December 2018 by The Brick Magazine Ann Arbor

BRICK

THE

DECEMBER 2018

MAGAZINE

ANN ARBOR

THIS HOLIDAY, GIFT EXPERIENCES, NOT THINGS THE GIFT OF PRESENCE HOLIDAY LOOKS

PLUS! A PERSONAL JOURNEY INSPIRES WORK

Anniversary Edition

PUBLISHER’S Notes

espite the focus on what divides us in popular media, our magazine is a place where we focus on what connects us. Like any business’s first year, our first year in publication brought its challenges and rewards in equal measure. In our case, with deep gratitude, I can say the rewards have been worth it. Our magazine is called The Brick for a reason. Each and every one of us contributes one brick to the foundation of our community and our livelihoods. Each brick is important to our foundation and makes us strong.

Photo by Lauren DiFulvio

As the mainstream news cycle continues to broadcast the divisiveness in the current socio-political climate, The Brick focuses on the interests and similarities that women of all backgrounds share. The now commonplace news media culture of name-calling, blame and factionalizing issues in stark black or white terms is the opposite of what The Brick is about. My number one goal is to ensure that despite the focus on what divides us, our magazine is a place where we can connect through our similarities and discuss differences in a way that brings understanding and empathy. More than anything, contributing to a culture of empathy for one another is our commitment. Our content is a contribution to the “slow food” movement in the media. Our writers and contributors give you the opportunity to truly connect with yourself and others through the power of story and powerful insights. No matter the platform our message is the same. Our community connects with us across online, print, or social media channels or a combination so we reach people how THEY want to be reached. (If you’re curious about how to reach our growing community you can let us know by emailing us at office@thebrickmagazine.com.

Our growing and vibrant community of advertisers keep us going. It has been a humbling experience to see the Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County business community come together in support of one another and our mission. Further, I couldn’t be more thankful for the enthusiastic team that makes The Brick come to life each month. We have over 35 people who contribute to making this happen each month. A big thank you to our photographer Heather Nash; our writers, Kristen Domingue, Stephanie Saline, Ginny Yarich, Lisa Profera, Bridget Baker, Maria Sylvester, Angela Harrison, and Sharon Lawlor. And to our many unnamed team members that pull off each month’s publication, thank you. The Brick has come to develop a life of its own. This publication is truly written by and for Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County.

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In 2019, we’re committed to continuing to tell the story of the women thriving in our community by doubling our distribution and increasing the page count of each magazine. With help from our advertisers and dedicated staff I know we’ll continue to find the common threads of empathy that unite us all. OPTIONAL: If you’re an advertiser and you’d like to be a part of this movement, let us know by emailing us at office@thebrickmagazine.com.

Sarah Whitsett, Publisher thebrickmagazine.com

2121 W. Stadium Blvd Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734.418.2392 thelittleseedling.com

THE

BRICK MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2018

Publisher • Sarah Whitsett Assistant to the Publisher • Tanja MacKenzie

Art Director • Jennifer Knutson

Copy Editor • Angelina Bielby

CONTENTS

Marketing Director • Steve DeBruler Online Creative • Bridget Baker Cover Photographer • Lauren DiFulvio

Contributors >>

Bridget Baker Liz Crowe Morella Devost Jillian Fraioli

Angela Harrison Madeleine Forbes Lisa Profera Bernadette Quist

Dr. Sheria Robinson-Lane Stephanie Saline

8 12

Maria Sylvester

The Brick Magazine, LLC 734.221.5767

Email: office@thebrickmagazine.com

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A Matter of Devotion Personal Journey Inspires Work as an Alzheimer’s Researcher Holiday Looks Working WInter Trends For Personal & Planetary Thriving Anger: Gunfire vs. Fire in Our Belly Book Review Reflections on a Girl’s Journey Through Ice and Life Your Kitchen’s Winter Arsenal Holiday Joy Laughter is Good Medicine

The Fruitful Dark

The Gift of Presence

however, we cannot make any claims as to the accuracy of information responsibility or liability for inaccurate information or placement. No content

This Holiday, Gift Experiences, Not Things

Welcome to Booze 101 with Liz Let’s Host a Beer Dinner Woman on the Street Into the Unknown

AN HONEST, ARTFUL AND DOCUMENTARY APPROACH TO WEDDING, FAMILY AND PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN & BEYOND

h e a t h e r n a s h p h o t o g r a p h y. c o m December hmnp h o t o @2018 g m a i|l . 7c o m

