Page 56 - Sonoma County Gazette October 2018

The Value Of Cliché
By Date
Oct 1,8 ~ AARP Tax-Aide Tax Clinic - FREE, 9:30a, 10:45a, noon, 1p, Franklin Park Clubhouse, 2095 Franklin Ave,, Santa Rosa, 707-327-2401
Oct 4 ~ Aqus ~ Singles Seniors Social - Thru Nov 7 ~ Prevent Falls Training Register now for a free, 8-week, fall prevention class. Bell Manor Apartments, 8780 Bell Road, Windsor, 707-565-5936, Dana Jacoby, djacoby@schsd.org Mix & mingle. Make new friends. Enjoy the evening. FREE; 5-6:30p, Aqus Cafe Foundry Wharf, 189 H St., Petaluma, 707- 778-6060, info@aquscafe.com
Oct 13,14 ~ Silvercrest Seniors Rummage Sale - 9a-4p, Silvercrest Apartments Dining Room, 1050 3rd Street, Santa Rosa
Oct 17 ~ Legal Consultations for Seniors and Family Members - 30 min. consults with elder law attorney. FREE, Preregister. 10-11:30a, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, 1360 N. Dutton Ave., Suite C, Santa Rosa, 707-303-1530, jfcs.org
Oct 22 ~ Medicare Choices and Changes Seminar - 10:30a-12p, Petaluma Library, 100 Farirgrounds Dr., Petaluma, 707-776- 6055, VillageNetworkofPetaluma.org
Resources
Blood Pressure and Glucose Testing - Every third Thursday of the month. $3- $4 3p-4p Sebastopol Senior Center, 167 N. High St, Sebastopol, 707-829-2440, sebastopolseniorcenter.org/
Rides To Appointments - Call five business days in advance of your appointment, and we’ll do our best to get you where you need to go. 707-829- 2440, Sebastopol Area Senior Center, 167 N. High St, Sebastopol, 707-829-2440, sebastopolseniorcenter.org
Rides to Appointments - Call to arrange rides - Free for members. Cloverdale Senior Community Center, 311 North Main Street, Cloverdale, 707-894-4826, cloverdaleseniorcenter.com
For one thing, they have a certain “commonality” that can instantly unify us – or move us apart! (Depending upon the cliché, of course!) Time flies – can’t believe the year is almost over! Surely we can hear each other chiming in on that one as summer ends, the leaves begin to turn and the tree nuts fall. It’s easy to agree time moves fast—and relentlessly, cliché notwithstanding.
Even in sobering, serious matters when it is almost impossible to speak frankly, we fall back onto the tried, true and trite: cliché. Alas! Sometimes the tired cliché says it best! Ever notice just a little bit of irritation when someone throws one out and it fits like a glove?
I think two of our biggest arenas where cliché literally rules are politics and religion! Those arenas have so much in common—like peas in a pod. Neither seems to worry much about proofs, both have followings that often defy logic and cliché lends itself so well to favorite tools—repetition and rote. It seems, for politics or religion, the point of seeking better semantics is neither here nor there.
Cliché can even help us out at times of grief—sorry for your loss ... time heals all wounds ... Cliché helps us with so many awkward moments when we perhaps don’t know what to say, or don’t want to risk saying what we really mean! So, we cop out with comments like: well, that’s food for thought ... or ... I’ll get back to you!
With some politics, cliché gets elevated to an importance it simply does not deserve—if for no reason but that its use can insult the importance of significant contexts! Ever yell at the TV when you hear dismissive clichés with offensive implications like Boys will be boys or she’s just making a mountain out of a molehill? Hmmm? In the process of encouraging people to vote, I hate the one about one vote doesn’t matter... I hear it more often than you might think. I counter with No! Every vote counts! (I have no idea if it ever makes a difference —I just hope some clichés do.)
Senior Social Clubs Contact Laurel Anderson at 707-525-0143 ext. 103, atlanderson@councilonaging.com
Santa Rosa Senior Social Club at First United Methodist Church, 2150 Giffen, Santa Rosa, Mon., Wed., and Fri. 9:30-2p.
