In honor of the month of Love, Valentine’s Day, and Heart-filled experiences, I surveyed my friends at CVS on Matthews Drive in Hilton Head, along with a few others to nominate their favorite feel-good films.

In the chaos we live in today, a film that makes you smile, feel good and look at life with optimism is exactly what we need.

What is your favorite? Here are a few surveyed recommendations:

Heart disease and stroke is something no one ever wants to experience. Unfortunately though, heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women. The good news is there are lifestyle choices that can help reduce your risks, even if it runs in your family. The best way to combat the debilitating effects of a possible heart attack or stroke is to partner with your physician and take precautions based on your current state of health. Make an appointment today to take heart and beat the odds you may be facing. In the meantime, read on to learn more about heart disease and stroke from our local medical experts.

DEAR SUSAN:
I was quite saddened to read in ‘Single File’ that unmarried households (solo) outnumber married families. But as I think about it, it’s somewhat true. Even in my life I know of several people between the ages of 30 and 55 who live alone. Those divorced are trying desperately to meet someone so as not to continue their journey alone. I think that’s because they have experienced marriage and motherhood and want to experience part (if not all) of it again.

Making children happy became a parenting goal in the early 1970s. The paradox, as everyone with a modicum of common sense knows, is that the more effort parents put into making a child happy, the more unhappy the child becomes.

Underneath the cute appearance of an infant lurks a tyrant. I would have been expelled from graduate school for writing that sentence, but as loathe as many of today’s parents are to accept it, that is the truth. Another paradox: Parents who are unwilling to accept it are the ones most likely to give the tyrant permission to step out of hiding and begin his reign of terror.

“Get fresh! It’s the New Year!”
– The Uphill Skater –

Fresh fish, fresh produce, fresh face, refresh and on and on. What we are talking about here is fresh! To me, fresh has mostly food meanings. I love to farmer’s market shop for crunchy veggies, and I always do “pick your own” fruits in season whenever I can. However, fresh also makes us think of renewal and rejuvenation—basically, freshening up. To freshen up ourselves or our surroundings can be daunting and frustrating. Sometimes we can’t even see what needs refreshening or just don’t know where to start. The New Year is the perfect time to revisit some goals that may have failed in the past. Now is the time for forgiving ourselves and giving whatever it is a fresh try.

January through March the chatter about film is all about awards. It’s time to start talking about the 2022 Oscars. The major fall film festivals—Venice, Telluride and Toronto—have all had their starry red carpets and introduced us to some of this year’s contenders.

After an awkward ceremony last year shaped by Covid, this year the Academy Awards promise to be back in full swing, despite the lingering of that pesky pandemic. While the March 27, 2022, ceremony is still months away, the conversation has already begun. Though everybody has their own opinions on the matter, here are films The Reel Corner thinks will be in the running for Best Picture.

Too often, the stigma that still surrounds mental health has caused people to struggle in silence. We at Pink want to help put an end to that stigma by shining a light on Stress, Depression, Anxiety, and Panic. These are all real health issues, not character flaws or weaknesses. The strongest thing we can do is seek help. Here is advice from experts for dealing with these serious issues.

It’s all over the web, that “grit” thing. Seems like every day, I get some promo for a webinar on how to get more grit, project more grit, or get in touch with your inner grit. So, allow me to enlighten the reader on how to help your child acquire grit.

First, what is grit? Grit is equal parts determination, tenacity, and emotional resilience, which is the ability to withstand setbacks and even failure. Grit is nothing new. Marco Polo had it. Edmund Hillary had it. Navy Seals have it. I know that leaves lots of people out, but this is a magazine column, not a history book. You get the picture. Grit is hanging in there and getting the job done when failure is a looming possibility. Grit is in short supply today, as I and many folks of my generation fear.

“WooHoo! Let’s Party! On second thought…
here’s some good advice you probably don’t want to hear.” 
– The Uphill Skater –

I recall one holiday season when my husband and I had party invitations for every night in December, including Christmas Eve. We could not believe it, and indeed felt very popular. That is until we realized that nearly everyone had social obligations for every night in December. Let’s face it y’all, the Lowcountry is a party kind of place, and Christmastime and the holidays are just too perfect to pass up a party! 

