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Posts Tagged ‘xenia’

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Let Your Light Shine Again

In Books, Dayton Ohio News, Education, Health, history, Literature, Opinion, Print Media, psychology, Uncategorized on March 9, 2023 at 4:46 pm

Deer In Headlines II

By Gery Deer

Insecurity affects people in different ways, from a simple annoyance to debilitating anxiety. It can be especially jarring when you were just there, doing your thing, and then, out of the blue, something rocks your confidence. Insecurity generally occurs when we compare ourselves to others, giving in to the ridiculous and constantly varying standards set by society.

The 1942 children’s book, “The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge,” by Hildegarde H. Swift and Lynd Ward, has been an inspiration to children around the world. Myself included. I learned to read very early because of this book but, for me, its influence was far more literacy. The story itself, one of self-worth and perseverance, was also something to which I gravitated.

“The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge,” is a simple story about a real lighthouse that sits on the banks of the Hudson River in New York City. As described in the book, “It was round and fat and red. It was fat and red and jolly. And it was very, very proud.”

Anthropomorphized in the story, the Lighthouse’s self-confidence stemmed from its own sense of importance in keeping boats safe along the river. Every night it flashed – one second on, two seconds off, with a big fog bell outside that clanged, “warning,” during bad weather.

The Lighthouse was originally built in 1889 as the North Hook Beacon, in Sandy Hook, New Jersey. In 1917, the lighthouse was shut down, but it wasn’t quite finished working yet. Four years later, it was moved to its current location in Manhattan’s North Washington Park in an effort to improve navigational support along the river.

Early in 1927, however, work began on the great span of the George Washington Bridge, directly behind the Lighthouse. By 1948 it was felt the bridge lighting overcast any need for the smaller light on the river and The Little Red Lighthouse was extinguished – seemingly forever.

Paralleled in the story, when the Lighthouse saw the large beam of light from atop the tower of the Great Gray Bridge, it was left feeling small, insignificant, and unimportant. At the same time, something had delayed the man who came every night to turn on the light. The Lighthouse felt abandoned and no longer needed.

Later, as a terrible storm came in, the Bridge called down, “Little Brother, where is your light?” The Bridge explained its duty to the ships of the air, but the Lighthouse was still important to safeguard the boats. Eventually, the caretaker arrived and turned on the gas, allowing the Lighthouse’s beam to shine brightly once more.

In reality, the Lighthouse was slated for demolition. But, in 1951, thanks to the popularity of the children’s book, an unprecedented public outcry to preserve The Little Red Lighthouse led the U.S. Coast Guard to deed it to the New York Department of Parks and Recreation. Nearly three decades later, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and eventually designated a protected landmark of New York City.

Now safe in the shadow of the Bridge, the Lighthouse story’s simple message of self-worth was one that has resonated with people for more than 70 years. We all need it to feel relevant and valued but anyone can suffer from insecurity at some point. 

Like the Lighthouse, any of us can be unsure of our place in the world, comparing ourselves to those around us who seem bigger and better. Feeling irrelevant can be devastating.

That feeling, caused or fueled by deeply-rooted insecurity can sabotage the confidence of even the most self-assured person. And, sometimes we need a “Big Brother,” like the Bridge, or someone else we admire or respect to hold a mirror up for us so we can see our real value. That’s something my own Big Brother has done since I was very small, and, even as an adult, I still turn to him sometimes for that reassurance.

No matter how insignificant we may feel sometimes we all have something to offer. Just remember the courage of “The Little Red Lighthouse,” look for that one spark of inspiration, and, as the Bridge said to the Lighthouse, “let your light shine again.”

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One Moment, Please.

In Dayton Ohio News, Entertainment, Environment, Health, history, Local News, National News, Opinion, Uncategorized on February 24, 2023 at 7:02 am

Deer In Headlines

By Gery L. Deer

It’s been said that times change, but moments don’t. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a moment as an indefinitely short period of time or particular occasion. In life, a moment generally represents an instant we can’t get back, one that we either cherish or regret, depending on its personal significance. Together, the moments we experience weave an intricate tapestry of our past, a delicate collage unique to each of us.

A single moment in life can challenge us forever, define us in completely new terms, open doors, or close the path to opportunities. It can be simultaneously life-changing and heartbreaking, glorious yet gut-wrenching.

