Newspaper Page Text
Thankful,
some more
EARS AGO, I wrote a
Thanksgiving column list
ing the things for which I
was thankful at that time.
It was 1998, nine years ago, and I
was surely a different person then. I
didn’t have a child, for one big thing.
Zach and I were not married, for
another.
Curious, I looked back to see what
had changed.
Not all that much, as it turns out. It
seems the basics
— the deep down
comforts and the
simple pleasures
of everyday life
— grow along
with you as you
age.
Of course, I
listed family,
friends and pets
— people and
animals to love
and care for and then care for you
in return — at the top of the list. I
would keep that the same. My list of
names has expanded, and that makes
it all the more special.
One addition I would make in
2007, one that shows that nine years
have passed, is that of good health. I
am thankful for my good health and
that of my loved ones. What is that
saying, “If you have your health,
you have everything?”
Another thing I noticed in my
1998 list is the frequent reference
to reading and to books and more
books. Note that I did not have a
small child at that time and could
devote many, many hours to read
ing, oftentimes in bed. I do still
love to read and books are high on
the list (I'm envisioning my aunt’s
bookbag with the Thomas Jefferson
quote: “Without books, I cannot
live.”), and the small slices of time
I now carve out to read makes that
love even more of a gift than it used
to be.
One more thing I would add -1
believe it was just a given nine years
ago — is the (now occasional) get-
together with a close friend, just to
catch up.
For simple, everyday pleasures,
here’s the old, yet new, list.
Big windows and nice light
Sunny days
Rainy days when I can stay in bed
Books and more books, the kind I
don’t want to put down
Really comfortable tennis shoes
A pen that writes particularly well
Good food (including turkey and
dressing, of course)
Anything chocolate
Heaters to prop my feet on
Messages from friends on my
answering machine
Music
Being able to say what I really
mean
Being understood when I say
what I really mean
Old jeans and other soft clothes
Getting a letter
Sunny days (cont’d) and driving
and listening to music
Riding a bike
People who are nice for no real
reason
Good hugs
Warm baths
Real smiles
Laughing
Bright colors
Plants that live when I take care
of them
A fresh haircut (and, in 2007,
some color added to it)
Trips to look forward to
Movies, especially at the movie
theater
Someone to talk to when I really
feel like talking
Playing, even if I’m “too old”
Trees
Clean laundry (I don’t have to
do it again for a while - ok, that’s a
1998 thing, laundry now is a con
stant)
Long walks
A porch light left on, meaning
someone is waiting for me.
The list could go on and on.
And it’s good for me, to look
at this list made by my “old self,”
to remember that there are simple
pleasures to be had, even in the
midst of a busier and more compli
cated life.
It’s good to realize that deep
down, I haven’t changed so much,
and that I have even more to be
thankful for than I did at that time.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Jana Adams Mitcham is features
editor of The Jackson Herald.
jana. a.
mitcham
Local Christmas tree farm offers Trees for Troops’
opportunity Nov. 30-Dec. 2 — see page
more
November 21,
2007
^ The Jackson Herald
JR namely
Jana Adams Mitcham,
Features Editor 706-367-8760
jana @ mainstreetnews. com
Section C
www.mainstreetnews.com
What do you like about
the walking club for girls?
99
“I think it’s really
good. It’s helped me
get fit for sports....
And you don’t feel
like you have to
impress anyone.”
— Ashley Habeck
“I get exercise — I
recently injured my
knee, so I can’t do
running sports. And
I get to hang out
with my cousin.”
— Claire Boehlke (L)
“You meet new
people and have
fun...and it’s good
not to have boys
around all the time
to bug you.”
— Emily Eager
‘It’s really laid back and nobody yells at you.
You can rest a day or two and it won’t be
like, ‘You missed, and you’re bad.’”
— Christian Deadwyler (R)
earin
“I like it because I
get to interact with
teachers, like Ms. D
(Shannon Dupree). I
run with her, and I get
to talk to her a lot.”
— Abby Carson
JMS walking
club offers girls
fitness & fun
G ]
;
“I meet a lot of
people, and I
'I get more fit and
more exercise.”
— Leah Johnson
IRLS OF ALL ages at Jefferson Middle
■ School are discovering that exercise can
be fun. Gear Up, the after-school walking
club for girls only, emphasizes that fitness can be fun
and can encourage new friendships.
On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons after school,
a group of sixth through eighth grade girls gather in
the JMS cafeteria to stretch out their muscles and then
walk or jog for 30 minutes on the school grounds,
averaging about a mile and a half per session.
Annette Beckwith, JMS counselor, started the club
in the fall in hopes of helping students “realize that
getting in shape can be easier and more enjoyable than
we might think.”
And the girls like it.
They say they like the exercise, the chance to meet
up with fdends, getting more fit — and being a part of
something that is just for girls, with “no pressure and
no guys.”
Jackie Thurmond, an eighth grade science teacher
and former physical education teacher at Jefferson
Elementary School, was present at the first meeting in
early September to teach the girls the importance of
fitness.
She also demonstrated the stretching exercises that
would help make the walking time most effective.
“From that first day until now, an average of 25 girls
can be seen after school talking, laughing and walking
their way into better health,” Beckwith said.
The benefits gained from walking are well docu
mented, she added, listing some information from
the University of Arizona’s “Walking For Health”
web page:
•More energy to enjoy life
•Weight management, with toned muscles and
less body fat
•Stress reduction
•Deeper, more restful, sleep
•Healthier bones and joints
•And reduced risks for heart disease, diabetes,
colon cancer, stroke, high blood pressure and osteo
porosis.
The girls are experiencing the health benefits, but
they also are enjoying the fellowship that comes
from being part of a group, Beckwith said.
T-shirts have been ordered for the club, they have
shared in a pasta dinner together before a football
game and many participated in the JMX 5K. she
added.
Beckwith said she is thankful for the adult spon
sors who give of their free time after school to help
with this group and for the girls who come to walk.
Adult sponsors are: Beckwith, Jackie Keith, Helene
Halstead, Shannon Dupree and Lyndsay Patten.
“Fitness, fun and friendships — a winning combi
nation every time,” Beckwith said.
— JM, with information submitted by Beckwith
“I get to hang
out with friends I
don’t usually hang
out with, and get
exercise at the
same time.”
— Amanda Flowers
Ready for action: Some of the members of the girls walking club at Jefferson Middle School — Gear Up — are pictured.
The girls, ranging in ages from sixth through eighth grade, are getting in shape, learning the value of physical exercise and
making new friends on their 30-minute walks two times a week. Five adult sponsors accompany the girls.
Photos by Jana Mitcham
TJ
TJ