A friend of mine realized she had lost one of her diamond earrings while having a meal at a roadside Cracker Barrel on her way home to Delaware from Hilton Head. Crying and searching to no avail, she and her husband finished their meals. When asking the waitress for the check, they learned another customer paid their tab in hopes the gesture might soften the blow of the missing earring.

A stranger dropped off a $15 Starbucks gift card at my workstation after witnessing me trying to navigate and mediate two overzealous and demanding patients wanting to “be first” in the Moderna booster line.

I often find myself telling parents that they need to stop
doing something that is counterproductive and, in most cases,
contributing significantly to whatever parenting problem is bedeviling them.

“How do I stop?” is the typical response, which brings to mind “The Bob Newhart Show” which ran on CBS from 1972 to 1978. Newhart, a truly gifted comic (i.e., one who does not need to resort to vulgarity to get laughs), played Dr. Robert Hartley, a Chicago psychologist who was known for his unusual therapeutic techniques, one of which consisted of two simple words.
After listening to a client describe a mental problem, such as an obsessive fear of being buried alive in a box (my personal favorite), Dr. Hartley would lean forward and yell, “Stop it!” (Readers interested in watching a brilliant demonstration of authentic comedy can access re-runs of TBNS online.)

“I often wonder how Elizabeth Millen
and her crew think up these really great themes?”
– The Uphill Skater –

This month’s theme, #FriendshipGoals, got me thinking the minute I read it. I not only thought about the word friendship, but also how in the world it could be tied in with the word goal? Eazzzy peazzy as it turns out, but because I am into food and nutrition, my first thoughts were about how to make food your friend. In other words, what sort of goals would you set to make food your actual friend? So many times in my day I think of food as the enemy: Cookies; chips of every kind (my weakness); that second glass of wine; butter; or extra cheese on anything. I could go on and on!

Someone told me a story about a shopkeeper in Germany who put his child through college from the profits of the Ursula Andress poster that he kept in his shop window for years of her “Honey Ryder” character in Dr. No. It wasn’t the James Bond poster that created such a stir, and ultimately, wealth for the shopkeeper; it was the intrigue and infatuation of the Bond woman.

James Bond, a fictional character by novelist Ian Fleming in 1953, centers around a British agent working for MI6 under the code 007. James Bond has been portrayed by seven actors: Sean Connery; David Niven; George Lazenby; Roger Moore; Timothy Dalton; Pierce Brosnan; and Daniel Craig in 27 productions. The last and final entry of the series No Time To Die, which opened in October.

Memory problems can be scary! Many of us have experienced a “senior moment”,
but for one in ten older Americans, memory issues are much more serious than that.
Dementia is more prevalent in women, so we thought it was time to ask local wellness experts
to help us understand what could happen to us or someone we love.

When Anthony Serpe says he lives to coach girls soccer, he means that quite literally.

“When I got sick and disabled from work,” he said, “it was such a close call that I didn’t want to do the corporate thing anymore. I wanted to do what I love.”

Anthony was an athlete all through school and college, and today his five best friends are people he played football with in high school. They have a text chain, and whenever he goes to his native New York, they all get together. Both of his daughters are athletic, and their participation in soccer is what got Anthony involved in the first place.

“We should, like, what? Give him a year to figure out his life and move out?”
I’m talking to the parents of a 21-one-year-old male who instead of
going to college or into the military, delivers pizzas, eats pizzas
(he gets an employee discount), and plays video games.

I’m having a déjà vu experience. I’ve had this conversation before, many, many times.

“Why a year?”

“Um, well, that’s enough time for him to figure things out, isn’t it?”

“ ‘Fight Like a Girl’ may not mean anything
close to what you think it does!”
– The Uphill Skater –

Yes, you know it and so do I. When girls really get in a fight that matters, you better watch out. Sometimes winning takes time and can be hard, thankless work, but we never give up. Never, Never, Never! 

On Halloween people shed reality and mark the holiday with costumes, decorations and parties. Creepy legends and characters have evolved based on real terrifying events.

Fear of Vampires: In the early 19th Century, before physicians were able to explain how infectious diseases were spread, hopeless villagers believed that those who perished preyed on the living family members. This fear took such root, it spurred a grim practice of digging up the dead and burning their internal organs to be sure the dead would not return.