THIS HOLIDAY, GIFT EXPERIENCES, NOT THINGS The true gift lies in what’s behind the “stuff” By Bridget Baker

Photo courtesy of Chris Benson

cross much of the world, we view the holiday season as “the most wonderful time of the year,” and a time full of “comfort and joy.” This focus on being “jolly” and “merry and bright” can go from a positive emotion to a feeling of pressure to give more, to celebrate more, and can hit on pains you never knew you had. How could a holiday time that’s supposed to be so 8 | The Brick Magazine

“happy” start bringing up feelings of stress, lacking, and frustration? In the true spirit of giving, what if you knew that sharing your presence — not your presents — was enough? What if the people around you would prefer to laugh and connect with you over having some physical item that may

Photo courtesy of Monika Grabkowska

December 2018 | 9

just end up cluttering their already-full closet or kitchen? Do they really want the latest kitchen gadget, or are you just looking for some way to show people how much you care for them in the form of a physical item? Our culture has placed so much importance on the “stuff” of the season and has gone way beyond the true meaning of what most cultures are celebrating. Years ago, I used to scour malls and sales, looking for the perfect gift for someone that would accurately express the way I felt about them, how important they were to me, and to convey how well I knew them and was there for them. I was buying gifts for people I thought I “should,” rather than what felt authentic for me. Now, gifts are not bad in and of themselves; but I would shop right up until the mall doors closed on Christmas Eve, checking everyone off of my list and making sure I had enough little goodies to fill their stockings or to perfect the wreath of presents surrounding the tree. It started to feel like I was looking for things that they didn’t need, and I wasn’t even sure they wanted.

Photo courtesy of Jakob Owens

10 | The Brick Magazine

It wasn’t only about what the gift was; it was also about how much it cost. I mean, what if that person got me something with a higher price tag than what I got them? What if they already had what I was buying them? What if, what if, what if?!

This gift-giving began to feel like a competition, and especially if I was having a lean year financially, I had to put gifts on credit just to show people how well I was doing, or how much I cared about them. I thought what money could buy defined love. In the past fifteen years or so, as I began to look for a way out from this emphasis on consumption, I found myself looking for new ways to celebrate the season and to express my gratitude or love for the people around me. It is human nature to want to give to people we care about; yet, it’s difficult for most of us to allow ourselves to accept any contribution. I started learning about minimalism and the focus on gifting experiences over gifting things, and I found what was authentic — for me — about the holiday spirit again. Even though I don’t celebrate a denominational holiday myself, I like to take this time of year to express my gratitude for the people in my life. Here are some ways you can create a meaningful holiday without buying anything — or at least not a physical item — this year: •

•

Stop sending out paper holiday cards. It is better for the environment, for your wallet, and you can find a fun online version where you can even share video. My favorite source is JibJab. Or just send out a simple picture of your family by email. Keep the decorations simple. It’s amazing what a simple strand of well-placed LED lights will do. Go outside and collect some pine cones or greenery for a truly eco-friendly decor option.

•

Have friends over to decorate or make holiday cookies and warm holiday beverages of your choice. Use the season to catch up and truly connect with people you care about or want to know better.

•

Don’t overcommit yourself. I was at a holiday party one year where someone said they had four gatherings to go to that day, and instead of being excited about it, it was a source of stress. If it’s too much, politely decline. You can say no, you know.

•

Gift an experience. The best present is your presence. Call an old friend. Take someone out for a cup of coffee. Go ice-skating. Try Groupon for a great place to look for experience-based gifts.

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•

Spend time or invite someone to join you who is alone for the holidays. Death, divorce, or life changes can leave people orphans for the holidays. Take the time to include them in your gatherings or go visit them.

In addition to these, I am a fan of giving gifts when it feels authentic — for no reason at all! You don’t need a Hallmark holiday to take the time to tell someone you love them. If you know that someone in your life needs something, and you can give it to them, gift it “just because.” Whether you celebrate one holiday, all the holidays, or none at all, have a cozy rest of your December with your friends and family.

Bridget Baker web presence sherpa productivity hacker • digital nomad freelance blogger • minimalist adventurer • speaker • full-time RVer www.instagram.com/travellightlife/Travellightlife.com

December 2018 | 11

A MATTER OF DEVOTION A PERSONAL JOURNEY INSPIRES WORK AS AN ALZHEIMERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S RESEARCHER By Dr. Sheria Robinson-Lane

r. Sheria Robinson-Lane is a respected gerontologist, national lecturer, health educator, and a leading researcher dedicated to improving the lives of African American seniors.

her findings to help reduce health disparities for minority older adults, and to make a difference for the family members who care for those individuals by looking into the factors that contribute to their ability to provide care.