We usually take those moments for granted, even when we should be paying more attention. Sadly, we are rarely given advance notice of the importance of any given moment. When a moment in life truly changes us and alters our perception, it’s usually either joyful or tragic, forever burned into our memory and our psyche.

Young children may be the luckiest of us because they live in the moment, constantly meeting the world with new wonder. Even if they don’t appreciate its significance, they experience every minute, the “now,” with unaware abandon. Unfortunately, maturity sometimes robs us of that wonder, replacing it instead with the day-to-day problems of life.

Wouldn’t it be great, though, if we could manage to slow time a bit, live more in the moment like kids, and better recognize the meaning and noteworthiness of one instant? As adults, the trick is first to recover the childlike vision that may have faded. Then we have to learn how to recognize the significance of a mere instant in the whole of our lives.

As they whiz past, like blurry telephone poles along the highway, recognition becomes increasingly difficult. But, while trying to capture the most important moments, we may completely miss them because we’re too busy trying to get a video of it on our mobile devices.

This big, bright, world is presented live, in 3-D, and high definition. Still, we stare through artificial eyes at a 3-inch screen in awe of the events unfolding before us. Unfortunately, while we’re trying to capture a digital memory, we’re missing the nuance of the moment. Genuinely seminal moments deserve our full attention.

It reminds me of people who are constantly snapping pictures during a fireworks display or their child’s school play. I get wanting a quick photo or video clip. But holding the phone up the entire time to watch through a screen minimizes the importance of the moment. Personally, if I’m there, I want to experience and appreciate what’s going on right in front of me.

With all their attention focused on some gadget, they miss the “IRL” visuals, the sounds, the reactions of those around them, and, most importantly, the company. These are meaningful, shared moments that will never come again. By the way, if you’re not up on your text-speak, IRL means “In Real Life.”

Staying in the present can be hard, no matter what we’re doing. A moment cannot be measured on a stopwatch or added as a calendar event. It’s here, you’re in it, then it’s gone, all at once. It’s up to each one of us to determine what it means, hopefully during but, at least after we have experienced it. We all have our own values system for guidance.

So the question remains, how do we create more mindful awareness in our daily lives? How do we appreciate those life-altering moments as they happen? I suppose I could just spout the same stuff you’d find if you Google all the self-help gurus. They’re going to say to do things like slow down, meditate, eat healthier, exercise, take in nature, put away your technology, and so on. There is certainly a place for all that. We should probably be doing all those things anyway.

Instead, I will only say this, paraphrasing one of the prolific producer Norman Lear’s television theme songs. “This is it, this is life, the one you get, so go and have a ball.” And it’s fine to snap a photo, but remember to be in the moment. Be present, put away all the tech, and experience life – IRL.

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The Fork in the Road

In Children and Family, Dayton Ohio News, Health, history, Local News, Opinion, sociology, Uncategorized on February 17, 2023 at 8:31 am

Deer In Headlines II

By Gery Deer

It’s been said, probably so often as to be cliche, that life is a journey. In my opinion, it’s one with no map and very little direction. Almost from the moment we’re born, when other human beings are making decisions for us, our path is dictated by a series of directional cues. We are constantly confronted with forks in the road, a seemingly endless succession of them. We encounter one after another, each outcome depending on whether we turn left, right, or stay the course. 

With every decision comes an alternate reality, like you’re in a plot-your-own adventure story or the biological component of some if-then-else loop in a logic program. How you proceed is determined by the results of the choices you’ve made. Too bad there isn’t some kind of warning when we go the wrong way, like that irritating buzzer when you touch the sides in a game of Operation. I never could get the funny bone out!

Sometimes figuring out how to make those choices can be pretty fuzzy. That’s especially true when your life is filled with obstacles almost from the moment you leave your mother’s womb. That’s how it was for me. 

I rarely discuss this, but I was born with a long list of birth defects, ranging from hip and pelvic issues to major organ complications. I no sooner hit the air than I was suddenly popped into an isolation crib and studied like a bug in a jar, it even had air holes in it! 

When those forks in the road have “No Outlet” signs on pretty much every option, your previously endless choices are quickly reduced to none. My parents were faced with exactly that situation. They were told from the beginning to be prepared for a long fight. Every decision determined the path of my treatment, some successful, some not so much. Everything about my situation was new, experimental, and risky. 

Young Gery Deer, 1967, in an isolation crib at Grandview Hospital.

I remember my Dad telling me a story about the doctor coming out to see him after I had been moved to a children’s hospital and examined more thoroughly. At the onset, the prognosis was uncertain, to say the least. 