Sonoma Senior Social Club at Vintage House, 264 First St. E., Sonoma - Tues. and Thur. from 9:30-2p.
Healdsburg Senior Social Club at St. Paul’s Church, 209 Matheson St., Healdsburg, Mon., Tues., and Wed., 9:30-2, Contact Roxanne Lemereis at 707-433-6161.
Sebastopol Senior Social Club at Sebastopol Senior Cntr, 167 No. High St., Sebastopol, Mon., Wed. and Fri. 9:30-2p.
Taking the easy way out with conversation is a choice most of us have made more than once about something! How about the one where you bump into someone you have been out of touch with for a long time—the old faithful escape line? Let’s do lunch! It doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to call and actually schedule lunch... But, it moves things along.
Senior Ballroom Dancing
I recall again a college professor cautioning us young wannabe writers: Clichés are word crutches. A word crutch I really dislike is: Never argue about politics or religion. (Actually an axiom can become cliché.) I dislike that one, especially at times like today’s political climate, because I think we must not be silent. If we do not take some uncomfortable talk risks and discuss and argue, how can we understand our adversaries? How better to re-examine our own positions and respect and reinforce the importance of diversity? It’s now or never...
$9, Finley Auditorium Community Center, 2060 West College Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-543-3737, Billlie Erkel, Heresbillie@aol.com
Oct 5 - Carl Green
Oct 12 - Tom Schader
Oct 19 - Manny
Oct 26 - Carlton (Halloween Dance)
Many avoid political or religious discussions because they resent others who insist (with their arguments) that they are right, and the other point of view is wrong. It’s a reasonable enough assertion, and a reasonable enough objection; kinda. The opportunity to grow through oppositional dialogue is worth a fight for ground rules! Let’s just share our perspectives; don’t try to convert me! Consider the value in simple cliché. It’s plentiful, familiar, helpful, traditional, handy and useful -- waste not, want not!
Sebastopol Area Senior Center 167 N. High St.Sebastopol, 707-829-2440, sebastopolseniorcenter.org
Oct 3 ~ Sturgeon Mills Day Trip - Tour of Sturgeon’s Mill, a 105 year-old steam powered saw mill. Lunch at Union Hotel. FREE + buy your own lunch, 10:15a
Oct 19 ~ Speaking of Death - Where friends share in matters of life and death. $5, FREE for Wisdom Counts members, 3:30-5p
Zoë Tummillo is a Business & Marketing Consultant/Trainer/Commercial Writer, dba COMMUNICATION CONCEPTS, in private practice since 1974. In addition to Commercial work, she writesSenior Momentum: A Series of Situations; “Pieces of My Path. essay memoirs of growing up first-generation Italian American; andSenior Momentum: Front And Center!. Email Zoë at writingservice@earthlink.net
56 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 10/18
Dining Sites Council on Aging 30 Kawana Springs Road, Santa Rosa, 707-525-0143 Cloverdale ~ Cloverdale Senior Community Center, 311 North Main St., Mon.-Fri., 12p,
707-894-4826, cloverdaleseniorcenter.com
Bethlehem Tower ~ 801 Tupper, SR, 707-525-0143, M.,W., 12p
First United Methodist Church ~ 2150 Giffen Ave., SR., 707-525-0143, Mon.-Fri., 12p Healdsburg Senior Center ~ 133 Matheson St., 707-525-0143 M.,T.,W., 12p
Rohnert Park Senior Center ~ 6800 Hunter Dr., Ste. A, 707-525-0143 Mon. - Fri., 12p Sebastopol Senior Center ~ 167 High St., 707-525-0143, M.,W., F., 12p
Silvercrest Senior Housing ~ 1050 3rd St., SR, Margaret DeMaria, 707-525-0143, 11a
Zoë Tummillo has been writing about senior wisdom for the Zoë Tummillo has been writing about senior wisdom for the
Gazette for many years. If you want to read more of her insights, Gazette for many years. If you want to read more of her insights,
visit SonomaCountyGazette.com for all her archived articles. visit SonomaCountyGazette.com for all her archived articles.