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“Undertaker”
A poet responds to gun violenceLike bards long ago, the poet Patricia Smith is often inspired by the news of the day. Often it’s unwelcome news that takes place in her Chicago neighborhood. In “Undertaker” she tells the story of a local boy shot in the head. This tragedy that gets replayed in city streets over and over again is…
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Jennifer Rodgers Created Artistic Maps As She Walked Through Her Grief
In the wake of her father’s death, the artist began creating artistic mapsIn 2014, artist and high school art teacher Jennifer Rodgers began creating artistic maps after losing her father to sepsis. Sepsis is a condition caused by the body’s response to infection, resulting in inflammation that can lead to tissue damage and organ failure. The progression of her father’s illness was a “truly devastating” process to…
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What Is the Urban Zen Foundation and UZIT? (Interview)
An interview with Menna Olvera Feder, program director of Urban Zen Integrative Therapy, Part TwoToday SevenPonds speaks with Menna Olvera Feder, program director for the Urban Zen Integrative Therapy Program (UZIT). A yoga teacher and Urban Zen integrative therapist, Menna studied under Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee, who, along with designer and philanthropist Donna Karan, started the Urban Zen Foundation in 2009 following the death of Donna’s husband…
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U.S. Life Expectancy Decreased for Third Year
While life expectancy in most developed nations has moved steadily upward for decades, it’s on a slow but steady decline in the U.S.In the not so happy news of last year, U.S. life expectancy decreased once again, establishing a disturbing three-year trend. Close to two years ago SevenPonds reported that U.S. life expectancy had dropped to the lowest it had been in 20 years — and no one was exactly sure why. At the end of 2018, the U.S.…
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“Staying Alive: A Love Story”
A memoir telling the poignant story of a young widow trying to keep her family together as she grievesStaying Alive: A Love Story by Laura B. Hayden, is part love story, part memoir. A short book, just 125 pages long, it tells the story of a woman facing sudden widowhood after the unexpected death of her husband from a blood clot that lodged in his lung. The deadly clot came just two weeks…
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Our Monthly Tip: Give Guests Mourning Handkerchiefs at Your Loved One’s Memorial Service
A simple, personalized, and elegant way to remember the dead and comfort the livingOur Tip of the Month Handkerchiefs — especially ones embroidered with one’s initials or decorative patterns — have had a long history both as a functional, personal hygiene item, and as a decorative fashion accessory. For memorial services, where grief is heavy and tears flow freely, embroidered mourning handkerchiefs offer a simple, elegant way to remember…
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Parkour, Older Adults and “Falling Better”
The acrobatic sport could be beneficial for people as they ageThe sport and training method known as parkour is generally considered to be a young person’s endeavor. However, it is being touted as a new method to potentially teach older citizens how to fall “better” in order to prevent injuries or even death resulting from a fall. Parkour is a free-form, very acrobatic sport that…
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Ringing in the New Year!
While on a long sabbatical of sorts, I share with you one of my favorite articles I wrote in the past to ring in this New Year. Many of us are familiar with Ida Straus, wife of Isidor Straus, the co-owner of the famous Macy’s department stores. And even if you are not familiar with their…
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