Dad was sitting alone in the waiting room and my mother was still at the hospital across town where I’d been born. Although the overall birth was routine, given my issues, they wanted to keep her there longer. So there he was, my Dad, a strong, hard-working man who hadn’t made a decision without my mother since he was 18 years old, now alone, scared, and exhausted. 

The doctor appeared from the exam area and sat down next to my father to explain the situation as clearly and thoroughly as he could. All estimates were that I wouldn’t walk, I would have lifelong physical and possibly mental debilitation, and, because of the likelihood of infection and limited treatment options, they shouldn’t expect me to survive beyond the age of 5.

Visibly shaken, Dad must have looked like his world was caving in around him. The doctor put a hand on his shoulder and said, plainly, “How much faith do you have?” My father’s response was true to his character – “How much do I need?” Put more simply, what Dad said was, “Let’s do this!”

That was the path Dad and Mom chose, the road they headed down. For them, there was no other choice and they didn’t go tentatively but with the gas pedal on the floor and in high gear. As predicted, it was a long fight, and there were countless surgeries and procedures into my twenties, one experiment after another. But, as you can see, I made it past age 5, by a half-century, actually. 

And I’m here and able to share this story because my parents made choices in extraordinary circumstances of a kind I can’t even fathom but for which I will be forever grateful. Before my parents died, I had to make very similar kinds of life-changing decisions for their care as they had made for me. The moral of all of this story is that your journey isn’t complete and the only one who can really choose the correct path for you is you!

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Old Endings and New Beginnings

In Local News, Media, Opinion, Uncategorized on February 10, 2023 at 10:25 am

Deer In Headlines 2

By Gery Deer

Can you believe it’s already February of 2023? I know it’s been some time, but I’m back at the op-ed desk – although I have no idea for how long. This time around, my column has a different title and a more personal focus. I’m not sure what direction it will take, but my hope is that you find it of some use, even if all it does is give you something to think about. So, since I’m starting over here, I decided to start this new version with a very simple topic: new beginnings. At least I thought it would be simple.

What can be said about new beginnings? First, wouldn’t you have to think about the “old ending?” What came to an end and why? Is it worth leaving where it is, or does it need to be dredged up and dealt with in some new way. Who knows? All we can do is pick up where we are, decide where we want to go, and take that first step, one foot in front of the other. 

Author Mary Shelley (yes, of Frankenstein fame) once said, “The beginning is always today.” I would expand that to say, the only moment we have is this one, right here, the one you’re in now. No past, no future, just the “now.” So, “new” beginnings may not be possible since, really, it’s just the beginning of whatever comes next. 

After my father died, I felt pretty lost. We were in the middle of the pandemic, July of 2020, and I had been so immersed in his care for the months and years prior to his passing, that the direction I was taking on the other side of it wasn’t really pointing anywhere. I was getting back to work, my friends and family were trying to support me, and I was looking for anything to help me recover who I was without Dad to look after. 

When people try to reinvent themselves, often looking for that new beginning, it’s sometimes because they don’t like who they are, or were. But that wasn’t where I stood at the time. I’ve always been pretty comfortable with who I am, but, as they say, life happens and that can throw you. And thrown I was, tossed by circumstances like a cornhole bag, missing the target by a mile. 

For several months I suffered from, what I eventually learned was, depression brought on by anticipatory grief and the constant second-guessing of myself with regard to Dad’s care. Oddly, I had never experienced depression before and had a really tough time wrapping my head around the idea. Me? Depressed? Nonsense. I just couldn’t accept it. Forget a new start, I didn’t want anything to do with anyone.

That feeling was completely foreign to me. I had always powered through challenges in my life, and there have been a ton of them. At that point, however, I was hiding on a couch in my basement – so not like me. 

What did I do about it? Great question. I wish I had the ideal step-by-step guide to offer you for starting over after major changes that shake you like an 8-point quake on the Richter scale. Unfortunately, I don’t.

What I can tell you is that first, you need to figure out where you stand at the moment. Don’t think about the future, it isn’t written yet, and try very hard to let go of past baggage. You can’t fix what was and what’s to come is entirely of your own making. Your first steps will determine your path and turning left or right at the fork in the road creates your own unique reality. Whatever that reality, though, it’s yours, no one else’s. 

