It may still be warm and summer-like as you read this issue of HLN, but before you know it, fall will arrive with cooler weather and shorter days. After that, it won’t be long before our local deciduous trees start shedding leaves and area homeowners have to dust off their rakes and get to work.

Not everyone experiences a life-changing event in their lifetime, one that impacts them for better or worse. As we continue to experience the pandemic, we are witnesses to our own experiences. We don’t know what the outcome will be for ourselves, our neighbors, our community, and so on. It can be an unnerving but positive experience if it is a life-changing event that changes us for the better. As you reflect on the pandemic in the next weeks and months, consider your life as it is today and the changes that you intend to make because of it.

Occasional bouts of sleeplessness are a fact of life for most people, but for some, a good night’s sleep seems almost unattainable. They may have difficulty dropping off to sleep every night, or, if they are able to fall asleep, they may wake up at some point (or several points) during the night and find that they are unable to regain their restful state. Chronically tired as a result of their insomnia, these weary souls stumble through the day in a fog. Work suffers, relationships are strained, and the vicious cycle of sleeplessness spins on and on.

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) announced that it is expanding its virtual memory screening offerings to accommodate the high demand for the service. Screenings will now be offered every Monday and Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (ET) and every Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (ET). Appointments can be scheduled by calling AFA at 866-232-8484.

When you’ve been running the same course at the same pace for a long period, the route and scenery become boring and you might feel as though you’re on “auto pilot” during your run. Most runners experience these same feelings at one time or another during their training. Challenging yourself daily with your running program will help minimize your “comfort-zone” tendencies. Here’s how:

At about 10:00 on the morning of July 8, Shirley and I were in Dodge City, KS on our way to Southern Colorado. At the Visitors Center I asked a very nice woman if Miss Kitty, Chester, and Marshal Dillon were likely to be at the Long Branch that early in the day.

Every year, the Susan G. Komen Northwest Ohio Race for the Cure draws thousands of people who support the fight against breast cancer to downtown Toledo and the campus of Blanchard Valley Hospital in Findlay. But this year, in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Race for the Cure will look a bit different.

When we last left Mrs. Jones, she was preparing to admit into an Assisted Living (AL) to better support her care needs. The transition was difficult, as Mrs. Jones’ family was very involved in popping in on her and making sure her needs were met. Mrs. Jones was required to quarantine per COVID-19 precautions but was still able to see her family via video chat or through her window.

It seems that every day during this pandemic I see one or more stories of people who are giving or have given their lives for others. The obvious ones, doctors, nurses, EMTs, and many folks who work in health care, are the subject of hero and heroine stories and receive my praise and gratitude for such dedication. The essential workers who are keeping the country running and supplying us with food, energy, and many other material resources are dying at even greater rates, giving their lives for others. During this same time I have seen people who are entrusted with bringing the country and world together during such trying times disrupting the harmony of the whole by reporting false information and distracting us with what seems to be their own agenda rather than focusing on the common good.

In many people’s minds, job interviews are right on par with public speaking and painful dental procedures in terms of the anxiety they provoke. The fear of being placed in the proverbial hot seat and having your expertise, experience, and personality thoroughly dissected by a perfect stranger (or strangers) is enough to reduce even the most unflappable job candidate to a pool of nervous perspiration. But a modest amount of advanced preparation can really calm your nerves and help you stand out among the crowd of candidates. Here’s how: