Senior Center News – December 17, 2020

Carolyn Kulik, Senior Center Director

“I beg you to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”
   ~ Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Have patience—but stay as mentally and physically active as you can: Participate in a course, attend a Wednesday talk, take a walk. Here are just some of the offerings for you to consider—in addition to the many other ongoing courses.

Next week
12/30. Coping with COVID with Karen Chatfield. Wednesday mornings, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Dates: 12/30, 1/13, 1/27, 2/10 & 2/24. Registration required by Mondays prior. Join your peers to discuss coping strategies and share methods you have used to deal with life during the pandemic. This group is designed to provide connections and support as we navigate “the new normal” together. Please note that this group is not intended to be a substitute for therapy or professional mental health treatment. Registration is required, but one need not attend every meeting. No fee.

Courses in January
So much is happening this month! Since the next issue of The Charlotte News is slated for 1/14, it is worth looking ahead now. For longer course descriptions, refer to the printed Winter Schedule, or visit the website.

1/8. Italian for Real Beginners with Nicole Librandi . Fridays, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Dates: 1/8 – 2/19, (6 weeks). Now is the time to begin your study of Italian—and have fun along the way! Please register by 1/4. Fee: $48.

1/8. Italian Intro with Nicole Librandi . Fridays, 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dates: 1/8 – 2/19, (6 weeks). If you’ve studied some Italian, but your knowledge of the language is “rusty,” then this is the right place for you. Please register by 1/4. Fee: $48.

1/8. Italian Refresher with Nicole Librandi. Fridays, 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Dates: 1/8 – 2/19, (6 weeks). Join this class to refresh your knowledge of Italian through conversation and grammar updates. Please register by 1/4. Fee: $48.

1/11. Mindfulness for Life—Intro with Jill Abilock. Monday mornings, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Dates: 1/11–2/15, (6 weeks). This course offers a personal toolkit of mindfulness techniques to help you meet life’s challenges with strength and ease, and deepen fulfillment from all of life’s joys. Fee: $30 for the 6-week series.

1/11. Book Discussion Group, Part II: Walking Each Other Home with Carol Bokan. Every third Monday morning, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dates: 1/11, 2/1 & 2/22. A facilitated discussion for those who have participated in one of the Center’s previous four-week courses based on this book. The group will likely choose an additional book during this session. Registration required. No fee.

1/12. French Book Club with Alysse Anton. Tuesdays, 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dates: 1/12–3/2, (8 weeks). We’ll discuss Guy de Maupassant’s short story, “Le Horla”—considered a masterly tale of the fantastic. Language level: High-intermediate to advanced. Please note: Instructor can provide a PDF version of the book. Fee: $64 for the 8-week series.

1/15. French Coffee Club with Alysse Anton. Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Dates: 1/15–3/5, (8 weeks). Have engaging French conversation with your morning coffee. For high-beginner/low-intermediate French speakers who are able to carry on a basic conversation discussing a variety of topics. (Not intended for beginning French speakers). Fee: $64 for the 8-week series.

1/14. Screen Writing for Fun, Part II with Mark Williams. Thursday evenings, 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Dates: 1/14 – 2/4 (Rescheduled from Dec.). Work on creating the turning points in your movie’s story that propel the main character into action. Everyone’s movie is discussed supportively in class each week, and this helps build creative energy. Newcomers welcome. Fee: $48 for the series of 75-min. classes. Please register by 1/11.

1/18. Conflict Resolution with Mark Williams. Monday afternoons, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Dates: 1/18-2/22, (6 weeks).Using role-playing and mediation exercises, participants in this 6-week class will learn practical skills, such as: how to calm an angry person down, how to empathize with a person with whom you disagree, and more. Please register by 1/14, for the six-week course. Fee: $48.

How to Register for a Course
All courses are online—and all require registration in order to receive the invitation/link.

To register, send an email with your name, mailing address and phone number. Be sure to note the title of the course in the subject line of the email. You will receive confirmation that you are registered. Please send a separate email for each course.

Payment
If there is a fee, kindly pay by check (made out to CSC) and send to: P.O. Box 207, Charlotte, VT 05445. Be sure to note the title of the course in the memo line.

  • For ongoing exercise courses, please pay at the end of each month for the classes attended. Unless otherwise stated, tally your attendance and figure $5/class.
  • For courses with a limited set of dates, kindly pay prior to the start of the course. Fees vary.

Please check the course description for the fee in the printed Winter Schedule or visit the website.

If fees present a hardship, don’t hesitate to request an adjustment by sending an email. We want everyone to be able to keep themselves healthy and engaged, especially during this challenging time.

Questions? Need help with Zooming? Please send an email, or leave a message at (802) 425-6345.

Talks on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m.
These free events are online via Zoom. Please note that they do not require registration. The Zoom invitation/link to the talks are posted on the website the day before. The link also appears in Front Porch Forum for that week.

12/23. Shakespeare: Myths & Mysteries with Brian Bock. How well do we really know the ‘Bard of Avon,’ and why is he so popular now? We’ll explore Shakespeare’s life and works, exploring the myths and falsehoods. Brian prefers comedies over tragedies—and loves the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City.

1/6. Mystical Myanmar with Carl Herzog.We’ll visit the highlights of the huge, gold-covered Shwedagon Paya Buddhist temple in Yangon, the unique floating gardens at Inle Lake, the thousands of temples at Bagan and much more. Carl, a retired petroleum engineer, and Carlanne, lived overseas for 20 years and have travelled in about 100 countries.

1/13. Beekeeping & Peace-Making: Are They Related? with Anne Outwater.Since being a first responder at the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Dr. Outwater has been dedicated to the prevention of violence. She will share her research findings including interventions and next steps—which include entrepreneurship and beekeeping, drawing on her experiences of growing up in Vermont. Anne Outwater, Ph.D., RN, is a faculty member at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

1/20. COVID-19 Update in 2021: What Now? with Jim Hyde.

1/27. Bringing Portraits to Life with Jonathan Silverman.

Art Exhibits
The Senior Center’s monthly art exhibits are suspended until February.

Be careful. Keep your spirits up. We are all in this together.

The Senior Center’s mission is to serve those 50 and up; if a course is not full, younger participants are welcome to enroll. Feel free to leave a message anytime at (802) 425-6345; voicemail is checked frequently.

“You have to create little pockets of joy in your life to take care of yourself.”
~ Jonathan Van Ness

Charlotte Senior Center
(802) 425-6345