Special days will always be marked on the calendar: New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, Labor Day. Americans have many ways of celebrating all of the holidays, but a few have fallen by the wayside.
 
While Memorial Day is still considered the beginning of the camping and boating season, it once was celebrated in more sacred ways. Established after the Civil War as a way to remember fallen soldiers of that conflict, communities would come together to deck all of the veterans' graves with the beautiful flowers of early summer. There were even picnics in the cemeteries.
 
Arbor Day is another nearly-forgotten holiday. It was established clear back in 1872, and because of a later proclamation by President Teddy Roosevelt, aimed at children, it became popular for school groups or Scouts to plant trees at the end of April. Maybe you were part of a group who did this as a child.
 
On the first of May, May Day was often celebrated with handmade baskets filled with spring flowers, like violets, cornflowers and roses. The children who made and filled the baskets would creep silently to the front doors of their neighbors, hang a basket on the door, ring the bell and run away! Knowing that the gift was a secret added to the giver's pleasure.
 
Birthday celebrations have come a long way, and maybe not all for the better. In the 1940s, a child might get a special cake, made by a relative, not a bakery, and after blowing out the candles, could also get playful (and non-painful) "spankings." A five-year-old could get "spanked" five times and then "one to grow on." How was your birthday celebrated when you were little?
 
Charlene Frazier 
Community Coordinator, Residence 600
600 E. Elm, Salina KS 67401
785-822-1300
residentservices.600@gmail.com

It might sound peculiar, but if you're lonely, you're not alone. Many people of all ages experience periods of feeling isolated, friendless, or even depressingly lonely. The years of the Covid-19 pandemic have forced many people to be isolated more often. Used to eating with a group, attending an exercise class, traveling with others, during these times people have needed to stay home and stay solitary. Aging also contributes to feelings of loneliness. Hearing loss or a decline in vision can make it much harder to visit with people, even when a person is able to join in group activities.
 
Can anything be done about being lonely? 
 
1.Look hard for new acquaintances. If you can't get to the exercise room or religious service, talk to the person in the apartment next door, even if you've never really met. Look for someone who is eating alone and ask if you can join them. Invite an old friend over, someone you haven't seen for a long time.
 
2.Strengthen existing relationships. Families and friends sometimes fall out, or life just gets so busy that they can't get together as often as they used to. Send a note to that cousin, reminiscing about shared experiences. Phone the daughter-in-law from whom you've been estranged. An old friend might become a new friend, too.
 
3.Keep busy. Being alone doesn't mean you have to sit and feel sad. Volunteer if there is an opportunity, even for a one-time event. Check on your neighbors. Stir up those no-bake cookies and take them to someone who's recovering from a fall. Offer to play games with your great-nephew for an hour after school.
 
4.Adopt a pet. Not only will Spot provide companionship, you'll find that people who might be too shy to speak otherwise, will reach out to your pet, and then to you. 
 
What do you have to lose? Maybe your loneliness.
 
Charlene Frazier 
Community Coordinator, Residence 600
600 E. Elm, Salina KS 67401
785-822-1300
residentservices.600@gmail.com