New beginnings happen every morning when we roll out of bed, or fall out as is my case most days. I stomp to the bathroom, look in the mirror, and wonder how that old man got my pajamas. Still, it’s a new day, a fresh start, another chance to get it right, or completely blow it. How ever it comes out, at least it’s my choice. And the choice of a new beginning can be yours too.

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Beaver Creek Wetlands Association Volunteer Rally offers opportunities, outdoors and in.

In Local News on February 4, 2023 at 1:57 pm

Beaver Creek Wetlands Association will hold a Volunteer Rally on Sunday, February 25th, 2023, at 10:00 A.M. at Peace Lutheran Church, 3530 Dayton Xenia Rd. in Beavercreek. The event is intended to provide information and answer questions for those interested in volunteer opportunities with the organization. Registration is now open (click here) and current volunteers are encouraged to bring a friend.

Beaver Creek Wetlands Association is a member-supported, non-profit organization established in 1988 and works to protect and restore wetlands and other natural areas in the Beaver Creek watershed in Greene County, Ohio. Since it was founded, the organization has preserved and protected more than 2,400 acres of land.

According to staff, volunteers are the backbone of BCWA efforts to care for this diverse ecosystem while simultaneously educating the community about the role it plays in maintaining clean drinking water. This Volunteer Rally will give people a better understanding of the opportunities offered and how they can partner their skills with the needs of the wetlands to benefit the entire community.

“This event is a great opportunity for those interested in volunteering with us,” said Beth Edsall, Outreach Director. “Participants will have a chance to talk to the land management team, committee heads, and other volunteers and learn more about different ways they can make a difference to this vital part of our environment.”

For the leaders in our community, BCWA offers many opportunities on their board of directors and various committees. Educators will enjoy helping with hikes and programs geared toward all age groups. For those who love gardening, many opportunities include seed collection, planting, and invasive plant removal. A lifelong learner might want to help the environment. Volunteers can also learn a variety of new skills, like plant identification and driving a tractor.

Opportunities are mostly for adults, but BCWA also offers options for youth organization projects, such as 4-H or scout projects, as well as high school and college students in need of service hours. Most volunteer positions are for outdoor tasks, but there are several indoor opportunities available.

For more information please visit www.beavercreekwetlands.org.

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GCPH to conduct community focus groups to develop a plan to address healthy eating and active living policies through HEAL grant funds.

In Local News on January 23, 2023 at 4:29 pm

XENIA, OH – Greene County was awarded a 1-year mini-grant called Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL). The focus of this grant is to build capacity for healthy eating and active living policies within various Greene County communities. The grant cycle, which runs from July 1 – June 30, will focus on the jurisdictions of Fairborn, Xenia, and Jamestown.

The first step in the process is to complete a Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change Assessment, reviewing the current policies in each jurisdiction to identify gaps and opportunities. The results of the assessment will later be shared with members of the community to better understand the priorities of that community and work to develop and implement strategies that directly address those priorities. Community engagement is all about ensuring that those most impacted by challenges and inequities have an equal voice in designing and implementing solutions.

Currently, each community is conducting focus groups to explore this subject and begin to come up with a plan to implement those strategies. If you live in one of these communities, you are invited to participate in one of these free events.

Refreshments will be served at each event.

Jamestown

• January 24, 6:00pm – Jamestown Community Library, 86 Seaman Drive, Jamestown

Xenia

• January 26, 1:00pm – Xenia YMCA, 336 Progress Drive, Xenia

• January 31, 6:00pm – Xenia Community Library, 76 E. Market St., Xenia

Fairborn

• February 13, 1:00pm – Fairborn Community Library, 1 E. Main St., Fairborn

• March 1, 5:30pm – Abiding Christ Lutheran Church, 326 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Rd., Fairborn

These events are open to the residents of each community. Should you have questions about the focus groups, please contact Loressa Gonyer at lgonyer@gcph.info or call her at 937-374-5655.

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Street Fair Returns to Downtown Yellow Springs, Ohio October 8

In Local News on July 25, 2022 at 5:09 pm

July 26, 2022 – Yellow Springs, OH – The Yellow Springs, Ohio Chamber of Commerce invites the public to Experience Yellow Springs with the return of the Yellow Springs Street Fair from 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, October 8th, 2022. The popular event will feature two music stages, a beer garden, live street performers, more than 200 vendors, and a wide variety of unique shops and restaurants in the beautiful village of Yellow Springs. The street fair is free and open to the public.

