Tag: sports

Now, On to October

In this post I reflect on some special days we remember in October. Some are light hearted and some sobering. And can we please agree to honor both Columbus and the Native Americans he met in 1492? Happy fall everyone.

Fun events happen in October. October is the tenth month of the year on the Gregorian calendar, though its name comes from the Latin word octo, which means “eight”. Latin gave us other “8” words like octagon and octopus.

Football and Other Fall Sports-and Food

Football season is already a few weeks old and will be soon followed by basketball. Whether it’s for school, college, or pro teams, fans are in the stadiums or in front of televisions cheering their favorite team.

Some folks just show up for the food as tailgating has become a sport in itself.

Liz Weinandy, MPH, RDN, LD, a registered dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center offers these suggestions to choose tailgating foods that are healthier than the typical fare.

Some healthy food options for tailgating

A grilling barbecue with various skewered meats and vegetables, including chicken, sausages, and bell peppers, being cooked over an open flame.
Photo by Huu1ef3nh Nhu01b0 Mavi on Pexels.com

Columbus Day- October 12

The United States has one federal holiday this month, Columbus Day, the second Monday of October. This day commemorates October 12, 1492, the day Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, reached the Americas. (Although he never landed in what is now the United States.)

President Donald Trump issued this Proclamation on October 9, 2025

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 13, 2025, as Columbus Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of the great Christopher Columbus and all who have contributed to building our Nation.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day-October 12

Before Columbus and other Europeans arrived in the Americas, indigenous people already lived in North America. I’m not going to recount the long history of their interactions, but by presidential proclamation, we now commemorate them on the second Monday in October-Indigenous Peoples Day.

 NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 10, 2022, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.  I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.  I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this Nation. 

I wrote about Native Americans in this post about watercress and in another about my trip to New Mexico.

The Rich History of Watercress in Native American Culture

In 1889, the Locvpokv Muscogee Creeks established the village of Talasi near the Arkansas River, later called Tulsa. The Council Oak remains a cultural landmark, where Native Americans hold ceremonies. This article explores watercress and its culinary uses, highlighting its significance to local indigenous communities and the environment.

Keep reading

The Art and Science of New Mexico

Taos is an art mecca both within the town and at the Taos Pueblo, which is also a must see for those interested in  Native American history and culture. At the pueblo, tribe members display and sell handmade arts and crafts.

Keep reading

Remembering Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

“On Saturday, October 27, 2018, a man with anti-Semitic motivations entered Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; he had an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and three handguns, opening fire upon worshippers.

Eventually 11 civilians died at the scene and eight people sustained non-fatal injuries, including five police officers. Each person injured but alive at the scene received care at one of three local level-one trauma centers.

The injured had wounds often seen in war-settings, with the signature of high velocity weaponry.”

from Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting in Pittsburgh: Preparedness, Prehospital Care, and Lessons Learned

Halloween-October 31

Whether you like it or not, October is known for Halloween. While some reject it as pagan or evil, others make it fun and enjoyable without dark overtones.

Halloween, contraction of All Hallows’ Eve, a holiday observed on October 31, the evening before All Saints’ (or All Hallows’) Day. The celebration marks the day before the Western Christian feast of All Saints and initiates the season of Allhallowtide, which lasts three days and concludes with All Souls’ Day.

from brittanica.com

No Smoking sign with pumpkins
I snapped this photo at a farm in Georgia. I learned that tobacco smoke is as toxic to crops as it is to people. If you smoke, why not quit for Halloween. No Trick, Just Treat.

8 Questions for October

  1. What personal expectations do you have for October?
  2. How will you plan now to make your expectations happen?
  3. Are you usually a spectator or a participant in life activities? (Think of the sports analogy.)
  4. Where do you need more action, or more observation?
  5. What would you gain, or lose, either way?
  6. How do you approach commemorative holidays or observances?
  7. The article I used about the Squirrel Hill shooting discussed “Lessons Learned”. Do you think we learn anything from shootings that makes us safer?
  8. How do remember, reflect, and heal from your personal traumatic experiences?

If you are suffering mentally, emotionally, or physically from trauma, please seek help from your personal physician, spiritual advisor, or local mental health resources.

exploring the HEART of health

However you choose to observe the “holidays” of October, have fun, stay safe, respect others, and please follow and share Watercress Words.

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a world globe with two crossed bandaids

Doctor Aletha

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Jump Into July

July is a significant month, with celebrations like the Apollo 11 moon landing anniversary and U.S. Independence Day, marked with events such as the Republican National Convention and the 2024 Summer Olympics. It’s a time for reflection on history, patriotism, and excitement for upcoming festivities, including a notable move for the 2028 Olympics.

revised June 20, 2025

How much do you remember about July 2024? Read this post to find out.

Here we are, starting the second half of the year. July is the first full month of summer for half the world and the last full month before school starts again, at least for some families. In July, we have only one federal holiday in the United States, but that doesn’t mean it’s a dull month.

July 20-Remembering the First Moonwalk

Perhaps I should have titled this post Leap into July since this month we remember a “giant leap” that happened in 1969.

On July 20 we will remember that historic day over 50 years ago when humans first walked on the moon, first Neil Armstrong, followed by Edwin Aldrin.

From the National Aeronautics and Space Administration website

“The primary objective of Apollo 11 was to complete a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961: perform a crewed lunar landing and return to Earth.

Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin.

An estimated 650 million people watched Armstrong’s televised image and heard his voice describe the event as he took “…one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” on July 20, 1969.

one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind

Commander Neil Armstrong, July 20, 1969

Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21 hours, 36 minutes on the moon’s surface.

After a flight of 195 hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, 13 miles from the recovery ship USS Hornet July 24, 1969.”

