DKG Alpha Epsilon

Slowly Take a Very Deep Breath and Slowly Exhale

The choice of breathing doesn’t occur because we all know breathing is involuntary; however, perhaps we need to rethink that idea. The autonomic nervous system consists of sympathetic and parasympathetic breathing. If we learn to manipulate our parasympathetic breathing, perhaps we

can capture some well being we might otherwise not get. For working teachers, it’s a good thing that breathing comes naturally because there are far too many demands on our attention and time on and off the job. Even as retirees, most of us are overly committed to family, friends, pets and

organizations. So our lives, whether full time employees or full time retirees, are exceedingly busy.

And, as a result, most of us are out of touch with our parasympathetic system, the breathing

that exudes rest, digestion, and well-being. Instead our breathing is more often geared to the flight or fight stance: Be Aware! Be Alert!, Be Ready to do what must be dealt with now. The adrenaline rush our bodies can kick into is phenomenal. It’s all autonomic anyway, so what difference does it make?

Realizing that the parasympathetic system allows one to calm oneself, reset oneself is an integral way to help us through the day. When we breathe deeply, inhaling for 6-10 seconds then exhaling that same amount of time, our heart rate lowers, our mouths aren’t dry, we see more clearly, our glucose level goes down, and our gastro-intestinal system digests normally. And if we continue this slow process four a minute or two, there is a marked difference in our feeling of well being.

Try it! We do have a choice!

Melissa and Kay

Speaker: Anne Backus - "The Spectrums of Sexual and Gender Diversity"

After earning a degree in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University, Anne moved to Anderson County to work at the Y-12 Plant as a Project Manager for 33 years. While she was working, she raised three daughters and supported them as a girl scout leader, band mom, classroom volunteer, and Sunday school teacher. Since retiring in 2014, she has become the proud grandma of two boys.

Anne also acts as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for the Anderson County Juvenile court. Though challenging, it is her most rewarding and impactful work. She is also involved in social advocacy work in Anderson County as the founder/secretary of PFLAG’s Oak Ridge Chapter. In addition, she is a member of the Anderson County NAACP, Oak Ridge League of Women Voters, PEO Chapter G and Oak Ridge Solution on Racism (ORSOR).

After this October meeting, the next one will be December 2nd. That's the Silent Auction and presentation by the ORHS Madrigal singers. Our state president, Sherrie Collins, will also join us for that meeting. Be thinking of what you'd like to bring in to the auction. Remember that all proceeds go to support the ORS Family Resource Center.

Congratulations to Amber Roberts for being the newly appointed principal of Holston Middle School. She posted on Facebook that she comes home with a happy memory each day after being with the preteenagers!

Also, the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation has announced that the fall 2025 cycle of professional development funding honors Benita Albert with the "Benita Albert Innovative Educator Fellowship" for current ORS staff to pursue professional development opportunities.

Go to https://orpsef.org to learn more!

Please bring children's books to the meeting next week!

AND - bring LOTTSSS of bags of candy if you can. We will be participating in the ORHS "Trunk or Treat" on October 29th from 5:00-6:30. Last year we ran out of candy - so many community people bring their children to this event. This event helps parents sign up their little ones for the Imagination Library.

Then - Mark your calendars for our annual "No-Sew" blanket event. We will meet at RBC on Saturday, November 29th from 11:00-1:00 to put them together. A few kits will be provided, or you can get your own. Hobby Lobby has them, or order online.

Also,, on Saturday December 13th we will have a "Holiday Cookie Swap" at a time and place to be announced at a later date. Start looking for your best cookie recipe!

At our last meeting, Lauren Wilmoth helped us understand how to make our students better consumers of online information. But, we and our friends and families can all stand to learn more about how we can identify misleading or false information online. "Protect Yourself and Loved Ones From Misinformation" was the topic of her doctoral dissertation.

She shared the easiest thing to do is to open more tabs and search for the topic to see what others have posted. Do multiple pages say the same thing? Or look at the address of the page. Is it from a .edu or .gov, or it is an individual? What about AI images that we are seeing everywhere? You can also do searches on images to research their source. It was a very timely and informative presentation and I encourage you to learn more about this topic.

Here is the link to her presentation

Would you be interested in learning how to play Mahjong?

If we can get a small group together, I have someone that can teach us how to play. If you would like to learn how to play this fun game, please contact me (Nancy Witick) either on our DKG Alpha Epsilon Facebook page or email me at nwitick@gmail.com