When is the last time you thanked your kidneys? Those two, small bean-shaped organs in your lower back are incessant workhorses for your health. Here’s what these superstars are doing while you go about your day: They are regulating your body’s fluid levels, filtering waste and toxins from your blood, releasing hormones that regulate your blood pressure and direct production of red blood cells. If that is not enough, they also activate vitamin D to maintain healthy bones and keep blood minerals, such as sodium, phosphorus, and potassium, in balance. We all experience malfunctions occasionally, and unfortunately, one in three Americans is at risk for developing kidney disease. Read on to get more in touch with your kidneys and urinary tract. Here’s what we asked our local health experts:

When you stroll through VIVID Art Gallery, taking in the colorful marshscapes, wildlife captures and beach scenes teeming with red umbrellas, sea oats and cumulus clouds, you probably aren’t thinking about Parkinson’s disease. You definitely wouldn’t imagine the photographer has it, considering how affably and energetically he greets you. Nor would you necessarily picture him in a boardroom closing huge deals and heading up organizations of ten-thousand people. He’s way too down to earth for that.

“I still haven’t decided what I’m going to be when I grow up,” laughed Jeff Keefer, VIVID Gallery’s founder and former executive of the multibillion dollar company DuPont. But this Ohio native isn’t your typical top-down guy.

Q: Our four-year-old, an only child, is giving us fits. As a toddler, he began ignoring us. That evolved into downright refusing to do what we ask, as in, “I’m not going to” and just plain “No.” It seems like the nicer we are to him, the meaner he is to us. In addition, his tantrums when he doesn’t get his way have become Class 5 hurricanes that last until we give in. We know we shouldn’t—give in, that is—but his fits just wear us out. There is no doubt that he’s in complete control of our home. Is it too late to turn things around?

“You’re Not the Boss of Me. I am!” 
– The Uphill Skater –

I love the theme of this issue: #GirlBoss.

Women have made huge strides in so many areas. We, and pioneers before us, have opened doors, windows and chasms for others to succeed. The definition of success has also been changed, and this is the most important achievement of all. 

A girl boss is not necessarily a girl, or woman, who is the boss of others. She is first and foremost the boss of herself. She is someone who makes choices, controls her own destiny and looks after herself. She is also kind, generous and thoughtful. In other words, she is quite a package. 

There has been a lot of press about Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, and RESPECT, the film of her life and the demons that clung to her. Nothing quite prepares you for the film’s presence of Jennifer Hudson’s portrayal of her; she is an amazing talent!

RESPECT
Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Mary J. Blige,
Marlon Wayans, Skye Dakota Turner
Director: Liesl Tommy

Following the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice.

Blood is like the “UPS driver” of our bodies. It courses through our veins leaving “packages” filled with life-sustaining items, such as oxygen, nutrients, carbon dioxide, hormones and much more, at every organ. Blood is the delivery system of life, and that’s why blood tests are exactly what your doctor orders. This delivery system has tracking and can tell your physician everything it is delivering and how much. This information often provides a map of what’s good, what’s bad, what needs working on and where to explore next. With this important information being the key to your treasured health, we thought you would be interested in knowing more about blood tests and what they can tell you about the status of your health. As such, we asked the experts at Hilton Head Regional Healthcare to give us the details:

What is routine blood testing and how often should I get it?
A routine blood test is an important way you and your physician can keep track of your overall health and well-being. A typical routine blood test, called the Complete Blood Count, or CBC, counts red and white blood cells and measures hemoglobin levels. This test requires getting blood taken at your doctor’s office or at a lab. Usually, a phlebotomist, nurse, or doctor will draw your blood from a vein in your arm as you sit in a chair with your feet on the ground. Often, you’re done in less than five minutes.

Can you imagine being 13 years old and named the strongest 13-year-old boy in the world? That’s a wonderful “insurance policy” for getting through middle school. But CJ Cummings’ strength isn’t the only ingredient in the secret to his success. Endurance, skill, focus, dedication, gratitude and drive are just a few attributes CJ has clipped to his weightlifting belt loops along his journey to get where he strongly stands today—a USA Olympian. Look for CJ as one of the members of the USA Weightlifting Team.

From the age of 10 years old, Clarence Junior, “CJ”, knew he was made for success. Growing up in Beaufort, CJ was just pretty much like any other little boy except for what was inside him—immense drive. At such a young age, he didn’t know that his drive would propel him to the top, but when his passion met his athleticism, extraordinary things began to happen.