Rural Women ... Rural Stories

Mental MattersBy Jennifer Goble Writing this article Wednesday morning after the Tuesday mid-term elections, I wonder if I am the only person with a headache? My brain is saturated. Thank goodness the election is over. I wonder how mental wellness in families, communities, and our country is affected by all the discord and division. I also wonder, why? Why do we do what we … [Read more...]

Mental MattersBy Jennifer Goble The word, million, has been thrown around on the news lately; Mega Millions jackpot, (actually billion – that is nine zeroes) Megyn Kelly is seeking a $50 million buyout from NBC, and the 2018 midterm elections are estimated to cost over $5 billion. (nine zeroes again) Henry Ford said, “It’s not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only … [Read more...]

Mental MattersBy Jennifer Goble Let’s imagine you could only love, genuinely love, five things. (not including people or pets) What would be YOUR top five? Just five. Think about it. Make a list. Write them down. It is essential to know what you truly love because each is significant in your daily, weekly, monthly choices and lifetime dreams. For example, one of my five loves … [Read more...]

Mental MattersBy Jennifer Goble Many of us have received our mail-in ballots. If USPS isn’t your preferred means of voting, you can go to your polling location, wait in line, walk in, say hi, sign in, and vote. I don’t care how we vote, but I do care about choosing public officials and policy by an actual vote of the people. We, the people, do that by voting. The top benefits … [Read more...]

Mental MattersBy Jennifer Goble Dichotomies are the contrast between two things. Just this week, we had the dichotomy between the solemn testimony by Dr. Ford, and the untapped anger of a man, Judge Kavanaugh. People are homeless or dead after the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, while you and I go about our daily routines. Extremes are visible without effort. Sit for … [Read more...]

Mental MattersBy Jennifer Goble As I write this article, I am watching the hearing of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh. I value forming an opinion based on both sides of a story. Truthfully, I had empathy for both individuals. I’ve been wrongly accused, Dr. Ford and I have common careers, and she earned her Ph.D. one year after I did. Most importantly, I … [Read more...]

Mental MattersBy Jennifer Goble In “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch said, “If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” It’s called empathy; not to be confused with … [Read more...]

Mental MattersBy Jennifer Goble I’ve had an interest in the Turkey Vulture since 2002 when I first lived in the Old Library. They entertained me daily as they perched on the telephone tower at Hamilton and Division west of the library. They came in the morning as if to plan their day, and again in the late afternoon as if to discuss their successes; dependable as the sun … [Read more...]

Mental MattersBy Jennifer Goble I have avoided this topic for too long: Politics. This article is not about fake tweets, Obama care, yelling, NRA, Me Too, Supreme Court Justices, name calling, idiots, school shootings, Russia, North Korea, or creating crisis. It is about you and me and our mental wellness. If you think our political climate doesn’t affect your mental health … [Read more...]

Mental MattersBy Jennifer Goble I so enjoyed Delinda Korrey’s article (8-21-18) titled School is Cool. Her recollections of loving all aspects of school, plus me sending one granddaughter off to her first year of college and watching two grandsons start kindergarten and preschool, conjured up my own memories. My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Schmidt, after an class art project, … [Read more...]

Mental MattersBy Jennifer Goble Someone said, “I’ve never heard anyone on their deathbed say, ‘I wish I had slept more!’” Another such saying is, “You can sleep when you’re dead.” Those two thoughts, entertaining and true as they might be, minimize the importance of sleep. But, to maintain a healthy range of mental wellness, adequate sleep is essential for everyone and a … [Read more...]

Mental MattersBy Jennifer Goble Someone said, “I’ve never heard anyone on their deathbed say, ‘I wish I had slept more!’” Another such saying is, “You can sleep when you’re dead.” Those two thoughts, entertaining and true as they might be, minimize the importance of sleep. But, to maintain a healthy range of mental wellness, adequate sleep is essential for everyone and a … [Read more...]

Mental MattersBy Jennifer Goble Last week I wrote about how and why I like Our Town. This week I like it even better. Why? It’s the people. Isn’t it always about the people? Saturday morning, July 28, I joined family, friends, and strangers to walk in the BryceStrong 5K Silent Auction. This event was organized to help Bryce’s family with surmounting medical bills, and Conner’s … [Read more...]

Mental Matters By Jennifer Goble   I just finished an audiobook called “Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey into the Heart of America,” written and read by James and Deborah Fallows. The authors traveled across America in a small airplane, and their goal was to portray the people they spoke with and the places they visited; small towns and large cities from north to … [Read more...]