Healthy Habits - Jeanette Davis

March 2023
Photography (top) by T.R. Love, T.R. Media World

Jeanette Davis
Healthy Habit: Nurturing Your Social Circle

Passion: Helping others in our community
Career: Retired
Family: Husband Mike, Son Joey, and Daughter-in-Law Amanda Davis (Atlanta), Daughter Lauren and Son-in-Law Clay Oliver (Bluffton)

Why is social time important to you?
I believe social time is just as important for our health as physical activity and diet. I just heard someone say, “When we replace ‘I’ with the word ‘we’, we go from illness to wellness. It’s not healthy to miss out on social time!

Variety is the spice of life—how do you mix it up socially?
I have several social circles. I am part of a women’s Bible study group that meets at our church (Hilton Head Island Community Church) on Tuesday mornings. I am part of a bunco group that meets once a month, I am a member of a book club that meets once a month, and I organized and am still an active member of the Low Country Kappa Delta Alumnae Chapter. I workout with an amazing core group of friends at Pure Barre, and we typically get together for happy hour or dinner once a month. Our neighborhood (River Club) is extremely active, and Mike and I attend socials with neighbors at least once a month. In addition, I find volunteer work rewarding. I am on the board of HH Backpack Buddies and serve as its coordinator at our church, leading volunteers in packing food bags for students at our public schools once a month. I participate in volunteer opportunities with my sorority alumnae chapter, as well, and I’m a small group leader and a greeter at church.

Tell us more about your Bunco group and the impact it has had on your life.
My bunco group is made up of 13 fabulous women! The group originally started in the ‘80s, and I have been a member over 15 years. Together we have celebrated weddings, grandbabies, professional successes and more. We have supported each other through cancer, other illnesses, loss of spouses and loss of parents. There have been LOTS of laughs and some tears. We play bunco once a month, but this group is so much more than that!

You and your husband travel a good bit, and often with friends. How does that work for you and how do you know which friends are compatible for travel?
Traveling with friends can be a lot of fun. I think it’s important to know what your travel buddies are interested in and what they expect from the trip. Don’t plan a trip with a lot of hiking or kayaking, etc. if you know your friends aren’t really into that. We recently returned from a cruise with a group of twelve. That was a perfect trip for our size group because it offered so many various activities!

Your husband is also a social person, and you both make sure you share social time with friends, time for just the two of you, time with your adult children, and then also social time with just the girls–or for him, just the guys. How do you balance this and what seems to work best for you?
I am a firm believer that it’s important for Mike to have his “guys night out” or golf dates with his buddies. Just as I get fulfilled by relationships with girlfriends, he also does with his guy friends. Weekend nights are typically reserved for time spent with just the two of us or with our children.

We live in a transient area. What are the keys to having long-term friendships?
I think you need to keep in mind that friendships are a two-way relationship. It’s important to take time to check in on friends, shoot a text or make a phone call. Send a card via snail mail—who doesn’t love getting a card in the mail? Show your friends you care about them and are interested in their lives.

Do you believe your social time has a direct correlation to your happiness?
Absolutely! We are not made to do life alone.

Sometimes you just feel the need to for time with friends.
Are most of your activities planned, or spur of the moment?
I am involved in so many groups that most of my activities are planned. But I also love to call a girlfriend at the last minute to grab some lunch or dinner with our spouses!

Often, time with friends can end up with drinks and heavy food.
Do you have any suggestions for planning different and creative activities?
We live in such a beautiful, amazing community—walk the beach, take a bike ride, go paddle boarding. Take advantage of our many museums, festivals or shows with your friends. A trip to the farmers market with some friends is lots of fun. And of course, shopping is always a go-to activity with girlfriends!

Why are healthy habits important to you?
I believe if we take care of our bodies, our bodies will take care of us. Healthy habits today will hopefully prevent illness in our future.