Dr. Robinson-Lane focuses on how diverse elders age with chronic disease, a line of study she has been pursuing at the University of Michigan since 2011. Her goals are to use

Some of the factors she considers in African American caregivers are their resources and the type of support that they have available, as well as their own overall health,

12 | The Brick Magazine

“I think, of course, your personal experiences always influence the work that you do,” says Dr. Robinson-Lane. “What got me engaged in research was definitely my maternal grandmother. She’s almost 100 now, and even though she has dementia, other elders develop those same symptoms and require the same kinds of care 20 years earlier. She even had cancer in her 70s, and we were advised not to pursue treatment because of her age, but she went on to live another 30 years.” Her grandmother helped raise her during her teenage years.

personality, and coping characteristics. Her findings will hopefully help guide the development of sustainable, community-based support programs for minority caregivers. Dr. Robinson-Lane’s research is especially vital; while white Americans make up the majority of the more than five million Americans with Alzheimer’s disease, African Americans have double the risk, and studies show that they are less likely to have a diagnosis. Although her research is still in the beginning stages, her relationship to Alzheimer’s disease started when her grandmother started exhibiting symptoms of dementia.

Dr. Robinson-Lane says that many of the participants that she works with are diagnosed late in their stages of the disease. “The adults I spend time with are diagnosed pretty late, if at all, and so right now my work looks at whether or not people are being diagnosed and whether these people are staying at home longer. Many people don’t get a diagnosis, which is something I’ve seen even in my own personal family.” While Alzheimer’s disease is the only disease among the top ten causes of death in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured, or even slowed, early and accurate diagnosis is important. Dr. Robinson-Lane emphasizes that a diagnosis enables individuals to prepare legal, financial,

December 2018 | 13

and end-of-life plans while they are still cognitively able to make decisions and share their wishes. This could determine whether or not they are placed in a care facility, which is an important decision for everyone involved. “Even prior to my research, I’ve been doing communitybased education for elders and caregivers as well as clinicians so that they can provide the most appropriate care for older adults and understand the process a little better,” she said. “A lot of the work I’ve done before has actually been more directly with healthcare providers, so even though my research is community-based, a lot of my prior work really focused on helping clinicians provide better care.” Dr. Robinson-Lane hopes that caregivers connect with resources like those offered by the Alzheimer’s Association, Area Agencies on Aging, AARP, and others. She stresses the importance of caregiver health and well being, and acknowledges the struggles that accompany the job. “Take care of yourselves. Too often, caregivers are so incredibly focused on their loved one because they’ve

14 | The Brick Magazine

spent a lot of time with them. But it’s an incredibly stressful period, and during that space, you kind of lose yourself. So, one of the things I think is so incredibly important is that you leave some time for yourself and keep up with your own doctor’s appointments, making sure you’re keeping on top of your own health, and reach out to supports you already have.” Dr. Robinson-Lane says the future of Alzheimer’s research is hopeful, and that every day is a day closer to a cure. “The future looks promising! More than a billion dollars have been poured into Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia research. Research is looking at all aspects, including care, cure, comfort, and quality of life. I’m excited to be engaged in this work with so much momentum.” Dr. Sheria Robinson-Lane devotes her career to helping African American caregivers. To learn more about Dr. Robinson-Lane, follow her on Twitter at @SheriaRobinson. To locate caregiver resources in your community, visit www.CommunityResourceFinder.org.

December 2018 | 15

HOLIDAY LOOKS:

Working Winter Trends by Angela Harrison

an you believe we’ve been talking all things fashion for a year now?! We’ve made it back to where it all began — the December holiday issue! Aside from this being a fab year at The Brick, we’ve got more important things to discuss, like our holiday looks. December is always busy, jam-packed with work parties, dinners with friends, fam time, — making it easy to succumb to the holiday-reds and other obvious seasonal choices. This winter fashion season is full of texture, color, and prints we don’t normally associate with holiday attire, which will set your looks apart from the usual suspects (while being super easy to put together!). We’re talking all things on trend, head to toe, that will look great with your existing wardrobe and really kick your holiday fashion up a notch.

