BY STEVEN KASZAB

Zucchini Pancakes: A flexible vegetarian meal that allows you to add whatever you desire to it, feeding your family a nutritious main for breakfast, or lunch. The main ingredients need not be zucchini, but perhaps squash, or any other fleshy fiber laden veggie. Also, you can top the pancake with just about whatever you desire be it: hot peppers, fried eggs, jam or even delicious maple syrup.

Family instructions: You will prepare this just as you would a regular pancake.

• Shred three small zucchini’s and add a teaspoon of salt to draw out the moisture, leaving it to breathe for about 10-15 minutes.
• While you’re waiting, chop green onions, or scallions finely. You will need 3 – 4 eggs to blend into the zucchini. If you wish to replace eggs with another substitute that will bind the shredded zucchini such as: flax, or chia seeds in water, mashed bananas, or applesauce do so.
• Mix together and add if you so desire a cheese such as parmesan cheese to your distinctive taste, along with fruit, or berries. Add one cup of flour (more if you want the pancake to be denser).
• Using a large spoon add to a hot pan, frying to your desired consistency. Flip and add some cheese to melt if you wish.

Another less costly ingredient may be the ever-present Mexican Avocado diced and added to the mix. The Germans often add fried onions with diced mushrooms and in Southern Italy don’t be surprised to find fried anchovies with pitted olives added.

Cooking is limited only by your imagination, so be creative, experiment and enjoy.

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“Our language has wisely sensed these two sides of man’s being alone. It has created the word “loneliness” to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word “solitude” to express the glory of being alone,” theologian, Paul Tillich, wrote in The Eternal Now.

Hunched over a laptop, you sip your lukewarm latte. You glance around, observing other patrons: couples engrossed in conversation, a group of friends laughing uproariously, a lone writer scribbling furiously in a notebook.

You feel a familiar ache – a hollowness in your chest. You have been in this city for six months, yet it still feels alien. Your college friends are scattered across the country, and your attempts at making new connections have faltered.

You scroll through social media, and you are bombarded with images of seemingly perfect lives. Friends on vacations, couples celebrating milestones, families gathered for holidays. Each picture is a tiny dagger to your already wounded heart.

The APA calls it “Discomfort from being or perceiving oneself to be alone.” It’s more than that. It’s a gnawing emptiness, a constant low hum of sadness.

Divorce. New city. New job. Each change has chipped away at your support system. Even with people around, you feel utterly alone. Like a silent observer in your own life.

Have you found yourself avoiding doing things? How’s your mood? Do you feel disconnected? Do you feel guilty for not talking to friends?

Loneliness can stem from many things – mental health conditions, social anxiety; many of us don’t like to admit we all feel lonely from time to time. Regardless of the reason, loneliness is painful.

Before we go any further, I think that It’s important to recognize that “being alone” and “feeling lonely” are not the same thing. Being alone refers to the physical state of being by yourself. You are physically alone in the sense there is no one else with, or around you. Feeling lonely (or loneliness, on the other hand), is an emotional state where you feel disconnected, or isolated from others, even when surrounded by friends, or family.

Understanding this distinction is key to improving our emotional well-being. Sharon Melin, MA, Outpatient Therapist at Nystrom & Associates, explains, “Being alone is a state of being, while loneliness is a feeling. We can be perfectly content by ourselves, but loneliness arises when we feel unseen, misunderstood, or disconnected.”

Now that we know the difference, we can take steps to cope with loneliness and even change our state of mind. I hope these help, and if you have any thoughts to add, please, share.

Practice gratitude

Studies have shown that acts of gratitude can help us feel more positive. Also, keeping a gratitude journal, in which you write about what you feel grateful for. Gratitude journaling helps us realize what we have in our lives as opposed to what we lack. For a more targeted approach to gratitude journaling, follow the Three Good Things exercise in which you write about three good things (large, or small) that happened throughout your day. Try the practice daily for a set period of time, such as one week, and note if your sense of loneliness has shifted.

Pursue your passions

Pursuing your passions engages your mind and spirit, and this can decrease feelings of loneliness. By joining a recreational sports team, library book club, volunteer effort, or other activities you enjoy, you are also more likely to meet others who have shared interests.

Understand that things are not always what they seem

There is that feeling, when you just don’t feel good enough, where you feel “less than.” This feeling can contribute to your feelings of loneliness. With the uptake in social media use, it is hard not to compare yourself to others. It is only human to look at someone else and feel sad when their surface-level feelings, or apparent situation seem happier than our own. It’s important to realize we never know what is going on in someone else’s life.