If you don’t remember it, or weren’t alive then, you can watch it at this link.

July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind

life size photo of the Apollo 11 crew-Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin
No, I didn’t go to the moon with the Apollo 11 team. My husband snapped this photo of me in front of this wall-sized photo of them displayed at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX

Now the United States and multiple other countries plan to return to the moon within the next few years. I hope this new “space race” is as exciting as the first one was.

July 4-Celebrating Independence

Further back in United States history, colonists in North America took a “giant leap” by declaring independence from Great Britain. That set off a hard-fought, costly war, culminating in an independent country of 13 states.

We celebrate Independence Day, more commonly simply called the 4th of July. The Continental Congress voted on July 2, 1776 to declare independence, but the Declaration was adopted on July 4, so we celebrate that day, which is an official federal holiday.

Unfortunately, the war was not the end of conflict for the new country.

The European settlers engaged in conflicts with the Indigenous people that still impact lives today. Many settlers bought and enslaved Africans despite many who objected to such a heinous practice.

The struggle between slave owners and abolitionists eventually led to a bitter Civil War a hundred years later and the civil rights movement after another century.

Still, the original dream of equality and the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness continues to inspire and motivate all Americans, whatever their origin.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, 

the Declaration of Independence
Thanks again to my husband for this photo of me at the Lincoln Memorial looking toward the Washington Memorial in Washington, DC.

Thanks to a cousin who did an extensive genealogy of my father’s family, I found evidence of having an ancestor who assisted in the fight for independence by providing supplies to the army. So I became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The mission of DAR includes education, patriotism, and historic preservation. Follow this link to see if you qualify to join, we always want new patriots and new members.

And don’t assume it doesn’t apply to you. DAR is seeking unrecognized African American and Native American patriots. One of them may be your ancestor

Daughters of the American Revolution

“As part of the DAR’s mission to preserve the past and encourage people to learn more about the nation’s history, the E Pluribus Unum Initiative will support new scholarship, create educational programming, and develop new research tools that complement work being done by other organizations, with the goal of enriching our understanding of the different people behind the effort of the colonies to win independence, and recognizing those who have been left out of the historical narrative.”

July 15-The Republican National Convention

At the 2024 Republican National Convention, delegates of the United States Republican Party selected the party’s president and vice president nominees for the 2024 presidential election in November. The event occurred July 15 to 18, 2024, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

The nominee was, as expected, former President Donald Trump, who announced his choice for a vice presidential running mate, Senator J.D. Vance.

Mr. Vance was known for his military service as well as his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, in which he described growing up poor in Appalachia.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis 

He was raised by his grandmother because his mother, Beverly, struggled with substance abuse. She successfully overcame her addiction and lived to see her son become Vice President of the United States. Her story is one to celebrate.

I’ve never been inside the White House; it’s impressive from the outside. The President and his family reside here.

Aren’t the flowers gorgeous?

July 26-The Summer Olympics

The 2024 Summer Olympics (French: Jeux olympiques d’été de 2024), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (French: Jeux de la XXXIIIe Olympiade) and commonly known as Paris 2024, is an international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024 in France, with Paris as the main host city and 16 other cities.

statues of runners passing a torch
at the U.S. Olympic Training Center at Colorado Springs Colorado, photo by Dr.Aletha

From 1924 to 1992, the Summer and Winter Games were held in the same year, every four years, a period called the “Olympiad”. The last Summer and Winter Games held in the same year were in Barcelona (Summer) and Albertville (Winter) in 1992.

Since then, the Summer Games are celebrated during the first year of an Olympiad and the Winter Games held in the third year, so we only have to wait two years to watch these exciting games again.

The Olympic games originated in Greece.

Considering the variety of sports held during the Summer Games, there will be many chances to observe competitive jumping-basketball, gymnastics, equestrian, volleyball, diving, and skateboarding-as well as sports that stay grounded-archery, golf, table tennis, and weightlifting.

two champion athletes
a runner and gymnast represented at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, CO

And what would summer be without water so we’ll see swimming, water polo, canoeing, rowing, and sailing. And surfing is in the Olympics, but not in Paris. Surfing events will be in Tahiti, which is part of French Polynesia.

swimming pool
a real “Olympic-sized” swimming pool at the training center

These photos are from my tour of the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado a few years ago. Please visit this post to see more photos and read more about my visit.

Tour the U.S. Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado

A visit to the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs showcases the dedication and resilience of Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Promoting physical activity, it emphasizes the health benefits of exercise, while sharing the “Winning Attitudes” and determination exhibited by champions. The center inspires a commitment to personal excellence and perseverance.

Keep reading

Exploring the HEART of Health

I’ll definitely be tuning in to watch the Olympic games. I especially enjoy the gymnastics and track events but also some of the less familiar sports. I may even check out breaking, which debuts this Olympics.

Breakdancing, as breaking is popularly known, is a form of dance sport that blends urban dance with remarkable athleticism, making it worthy of a spot in the Olympic program.

I’m already excited about the 2028 Summer Olympics coming to my home state, Oklahoma! At least part of it is. Los Angeles California is the official host city but two events will be in Oklahoma City-softball and canoe slalom.

“The partnership between the two cities is a move designed to use existing sports facilities and keep costs down.” Read more about the plans at this link

Why two 2028 Los Angeles Olympics events are moving to Oklahoma City

I’ve never been to an Olympic game so this will be my best chance.

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I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

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Let’s jump into July

What are you jumping into this month? What new “leaps” will you try? Let us know in the comments so we can cheer you on.

Dr. Aletha

a woman in a red, white, and blue shirt
Me, a few years ago, showing my patriotic spirit by posing in red, white, and blue

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