Discover Paris with the Travel SIG
Saturday, March 21, 3:00-5:00 PM
Centennial Branch Library in Circle Pines
Everyone is invited to the March meeting of the Travel SIG. Come discover Paris beyond the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Lane Rosenthal, founder and owner of Paris Off Script, will share the hidden magic of her favorite city, Paris. As a self-described “Paris whisperer,” and drawing from the idea of what separates travel from tourism, Lane will share her unique approach to Paris. Whether you have been to the City of Light many times, or never, there are stories to discover, secrets that Paris holds close. Lane, who lives regularly between two continents, will be here fresh from a month in Paris, and before going back again for another month, to unlock some of those secrets. Learn more about Lane at
https://www.parisoffscript.com/
We ask all attendees to register to aid planning.
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Spring Quarterly Program
Active Aging: Discover What’s Next for You
with Keynote Speaker, Joy Loverde
Thursday, April 30, 2020
6:00 PM in Edina
Joy Loverde, a TTN Chicago member, is a national aging expert and best-selling author of,
Who Will Take Care of Me When I’m Old?
and
The Complete Eldercare Planner
. Joy will share smart strategies for living your best life now and in the future. Learn about the significance of the longevity revolution and aging well, along with key issues to consider, how to plan ahead and more! Highlights of the discussion will include:
- Obstacles to Aging in Place
- Preparing for Solo Aging
- Essential Questions to Ask
- Power of Self-Talk
Joy will reveal clear, practical, and relevant suggestions for you to build your own unique life plan for aging well.
Testimonials about Joy’s Keynote:
The seminar was superb! Best one I've been to
.
National Institutes of Health
Your talk was by far the highlight of our event.
Center for Healthy Aging, University of California-San Diego
You combined meaningful data with compelling stories about real people, including
yourself. You were the iron hand in a velvet glove. It was masterful.
Judith Kurnick, Life Coach, TTN Philadelphia Member.
All attendees will receive an autographed copy of Joy’s book,
Who Will Take Care of Me When I’m Old?
and her
Active Aging Worksheet
.
More about Joy Loverde
Joy Loverde, a TTN Chicago member, is a national aging expert and best-selling author with over 30 years’ experience as a media spokesperson. Joy’s appearances include the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, CBS Early Show, ABC News, Fox News, National Public Radio, Sirius XM and others.
During her career, she has been quoted in the
Wall Street Journal, TIME, Money, New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, Reuters, Reader’s Digest, Family Circle, Psychology Today, Good Housekeeping
, among others.
USA TODAY
ran a four-part series on Joy’s eldercare programs.
Register now to save your seat!
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JANUARY
EVENT RECAP
Get Connected
The GET CONNECTED lunch, at the iconic JAX Café on January 15, engaged attendees with a wonderful panel discussion with three TTN members, Debbie Dorgan, Jean Forrey, and Janis Weller! They shared helpful information about how we can navigate participating in TTN given our different personalities, needs, and so much more! The personal stories were at the heart of what was special in this event. The panel members got much deserved applause at the end!
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MESSAGE FROM CHAPTER CHAIR JILL GOSKI
What is a Caring Collaborative?
That is the question seven members of our Minneapolis/St. Paul TTN Chapter have been exploring since September 2019.
The Caring Collaborative originated over a decade ago in the New York City Chapter of The Transition Network. Drawing from the chapter membership of TTN, the NYC Caring Collaborative developed a network of women to help one another with rides to doctor/medical procedure/day surgery appointments or when short-term illness or disability strikes.
Most members of The Transition Network cherish their independence and capacity to navigate successfully through the stages of a long life. However, most of us have witnessed someone who has experienced an unexpected accident or health issue that requires temporary limitations to their capacity to operate independently.
Barbara Stahura, 65, a longtime heath care executive and prior chair of New York City’s Caring Collaborative, calls this “help insurance.” It is unpaid, informal, but essential. “You need to plan for it before you need it,” she said and belonging to a group of this kind is one way to accomplish that.
Hearing tidbits about Caring Collaboratives in other TTN Chapters piqued the interest of Tracey Baker, Nancy Bargsten, bj Christy, Julie Efta, Kathleen Peterson, Karen West and Jill Goski to explore together whether a Caring Collaborative should be considered in MSP. By the end of December, we had interviewed representatives from New York City, San Francisco, and Long Island, three of the four TTN Chapters that have experience with Caring Collaboratives. We hope to interview a representative from the fourth chapter, Philadelphia, soon.
While there are some common elements and themes across these three chapters, there are also differences. The Caring Collaborative has three core elements - all confidential:
- an information exchange, which members use to share information about medical conditions and medical providers;
- a service corps of women who volunteer to provide hands-on assistance to other members; and
- groups that meet to talk about health topics or participate in health education programs.