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The winter holiday season is always a great opportunity to test drive some styles you’ve only admired from afar. As always, take these trends and incorporate them to feel like you; whether it’s a full-on metallic suit (slay, slay, slay!) or just a metallic clutch bag, express your personal style and own your holiday looks this season. There’s no wrong way to trend. Have fun, don’t pile on, and ring in the holidays and New Year in absolute drop-dead gorgeous style!

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PRINTS

The winter season is full of color and fun prints. Dark florals are popping up everywhere, creating a new narrative on what we consider traditional winter prints, like houndstooth and plaid. These florals are giving new life to eveningwear, casual blouses, pencil skirts, and scarves, making it so easy to add a little color to your holiday looks.

18 | The Brick Magazine

Try a dark floral blouse with a full midi-length skirt for dinnertime drama, or a sequined plaid pencil skirt with fluffy cropped sweater for a new take on a classic. If color in your clothing isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t your thing (I can relate), add these print trends through footwear and accessories with your party looks. A metallic floral bootie can polish off any look; try them with a black denim or dress with sheer black tights. These prints are a great way to keep our holiday outfits looking bright and festive, without being too holiday-themed.

VELVET & SILKS Velvet will always be a classic holiday fabric, and that’s fine by me! There’s just really no end to what we can apply this fabric to and how we can wear it. Velvet is gorgeous to the eye and to the touch, and is thick and stretchy enough to hold us in and smooth over bumps and lines. While velvet has been around for decades, what makes it fresh this season are the colors and garment designs. Perfect for holiday dinners and cocktail parties, dresses like this crushed blue velvet with side rouching and drape create such an elegant look — totally stunning, even on its own. This strapless ruffled-style dress is something we’ve seen all summer, but now being shown in a berry velvet; it makes the design look fresh and carries this look into the holiday season. If a dress is too much velvet for you, or you had a fab pant party look in mind, try a colorful

velvet tuxedo blazer in emerald green or deep purple. I always love a jacket moment because they’re so versatile; you can layer on just about anything, and your holiday look is immediately stepped up. This season we’re seeing a major comeback of silk in all forms. This is a great, natural, fluid fabric that really adds an air of elegance to any look. Silk has so much richness and depth to it, almost coming off as metallic to the eye, and looks totally fabulous with even causal fabrics. Try a gorgeous silk long-sleeved dress in deep gold, or a delicate skirt with an off-the-shoulder sweater. Mixing silk with fuzzy knits is always a win, and will give your holiday look that extra-cozy winter style.

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METALLICS & SEQUINS Nothing says ‘holiday party’ more than bling-y metallics and sequins! Metallic jacquard fabrics add that regal shine to any holiday cocktail party look. Suiting is a big trend for womenswear this season, and if clean lines and tailoring are your thing, look no further than a black and bronze metallic suit. These statement suits are great investments not only for your party rotation, but your entire wardrobe. A metallic jacket can be paired with any top/skirt combo or dress, while the trousers can be worn with a casual v-neck or chunky sweater. Wear both pieces together with a silk cami, and you’ve got the ultimate show-stopping holiday look.

Sequins need no introduction; they’re like the Beyoncé of fabrics. Bold, glamorous, dynamic, and memorizing, sequins are being reinvented through colorful jumpsuits and classic dress silhouettes. Perfect for holiday dinners with friends or hosting your own soiree, these sequin dresses bring the glam without having to do much else — and we kind of love that, right? Colorful blends of sequins, like this incredible jumpsuit, just pack so much style and are perfect for any New Year’s Eve bash. Paired with a faux feather cropped jacket, you’re ready to close the holidays and ring in the New Year in the most fabulous style.

*All photos belong to Nordstrom.com Angie Harrison received a BS degree in fashion merchandising from Western Michigan University, and after merchandising for a large retailer, went on to start Angela Harrison Style: a personal, print, and film wardrobe styling service. Her experience has led her to build a loyal client list of people from all backgrounds and professions. Angie has also worked in wardrobe on local and national tv commercials and has started a visual merchandising branch of AHStyle, providing styling and merchandising expertise to Michigan retailers. www.AngelaHarrisonStyle.com • Instagram: @_ahstyle • Facebook: www.facebook.com/AngelaHarrisonStyle

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FOR PERSONAL & PLANETARY THRIVING