Registration is now open for craft and food vendors, as well as music and entertainment providers. Downtown businesses will be given booth space options close to their shops and other local vendors will have preferential location options as well. But space is limited, and deadlines are approaching. The local vendor registration deadline is July 31st, and the overall vendor registration deadline is August 29th.

Prior to the pandemic, Yellow Springs Street Fair has been held twice a year, spring and fall, attracting as many as 15,000 visitors in a single day to the small Greene County village. “After 2 ½ years and 5 canceled street fairs, the Chamber is excited to welcome back this classic Yellow Springs event,” said Jason Bailey, Vice President of the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. “Our team and the Village of Yellow Springs are diligently planning to ensure a safe return of Street Fair with hopes that it provides the opportunity to experience the art, culture, and community of Yellow Springs!”

Primary logistical support for the street fair is being spearheaded by the event staff of Mills Park Hotel in Yellow Springs. The new co-owner of the hotel is Ryan Aubin, a member of the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. “We are thrilled to see such an important event return to downtown Yellow Springs,” Aubin said. “I’m honored to be a sponsor and that our staff has the opportunity to help bring it back, hopefully, better than ever. We hope people will come and make the event as successful as it was before so it can continue.”

Organizers are also asking for volunteers to assist with set-up, tear-down, and festival operation throughout the day. Positions are available all day, from 6AM until 6PM, with short, flexible, shifts. Volunteers receive a free Street Fair t-shirt, and a ticket for one beer or two non-alcoholic drinks at our beer garden.

For more information, visit yellowspringsohio.org, or contact the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce Event Team by email at info@ysstreetfair.com or call (937)-767-2686.

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Mills Park Hotel in Yellow Springs, Ohio, sold to employee and spouse for $4.5 million

In Local News on April 27, 2022 at 10:48 pm

Yellow Springs, OH – April 27, 2022 – The stylish Mills Park Hotel, located at 321 Xenia Avenue, in downtown Yellow Springs, Ohio, has been sold to an employee and his spouse. Ryan Aubin, the marketing manager for the hotel since 2019, and his husband, Alex Price, have purchased the property and business for approximately $4.5 million. The Dayton couple was one of several parties who made offers when the owners first announced their intent to sell nearly a year ago.


Mills Park Hotel was the project of developer Jim Hammond and his family, who have owned and operated the property from the start. Construction was completed in 2016 and forever changed the look of the small, eclectic, Greene County village. The 28-room, 31,000 square-foot southern-style hotel, with its sprawling front porch and grand foyer, rises three stories and houses a restaurant, gift shop, banquet hall, fitness room, and conference space.

The hotel’s design was modeled after the 19th Century home of William Mills (1814-1879), an early settler who first came to Yellow Springs in 1827. While the original home no longer exists, every attempt was made to incorporate its charm and style into the hotel. Some of the furnishings were even built from trees that grew on the property.

According to Aubin, the community and hotel staff have been very encouraging. “Obviously, there are questions, but everyone has been assured all along that Alex and I do not intend to change anything,” he said. “We just want to build on the great product that the Hammond family started.”

Mills Park Hotel Marketing Director, Ryan Aubin (seated), and his husband Alex Price, are the new owners of the property located in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The couple plans to continue the great service that made the hotel a success since it opened in 2016.

Mills Park Hotel is ranked in the top 2-percent of properties on Hotels.com and Expedia. It is a favorite of destination travelers who want to experience the relaxed, diverse charisma of the village, yet be only footsteps from great outdoor adventures, museums, performing arts, and the Dayton area’s many historic attractions.

Aubin and Price intend to continue to offer a unique experience for guests and keep the hotel a shining star in the community. “We’ve got an amazing staff that cares about how wonderfully our guests are treated,” Aubin said. “We do everything we can to make them feel like they are staying in a presidential suite but with the personal touches of a bed-and-breakfast.”

For reservations or booking information, visit millsparkhotel.com. Media inquiries should be directed to their publicist, Gery Deer at GLD Enterprises Communications, Ltd., (937) 902-4857 or gdeer@gldenterprises.net. Video story available at https://youtu.be/8JI27CBo2Fw.

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Fundraiser for Jamestown Youth Cheer April 23rd

In Local News on March 21, 2022 at 5:33 pm
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Fundraiser for Jamestown Youth Cheer April 23rd

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Greene County Blanketed In Light Flurries Friday Evening

In Local News on January 29, 2022 at 12:24 pm
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Greene County Blanketed In Light Flurries Friday Evening
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