Desert Health News - January-February 2024

Medical News The Valley ' s Leading Resource for Health and Wellness 3 www.desertcarenetwork.com/events In December, Valle Del Sol Elementary School in Coachella unveiled a new vending machine operated by coveted golden tokens awarded to children for positive actions and good behavior. Their prize? A chosen book of their very own to bring home and share with family. The book vending machines are the innovation of Global Vending Group whose goal is to increase literacy by creating a rewarding experience. The concept was created by owners and friends while brainstorming how they could give back to the community. Contributing to the advancement of literacy among all students became the vending company’s social responsibility campaign, and now Inchy’s Bookworm vending machines are at work in schools throughout the country. "There is a literacy challenge within schools, partially due to a lack of engagement and excitement in reading books,” exclaimed Valle Del Sol Assistant Principal Jennifer Eyre who championed the project at her school. “Getting students excited to read by vending their favorite books and being able to take them home, will not only help increase a child's literacy, but also improve family relationships through reading.” Instead of coins, the machine uses a special golden token which the kids are rewarded for good grades, attendance, acts of kindness, accomplishments, reading efforts and other positive behavioral modifications. To add to the enthusiasm, the unit lights up and even talks. As books are distributed, new books take their place, creating endless opportunities for children to learn and engage. The units start at $5,300 for standard chapter books and can be customized to include picture books for younger students and older kids who struggle with reading. Exterior designs can also be individualized to include school imagery The start of a new year is the ideal time to ask ourselves what we want to change about ourselves or our lives. There is something about a new year that gives us that extra motivation to start fresh and change our lives so we can experience something better. The usual resolutions are weight loss, getting in shape, changing jobs or quitting a bad habit. These are all wonderful areas on which to focus, but the unfortunate truth is that the majority of people abort their resolutions within one month of setting these lofty goals. Perhaps the high failure rate is because we are taking the wrong approach to our new year’s goals. As wonderful as these intentions are, we tend to limit ourselves to just one thing. Here are some questions to ponder: Do you just want to improve one thing in your life experience, or do you want something more? Is losing weight really the answer to the change you want to see in your life? If you quit smoking, will all your dreams come true? Now, I am not discounting the benefits these behavior changes will bring; however, I think we can do better. The time has come for us to raise our sights a bit higher and figure out what we want our life to feel like – everyday. What do you want the overall feeling tone of your life to be? Do you want to experience consistent peace of mind, love or joy? This year, let’s go bigger and break free from the limiting ideas we have about what is possible for us, and open up to a bigger field of what life can be like. It is time for us to go beyond weight loss and ending bad habits and call in the “more” we would like to experience in 2024. So many people continue to suffer from the societal changes resulting from COVID, inflation and general uncertainty. This has caused many to live in survival mode, and this shuts down our creativity. We have lost our trust in our own ability to make life work on our terms, so we look to the outside world to tell us what is possible. The result is that we end up limiting ourselves because we don’t realize that our creative impulse can lead us to an amazing life if we follow it. Thus, we end up compromising and living a life that is not fulfilling. The human race did not evolve to where it is today by playing small. The creative spirit is what propels us to create something new that will further our life experiences by, not only improving the quality of life, but by giving ourselves an opportunity to grow and expand the potential that lies within us. Airplanes, cell phones and cultivating inner strength we never thought we had are all products of bringing the “more” into life. So how do we begin to open ourselves up to having more in 2024? Here are some tools you can use to break free of the same old new year's resolutions and bring in your “more”: Stop letting the world tell you what is possible. So many of us shut ourselves off from the unlimited creative ideas that pop in our minds because we think they are impossible or too weird. What if the Wright Brothers let that stop them? Listen to yourself and trust what is coming into your awareness. Listen to your heart’s direction. If you can’t hear it, meditate, go for a walk or just sit in a quiet place and ask for guidance. Start a list. Write down the "more" you want to bring into your life and include qualities of life like more love or peace. Keep adding to it until you feel complete. Take it one step at a time. Once we put our “more” out into the universe, we have started a chain reaction that will bring the more in. All you have to do is pay attention to the path that is taking you on your way. Don’t give up. Even if it seems like it is taking a long time, tell yourself that everything is unfolding in the perfect way and time. Let’s make 2024 the year of experiencing more. Even though you may not know exactly what that looks like, just start by imagining what “more” feels like, and you will attract it into your life. As this new year begins, keep telling yourself you are open and receptive to experiencing so much more in ’24, and let the universe wow you! Rev. Dale Olansky is the co-spiritual leader at Spiritual Center of the Desert in Palm Desert. She is also author of the book, Fear to Faith: A Daily Guide to Finding Solace in and Uncertain World and can be reached at revdaleo@gmail.com. www.DesertHealthNews.com January/February 2024 Stride into the new year at our FREE health fair on Tuesday, Jan. 16, from 8 a.m. to noon at Desert Regional. During this free breakfast program, you'll learn ways to find the key to happiness, understand what vitamins and supplements work, and learn helpful wellness tips. Everyone is invited to this event —and there will be a special recognition for those who have survived cancer. RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR A Free Health Fair The Key to Happiness What Supplements ReallyWork? Health andWellness FOOD! SEMINARS! BOOTHS! YOU ARE INVITED TO WITH PRESENTATIONS ON: JANUARY 16 IN PALM SPRINGS AT DESERT REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER DesertCareNetwork.com/Events GET YOUR FREE TICKETS AT DESERT REGIONAL 1150 N. Indian Canyon Dr. Palm Springs, CA So Much More in By Reverend Dale Olansky Inchy’s Bookworm vending machines combine reward and reading. Continued on page 21 New Approach Excites Kids to Read By Lauren Del Sarto ’ 24