Each Caring Collaborative adopts the program elements appropriate for their community. Our committee task in the new year is to explore the repertoire of resources available locally and determine where there may be gaps that may be filled by developing a Caring Collaborative locally.
In January we met with Honoring Choices to learn about their programs and services.
Additional organizations and resources we plan to consider include
- Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging/Senior Linkage Line,
- American Bar Association Commission on Aging,
- Minnesota Elder Justice Center,
- Citizens League,
- Bush Foundation, and
- Solos Taking Charge Meetup Group
Our intent is to gather more information from our members and share information at our
April 30 program on Active Aging with Joy Loverde. Stay tuned!
Read an
article
about the Caring Collaborative.
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MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS
Do you have something you want to share with TTN MSP members? If so, please forward
Below are a few articles our members have recommended:
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UPDATE ON NEW TRANSITION PEER GROUPS
Welcome to 2020, a new year and new decade plus it is Leap Year! How will you use your extra day in February? It may be a great time to join a peer group to support you with your intentions for a meaningful 2020. Peer groups are great opportunities to connect with other TTN members to explore and discuss the transitions we are experiencing at this point in our lives. Currently there is a daytime and an evening peer group in the east metro area. A new daytime west metro peer group has also formed and is meeting. We continue to explore opportunities to expand peer groups especially in the south metro area to meet either in daytime or evening.
If you have interest or questions about peer groups, please contact Barbara O’Sullivan at
Barbara.osullivan@hotmail.com
.
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LIFE ANIMATED
Submitted by Sylvia Mohn
TTN Life Animated peer group met on January 9 and discussed sustainability, led by Chris. After a debrief of things happening in our lives, we moved on to the discussion topic: sustainability. Examples of actions people have taken to reduce/reuse/recycle include stop mailed catalogs, use linen towels instead of paper towels, use powdered laundry detergent and dryer balls, use reusable bags, and countertop composing.
Next meeting:
Thursday, February 13
, 10:15 AM – 12:15 PM at Merriam Park Library. Topic: Vision boards led by Eleni. Please collect and bring any magazines, catalogues, etc with nice pictures in them for us to cut out and include on our boards. Julie adds: There are many ways to create a vision board! You can start as a blank slate and cut out words, pictures, and colors that you are drawn to. Or you may want to focus on an event or intention for the year and find things that support it. You can also write or draw on the board instead of cutting out words. The key is to be creative and focused!! Everyone will have something unique and we can share at the end of our meeting.
Note about location: Due to tax season the Highland Library is unavailable until May.
Please contact Eleni Skevas at
eskevs@yahoo.com
if you are interested in joining this group.
LIVING WITH PURPOSE
Submitted by Barbara O’Sullivan
At the Living with Purpose Transition Peer Group's January meeting, we created vision boards. Vision Boards are great tools to clarify our purpose and goals with images and words we find in magazines and other print materials. The process is an intuitive way to define what we want and why we want it. Themes can include travel, fun, body wellness, relationships and prosperity as well as purpose, creativity and learning. Members shared their boards with each other. Some members shared their boards made last year and it was fun to see what they accomplished and learned from the process over 2019. Looking at a vision board daily helps us align our energy and focus everyday towards accomplishing our vision with the help of the universe.
Our next meeting will be
February 27
at 6:30 PM at the Miriam Park Library in St. Paul which is located on the corner of Marshall and Fairview. We will share ideas to take advantage of our extra day in February and perhaps honor Leap Year by doing something bold.
For more information or questions,
WEST METRO PEER GROUP
Submitted by
JeNell Jacobson
On Monday, January 6, seven members of the West Metro Peer Group met at the Plymouth Library to discuss the role humor has played in our lives plus various health and social benefits. Personal stories of having fun with humor plus sad and/or uncomfortable experiences were shared. How we engage with humor is a very individual experience. Examples: Some people respond to wit, others can take a carefree dive into playful silliness, some prefer subdued.
On
Monday, February 3
, 1:00-3:00 PM, we will meet at the Plymouth Library, Vicksburg Room. We decided we would focus on “Being of Service” as our topic, including looking for possible TTN projects and/or individually. We can discuss ways we have volunteered and giving back in our communities over our lifetime. How did giving and helping make us feel? Did we feel a passion for a cause or what was our motivation to get involved? As members of TTN we are asked to engage in projects to be of service. Here is our chance to discuss ideas we can consider. We will all be involved in leading this meeting!
