BY JUANITA KNIGHT | President , ARTA

“ Health is a state of body . Wellness is a state of being .”

~ J . Stanford

In the last few issues of news & views , I have focused on the many aspects of wellness with the intent of reflecting on living well longer — and yes , I have finished the ‘ where is my everything ?’ binder . It was an enlightening process , and although it may not have been fun at the time , it helped clarify many decisions and choices and has given me a feeling of peace to have completed it . Someday I ’ m sure my family will be thankful for it too . But it doesn ’ t have a name yet , and I would welcome your suggestions .

While wellness is my theme , before I begin , let me just say that I am in awe of the incredible photographers who created and submitted their pictures for the Photo Contest . The judging was very difficult considering the dozens and dozens of excellent entries . Congratulations to the winners ; and to those who did not win , thank you for your entries , and for a level of quality that challenged the judges .

As for wellness , our magazine , news & views , is an excellent vehicle for promoting all things wellness : travel articles , spiritual thoughts to ponder , the safe use of social media , sound financial advice and valuable information on our Health Benefits Plan . The magazine already has a good variety of material related to the dimensions of wellness , and thanks to the Wellness Committee , more is to come .

One of the initiatives of the Wellness Committee is to provide an awareness of and information for the promotion of proactive wellness . To better understand our members , the committee conducted a survey that asked for input on six of the dimensions of wellness : emotional , social , physical , spiritual , financial and intellectual . The results were overwhelming , both in the clarity and consistency of the comments and the number of surveys completed ! Survey companies could only wish to have the huge response we received .

And your responses spoke volumes ! Some of us are doing well — some of us not so much .

The financial wellness section was forwarded to the Pension and Financial Advisory Committee that has , in turn , embarked on enabling branches to create workshops on financial topics for the benefit of their members and their communities .

In the next several issues of news & views , the Wellness Committee will provide a regular wellness section with activities and valuable food for thought related to the dimensions of wellness . That added section begins in this issue .

We have learned many things in the process of researching wellness . Little did I know that as a lifetime member of the ATA , I still have ATA library privileges . Both the Wellness and the Pension and Financial Advisory committees have been purchasing pertinent books on the many aspects of wellness for the ATA Library . Some suggested books are listed in the new Wellness section .

Recently , I have been reading Thrive by Arianna Huffington in which she talks about redefining success ( I think she means happiness ) and creating a life of well-being , wisdom and wonder . The positive effects of ‘ giving ’ ( mostly volunteering ) on social and emotional wellness are dramatic . ARTA members have that covered ‘ in spades ’!

Yes , I have been knocking a thing or two off my ‘ burden ’ list and freeing up time to plan for all the things I have , yet to do , on my wellness bucket list .

Are we having fun yet ? I hope so because we are the only ones who can make that fun happen , and I would rather that it be my choice to make those decisions .

How do you define your wellness ?

news & views AUTUMN 2016 | 5