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Developing Resilience Through Life’s Hardships

Alyssa McCutcheon, LMSW Family Service of the Chautauqua Region Chances are you can think of that one friend or relative you know that seems to radiate strength and resilience in times of hardship. Maybe they’ve been through an illness or major life-changing event, yet they continue to persevere and “bounce back” while others in the same type of circumstance seem to fall apart. These individuals may appear to have a natural knack for toughing out the hard times, but what if you were told that this is a strength virtually anyone can harness? You can be capable of calmly riding ...

Glimmers Of Hope And Sidewalk Chalk

I was recently sitting on the porch enjoying the pleasant weather on what I’m assuming will be one of the last afternoons of summer. My kiddos and their friend came racing out the door and grabbed up their scooters to ride up and down the street. After a while, they seemed to tire of their game, and I remembered I’d just bought a huge box of chalk. I set them loose with it — and they ended up drawing a roadway and a parking lot, complete with a city hall and a police office. They busied themselves quite quickly with something as simple as sidewalk chalk — and I couldn’t help ...

This Wimp’s Reason For Wearing A Mask

I ought to have your safety in mind when I wear my COVID-slowing mask in public. That would be noble. But I have a more gut-level motivation: Fear. Stark, naked fear. Fear of COVID is in the mix, but it is way back in my subconscious. Fear of getting my face slapped is right out there in front. It started about three weeks ago. I developed what we used to call a cold, with could-be-COVID symptoms: A dry cough, fatigue, muscle/body aches, congestion, runny nose, and post-nasal drip. And sneezing. More on that in a minute. I am fully vaccinated (Pfizer). I didn’t get ...

Be A True Patriot In Your Community

People generally have a basic understanding of the long-term civic story of the community where they live if they’ve lived there for any length of time. Their version may not be totally accurate, but most people are able to connect their community’s past to what is happening there now. This usually gives them hope for a better future for themselves and their neighbors, especially if most members of their community can quickly identify their local patriots. However, that can be tricky. True patriots don’t generally label themselves as such. They also don’t waste other people’s ...

We Must Help Those At Risk Of Fading Away Right In Front Of Us

President Harry Truman’s firing of General Douglas MacArthur for disobeying his orders during the Korean War was one of the more memorable events of my junior high years. Truman wanted a ceasefire, while MacArthur wanted to press the war further and bomb cities in China, which had been sending troops to help the North Koreans. So on April 11, 1951 Truman dismissed MacArthur from his command. The dismissal wasn’t popular. MacArthur was still seen as the World War II hero who had accepted Japan’s unconditional surrender on the battleship Missouri on Sept. 2, 1945. He had also ...

New York Legislation Hurts Low-Income Tenants

Over the last few years New York has adopted legislation that provides short-term benefits for some low-income tenants but creates very serious potential long-term issues for many of the same people, including higher rents, a potential housing shortage, and more homelessness. In 2019, the New York State Legislature passed the “Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act”, which caps security deposits to one month’s rent while increasing the processing time for evictions from three weeks to about three months. As a result, the legislation almost guarantees that a security deposit ...