Minding my body by celebrating my feet

Donald L. Hammen is a longtime south Minneapolis resident, and serves on the All Elders United for Justice steering committee.

With warmer weather coming, I have been able to get outside and walk more. Walking more is causing me to be aware that it is so easy for me to take my feet for granted. So, in this column, I am minding my body by celebrating my feet. More to the point: what my feet enable me to do. My feet enable me to feel a connection to the ground literally and figuratively. And that's where this column starts.

CREATING STORIES AND JOURNEYS IS ME GROUNDING MYSELF
I'm going start by taking you along with me into part of my "creative process" that results in Stories and Journeys each month. It starts with grounding. In fact, the next column starts getting written as soon as I submit the column I have been writing. At that point, it is not a conscious process – more an act of internal knowing and the words "be still and know" is how I start out. Then there are the wise words of my mother paraphrased, "To thine own self be true and it shall follow as night follows day you shall not be false to any man or woman." Then there is the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof: or abridging the freedom of speech or the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for redress of grievances." Finally, there is what I have been tasked to write, which is what I am thinking, learning and experiencing in my life as an elder.
At the end of the day, Stories and Journeys is me paying attention to my internal knowing, being still and true to myself.

CREATING STORIES AND JOURNEYS IS ME
MINDING MY BODY BY CELEBRATING MY FEET
Twice in my life I have had to learn to walk again. This has lead me to the conclusion that I/we live too much in our heads and don't pay adequate attention to our feet. So, how about you dear reader. Do you ever pay attentions to your feet and show them gratitude for what they do for you? Tell yourself, tell others or tell me via tesha@tmcpub.com And if you have read this far you have taken the plunge into the river(flow) of life experiences that is Stories and Journeys.
It's Feb. 26. I celebrate my feet taking me along with a ride from my neighbor Judith to the February meeting of Longfellow/Seward Healthy Seniors SOLOS Resource Group. Greater Longfellow resident Tim Mungaven is meeting with us. He is a longtime Minneapolis Regional Retirees Council (AFL-CIO) Housing Committee Chairperson. The topic is seniors and housing. Tim talks about his background, the history and work of the housing committee and what has been learned so far. This includes Tim offering his diagram of a new possibility for the delivery of services to seniors that is more neighborhood rooted in organizations like Longfellow-Seward Healthy Seniors. The attendance at this meeting was double what was expected. As many as 20 plus versus 12.

ELDER VOICES (TELLING OUR STORIES/SHARING OUR JOURNEYS)
We gathered at Turtle Bread on Feb. 28. I celebrate my feet enabling me to get there. For the second month in a row seven new people showed up to tell their stories and share their journeys. There was Silvia, Bruce, Andrea, Debbie, Tom and Joel. A mix of Messenger and Southwest Connector readers. Elder Voices is not normally a space where people share that politics and public policy are shaping their elder stories and journeys. Today was an exception.
This is where I get to tell you that Elder Voices is scheduled to meet April 25, 10-11 a.m., at Turtle Bread, 4205-E.34th St. Look for the table with the Elder Voices sign.

MINNEAPOLIS AREA DFL SENIOR CAUCUS CHAPTER GENERAL ELECTION (3-15-25)
Celebrating my feet walking from my kitchen to the computer in my living room for a Zoom meeting. Several south Minneapolis residents running for six offices. Agenda items included Social Security cutback update and Medicaid reductions. Social Security data Issues in light of Musk take over of Social Security Administration. Concerns include I.T. system is weak and data privacy. In addition to service being made more difficult to access.
In gratitude for your readership. I wonder where my feet will enable me to go next.
Donald L. Hammen is a longtime south Minneapolis resident, and serves on the All Elders United for Justice Board of Directors.