January 2020 Issue

Celebrating 70 Years | Beyond the Barricade

SRS ties that shaped our community Walt Joseph boarded a shuttle bus from his hotel for his first visit to the Savannah River Site in 1954. On that day his young wife, Paula Nissley Joseph, took the family car to downtown Aiken. The gas explosion on Laurens Street had happened the year before and the rubble was still evident. The Chamber of Commerce was in a log cabin and much of the surrounding area was farmland. Sixty-five years later, the Josephs still laugh as they recall the early days of building a life together in Aiken. They originally met on a blind date in 1951 when Walt was working on

Simple Wellness Resolutions

Have you ever wondered how your friend who is very ill can be so happy? Or how your friend who has everything going for him or her can always feel so down? Their level of wellness is often the answer. Our health is something we often cannot control. However, our feelings and attitudes about our life circumstances, often referred to as wellness, are things we have the power to improve. There are at least eight dimensions of wellness — spiritual, social, financial, occupational, physical, environmental, intellectual, and emotional. Even the smallest improvement in one of these areas can be truly life altering. Here are two wellness resolutions to help make

A Wellness Movement | Life Balance in the New Year

The Christmas Tree is out of the house, the holiday lights packed away, the garland removed, and the last Christmas cookie has fallen victim to a spontaneous snacker. As resolutions begin to swirl, like frosting on Aunt Viola’s Yule Log cake, it’s time to face the facts — the party is over! The post holiday munch weight gain is here. I must admit ordering the video-link indoor fitness bicycle is tempting, but if my renewed exercise commitment wanes by the spring, that nifty bike will quickly turn into a clothes rack. Not to mention the financial penalty for cancellation (listed in very fine print). As a fitness enthusiast over the

Artful Wellness | Bella’s Featured Artist Luiza Somodi

Artist Luiza Somodi is living proof that through determination, perseverance, and hard work, one can accomplish a dream — even if it takes decades to do so. She still vividly recalls fleeing, with her family, on foot, the Nazi invasion in her native Russia. After years, first in Asia, where she contracted malaria, and then in various West German camps, they finally found their way to New York City, literally penniless. From an early age, Luiza showed great interest and talent as an artist. As soon as she was financially able to do so, she studied fine arts at the Famous Artists School of Westport, Connecticut. After graduating and several

Healthy Goals | Resolute This…

Happy New Year! Now that Christmas is packed up for another year — well, at least the decorations — we can focus on another time-honored tradition. New Year’s Resolutions. For most, those resolutions don’t change from year to year. Eat and drink healthier, lose weight, save more money, spend less on dumb stuff, and (here’s the big one,) make more quality time for family and friends. Typically, when the year is over, we discover we ate and drank the same, found whatever weight we may have lost, and spent what we should have saved on impulse stuff to help us improve our diet, lose weight, and help us keep our

Remnants of a Life at the Side of the Road

I saw the thin black ties of the apron first. They were draped rather languidly along the edge of the road. The apron itself was nearly hidden in a grassy dip in the ground off to the side, leading into the mouth of a drain pipe. The all-black color of the apron helped to disguise it. Even the dog had not noticed it as we walked the small neighborhood street. With a closer look, the apron was easily recognized as a restaurant-style server’s apron — smallish, oblong, with pockets sewn all across its lap for holding pens and order slips, notes about specials, and tips paid in cash. Picking it