On
Monday March 2
, 1:00-3:00 PM, we will meet in the Vicksburg Room in the Plymouth Library. Jean Forrey will lead a discussion on music that has been meaningful at various times in our life, or “The Playlist of Your Life! This idea is based on a book written by a local musician, Mark Mallman, called
The Happiness Playlist
. The plan is to listen to excerpts of our favorite music choices with a portable speaker. Jean is seeking our favorite titles and will download them to her phone. Come ready to listen to music and participate in a good discussion!
For more information or questions,
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Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
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ART APPRECIATION SIG
Submitted by JeNell Jacobson
If you are interested in discovering more about the local art scene, join the ART APPRECIATION SIG
.
Together we will experience many types of creative expressions i.e.: paintings, pottery, sculpture, glass, textiles. We usually meet on weekday afternoons, occasionally on evenings and weekends.
On
Thursday, February 20
, our destination is Law Warschaw Gallery at Macalester College to see Rituals of Regard and Recollection that tells a story of drawing as record of selfhood and history through selections from JoAnn Gonzalez Hickey’s collection of works on paper. The gallery is located in the Janet Wallace Fine Art Center, 130 Macalester Street, St. Paul. Meet at 1:00 PM in the gallery entrance. After viewing the show, we will enjoy a snack and social time.
https://www.macalester.edu/gallery/
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CARDS, COIN, CONVERSATION, & CANAPES SIG
Submitted by Robin Getman
Five of us gathered in January for the CCCC SIG (
Cards, Coins, Conversation, and Canapes)
at Robin Getman’s NE Minneapolis home and feasted on tasty appetizers, energized conversation, and high-stakes ($1.55 per player) gambling.
We aim to grow this fun and funny group from five to seven players. If you’re interested, please join us
Tuesday, February 4
; here’s how we roll:
- 11:15 - 11:45 AM Chit, chat, and chew. Bring an appetizer to share and your favorite beverage (Robin will have wine and water on hand).
- 11:45 AM Learn how to play “Nickels” (Think, “sets” and “runs” with wild cards)
- NOON Ante up! $ .80 per person (Bring 11 nickels and 1 quarter)
- 1:30-ish PM Stick around to learn and play a quick game of “31” ($ .75 per person, bring 3 quarters)
- 2:45 PM Bag up your winning’s, repack your potluck dishes, and hit the road before rush-hour
If you plan to attend, please notify Robin
at least 24 hours before
game day. To RSVP, get directions, or for more information, contact Robin at
RGetman220@aol.com
.
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DAYTIME BOOK SIG
Submitted by Eleni Skevas
In January, the Daytime Book Club discussed Louise Penny’s
The Great Reckoning.
We had fun dissecting Inspector Armand Gamache’s personality. That guy is a mystery man! In addition, later in January, five members took advantage of MIA’s book tour based on the book.
The next daytime book club meeting will be on
Thursday,
February 6,
at 10:15 AM in the Shoreview Library’s Small Conference Room. Up for discussion will be the book
Educated
by Tara Westover.
The following month, on
Thursday,
March 5,
at 10:15 AM, the group will be discussing
Born a Crime
by Trevor Noah. The March meeting will also be at the Shoreview Library. The group chose to read these two books back-to-back because they are both memoirs about triumphing over adversity.
The books chosen by the group for spring are:
April:
Who Will Take Care of Me When I’m Old
by Joy Loverde
Discussion led by Cyndy Nelson
May:
Washington Black
by Esi Edugyan
Please note that the April selection ties into the author Joy Loverde’s appearance as a speaker at a TTN event on April 30. Cost for the April 30 event includes a copy of her book; these will be delivered early to book group attendees who will be registering for the April 30 program.
We meet on the first Thursday of the month from 10:15 AM – 12:15 PM.
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EVENING BOOK CLUB SIG
Submitted by Beth Stockinger
On January 14, the TTN Tuesday evening book group gathered around a warm fireplace at Gretchen’s house (thanks Gretchen). We had a focused, engaged and deep discussion of the Pulitzer Prize winning book
Sula
.
The book was selected in honor of author Toni Morrison who recently passed. One of our members, a former high school English teacher, raised probing questions as we worked our way through the book reading meaningful passages. This African American story was set in a black community rife with struggles. At heart was the complex relationship of two young girls as they navigated life into adulthood. We were awed by the rich poetic writing that explored relationships, loneliness, connection and many other themes. Painful and beautiful at the same time.
What is coming up next?
We meet the second Tuesday of the month.
February:
The Alice Network
by Kate Quinn
Tuesday, February 11
, at 6:30 PM will be hosted by Grace Bartholet and Karen West
March:
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone
by Lori Gottlieb
Tuesday, March 10,
at 6:30 PM. Host-TBD
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EXPLORING FOOD SIG
Submitted by Kathleen Peterson
On Monday, January 13, nine members met at Kathleen Peterson’s home for a lively discussion. The topic centered on New Year’s Food Resolutions. Members shared current strategies relating to food choices, past successes and challenges, hopes for the coming year. Recipes were exchanged, favorite cookbooks were shared, healthy snacks were eaten and there was much laughter! We all concurred in one way or another that we are “trying to do better.”