Connect with yourself

Sometimes solitude is necessary; it becomes an opportunity for reflection, or doing things we enjoy. You have to consider the relationship you have with yourself, and how you can enrich it. Set aside a period of time each day to check in with yourself. You could meditate, pray, practice yoga, or read a couple of pages of a spiritual text. This practice can be done in as little as five minutes, but it’s helpful to do it every day so it becomes a healthy habit.

That’s it! Now, you have to take charge of how you feel. You have been provided some help in this article. I hope you can put it to good use.

REFERENCES:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/three-good-things

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4225959/

https://dictionary.apa.org/loneliness

https://www.cigna.com/about-us/newsroom/studies-and-reports/loneliness-epidemic-america

https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/loneliness?hsCtaTracking=73e665db-05c9-4ad8-9d8c-d4c3461a4053%7C4fa48faa-8ad2-4854-adf8-e759425ec60d

Being Alone Versus Feeling Lonely:

BY PAUL JUNOR

The evening of Saturday, November 30^th, 2024, was one marked by inspiration, empowerment, and education at the Donor Drive 4 Dorothy Gala. It was held at the Panemonte Banquet & Convention Centre in Etobicoke and was graced by many invited guests, supporters, and visitors. The gala was intended to raise awareness and funds for stem cell donation, specifically to expand the Black donor pool in Canada’s stem cell registry.

A press release highlighted the issue of underrepresentation of Black donors in Canada’s stem cell registry:

• Only 1.88% of the 457,00 registered potential donors are Black
• There are 31 Black patients in Canada who are actively searching for a match
• 4% of the current registry are Caucasians

The core values of DD4D are:

• Access

Ensure all Black patients in need of a stem cell transplant have equal access to treatment and resources

• Empathy

Listen and engage each patient with an open heart. They honour every patient’s unique story

• Care

They prioritize the safety and well-being of the community, especially those afflicted by leukemia and other blood disorders

• Better posture

To build trust that’s rooted in love and compassion. This is how they connect with their: community, donors, and patients

DD4D was co-founded by Dorothy Vernon-Brown in 2014. She has shared her personal story of being diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in the summer of 2013. She shares her journey through conventional cancer treatment, relapse of leukemia and subsequent search for a compatible donor, which led to a successful cell transplant. It was after searching The Canada Blood Services Stem Cell Registry (formerly OneMatch) for a compatible underrated donor, and not finding any after checking over 20 million potential donors that Dorothy was compelled to act. “I am living proof of what a successful stem cell transplant can do. Now my mission is to give more Black Canadians the chance at life by increasing the diversity of the donor registry. It ought to reflect Canada’s multicultural society.”

DD4D held its first swabbing event in 2014, and since then it has held others in the GTA and Ottawa. This has resulted in more than five hundred potential donors. It has engaged in many fundraising activities, donor drive events, and diverse events over the years.

The non-profit DD4D was birthed as a result of these challenges. Their mission is to: educate, create awareness, and increase the numbers of potential black donors in Canada Blood Services Stem Cell Registry. They are on a mission to support, care for, and help save the lives of leukemia patients and others suffering from blood disorders by increasing the Black donor pool in Canada’s national stem cell registry.

The gala was hosted by Dale Brown. He is a well-known gospel recording artist who was born in Kingston, Jamaica and hails from Atlanta, Georgia. He has released four albums and won the 2023 Jerk Fest Gospel contest. He certainly kept the audience engaged and involved with his: jokes, sense of humour, and easy-going personality.

There were mesmerizing and entertaining performances by Joseph Callender (aka Saxophone Magic). His versatility shone through as he performed a rich blend of genres. He has studied at Humber College and has performed on stage with world-renowned artists such as: John Legend and Lalah Hathaway. The highlight of the evening was a performance by Canadian-born pop/rock, singer/songwriter who goes by the stage name KHAY. The superbly talented actress, singer, and dancer has received training in New York and Los Angeles. She has a rich background in musical theatre. She performed many well-known songs, such as some from the late Tina Turner. She had the audience rocking to her songs as she seamlessly moved from different genres.

The program featured individuals who were diagnosed with cancers and were able to find donor matches. Their stories spoke of resilience, strength, perseverance and hope.

At the end of the program, the Board members were called up. They include:

• Dorothy Vernon-Brown
• Camille Stewart-Edwards (Chair & Director of Marketing)
• Pat Longmore (Director of Finance)
• Lisa Dietrich-Linton (Director of Fundraising & Sponsorship)
• Denise Sinclair (Director of Information Technology)
• Janet Lee (Director of Events & Patient Relations)
• Lois Virgo (Director at Large)