The Fern Feldman Anolick Center for Breast Health at the Benedictine Hospital, brought to you by the HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley

New location: Thomas A. Dee Cancer Center111 Mary’s Avenue, 1st Floor,Kingston, N.Y. 12401

845-334-3099

American Cancer Society

Hudson Valley Office now at 121 Executive Dr., New Windsor, NY,  12553

845-440-2500 

1-800-ACS-2345

Roots & Wings

puja@rootsnwings.com

www.rootsnwings.com/aftershock