On
Friday, February 7
, the group will go to St. Paul College to have lunch at the City View Grille. The restaurant is run by the college’s culinary arts program and touts "Excellent food, great value and stunning views of St. Paul!”. The group will be enjoying a three-course prix fixe lunch for $15. If you are interested in going to lunch with the group in February, please contact Chris DiPietro asap at
cmdjp2@gmail.com
to see if room is still available and, if so, for further details on time, place, etc.
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FINANCIAL SIG
Submitted by Cyndy Nelson
On Tuesday, January 21, seven women gathered for a discussion about investing in stocks. Many members of the group own stocks through Mutual Funds or ETFs, but Tracey shared how she invests in individual stocks. She enjoys selecting and researching companies to decide which companies she wants to invest in and then monitoring the performance of her selected stocks. We talked about apps such as Yahoo Finance and online resources available through the library such as Morningstar and Value Line.
Our February meeting is
Tuesday, February 18
, 6:30-8:00 PM. at the Ramsey County Library at 2180 North Hamline Ave, Roseville. We will be in the Board Room on the second floor. Della Johnson, TTN MSP member and realtor, will join us to talk about housing. This is a follow up to her presentation at the February 8 educational event.
Our March meeting is on
Tuesday, March 17
, 6:30-8:00 PM at the Ramsey County Library at 2180 North Hamline Ave, Roseville. We will be in the Board Room on the second floor.
The purpose of this group is to increase our personal financial literacy. The knowledge of members about financial topics varies from beginner to more experienced. Our topics will be selected based on what individual members are interested in. We meet on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM. New members are welcome. Come and give it a try.
Please email Cyndy at
clnelson03@gmail.com
if you are interested in joining us, have ideas for topics, or have questions.
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THEATER SIG
Submitted by Robin Getman
2:00 PM, Sunday, February 16:
The White Card
at Penumbra Theatre; look for us in Row H. [Show runs February 4-March 1]
2:00 PM, Sunday, March 1:
Superman Becomes Lois Lane
at the History Theatre; look for us in Row H. [Show runs February 8-March 1]
For more information about TTN Theater SIG events, please join us on our private Facebook group:
- Search “TTN Theater MSP” on Facebook, or insert this link to access the private group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ttntheatermsp/
- Not a member of the private FB group yet? Simply request to join the group. The group administrator will receive notification of your request, accept your request, and, you’re in!
- When you receive notification that your request has been accepted, join the conversation:
- Read and post about what’s hot and happening
- Spearhead an outing in 2020
- Meet up at events and post-performance discussions
We look forward to your participation!
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TRAVEL SIG
Submitted by Marilynne Roberts
On January 22, Travel SIG members enjoyed discussing their favorite travel items and tips at the Centennial Branch Library.
Everyone is invited to our next meeting on
Saturday, March 21
, from 3:00-5:00 PM at the Centennial Branch Library in Circle Pines. Come discover Paris beyond the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Lane Rosenthal, founder and owner of Paris Off Script, will share the hidden magic of her favorite city, Paris. As a self-described “Paris whisperer,” and drawing from the idea of what separates travel from tourism, Lane will share her unique approach to Paris. Whether you have been to the City of Light many times, or never, there are stories to discover, secrets that Paris holds close. Lane, who lives regularly between two continents, will be here fresh from a month in Paris, and before going back again for another month, to unlock some of those secrets.
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URBAN HIKING SIG
Submitted by Cyndy Nelson
Due to conflicts, we rescheduled our January “hike” at the Mall of America to
Tuesday, February 25
. We will meet at 10:00 AM. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Cyndy at
clnelson03@gmail.com
for specific information about meeting location. We will stop for coffee or lunch after our hike.
This seasonal SIG gives us the opportunity to explore and/or introduce others to new locations in the metro area. Our hikes last about 60-90 minutes and we walk at a moderately brisk and steady pace. All are welcome to join us as we walk and talk. We sometimes end our hikes with a stop at a local establishment for a coffee/drink/ice cream. Weather permitting, we anticipate starting our outdoor 2020 season in April.
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WRITER’s SIG 1
Submitted by Julie Efta
This is closed group of 5 women. In February we will meet on
Fridays, February 14, 21, and 28
. Some of us will also meet on a few Tuesdays for silent writing retreats.
We encourage and will assist others to create more writing groups in 2020!
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