ANGER: GUNFIRE VS. FIRE IN OUR BELLY by Morella Devost, EdM, MA

22 | The Brick Magazine

hat is happening in our communities? As I write this, people are mourning eleven Jewish brothers and sisters in Pittsburgh. The pipe bomber had his first court appearance. Every day, we see proof that old-school civility in politics and evening news has been replaced by insults, vitriol, and blaming. We have an anger problem in our country (and world), and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. But before we are tempted to point the finger, let’s all pause to explore what’s really behind the collective anger issue. The problem is not that there is anger. The problem is that we don’t know what to do with it. I believe not knowing how to channel our anger is a collective problem that stems from centuries of religious and cultural squashing of emotional expression — especially anger. I also believe we have an inherent fear of anger because of the fire it carries with it. We all feel it. Anger carries an inherent energy that moves us to take action, and we’re afraid of the things we might be capable of doing when angry. If you’ve ever allowed yourself to feel your anger, you understand why someone might break a whole set of dishes against the wall. Perhaps you’ve done it yourself. But what if there’s a righteous place for anger? I recently had the opportunity to interview a Chinese medicine practitioner on the subject. He said that in traditional Chinese medicine philosophy, anger is the primary emotion of spring. It’s the energy that gives rise to something new. This is the fire in our bellies that moves us towards action, protesting, rallying, joining committees and action teams.

Photo by Henri Meilhac

As a counselor, I’ve long viewed anger as the right emotion we feel when our rights, needs, or boundaries (or someone else’s rights, needs, or boundaries) have been

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Our judgment of anger as wrong is harming us both individually and collectively. On an individual level, the suppression of anger contributes to depression, self-harm, and even physical health issues (if you are skeptical that your anger can contribute to health issues, I suggest you read about stem-cell biology, epigenetics, and psycho-neuro-immunology). On a collective level, suppressing anger leads to both the slow-simmer and pressure-cooker expressions of anger. The slow simmer is what we see showing up in road-rage, the loss of civility, and the angry talking heads on TV news. The pressure-cooker expression is what we see in the quiet yet intense build-up that results in gun violence and mass murder. I think we’d all agree that the collective slow simmer is providing the fire for those who are pressure cookers. Collectively, we are still expressing immature, juvenile anger. We are all a part of it. We need to mature. We need to learn how to feel and adequately channel our anger. And we need to be role models for the next generation. We need to take personal responsibility for this. It’s not somebody else’s job; it’s our job. It’s not somebody else’s problem; it’s everybody’s problem. What we do individually creates the collective experience. We are not exempt. So, what do we do?

Photo by Jayson Hinrichsen

I invite you to be courageous in acknowledging your anger. It takes courage to feel it and admi, “Yes, I am angry.” As I said before, anger can be scary because we feel the fire within, moving us towards taking action, and sometimes it carries great strength with it.

violated. Anger is the energy that moves us to take action to restore them. That anger moves us to stand up to a bully, to speak up for ourselves and for others; to stand up to injustice; to go to the police and report sexual assault.

Once you acknowledge your anger, instead of (a) telling yourself you shouldn’t feel angry, or (b) attacking the person who triggered your anger, get curious. Yes, get curious about what your anger is telling you.

But for the most part, we have been taught to suppress our anger. Many of us grew up in households where anger was not properly expressed, and were raised in religious communities where anger was a sin. Now we also have New Age “spiritual bypassing,” where anger is seen as unenlightened.

What is the need, right, or boundary that was violated? Once you listen for the answer, then ask yourself, what action is needed in order to restore that right, need, or boundary? Is it a conversation? Or is it some other form of action? Your anger is telling you that you are being called to take

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Photo by Rocksana Rocksana action toward creating a new reality, a new way of being in your community. Whether that community is the one within the walls of your home, your neighborhood, your town, or your country. Listen to your anger. When you listen intently, and you find the wisdom behind your anger, you’ll notice that anger never calls for violence or attack. The wisdom in anger calls for enlightened action that respects all, acknowledges everyone’s rights and needs, and seeks to establish harmony, trust, and peace. Anger is nothing more than fire in your belly asking you to get moving towards creating a better, more harmonious, more respectful reality. Therefore, your actions fired by wise anger will be harmonious and respectful. So again, ask yourself: What is the constructive expression your anger wants you to take? Perhaps it’s time to look into volunteering, calling your representatives, going to a march, or forming a committee. Perhaps it asks you to go help those who are having a harder time. And when anger is triggered close to home, the action typically

comes in the form of a conversation with your loved one. It asks that you communicate which needs or boundaries were violated and how you would like for them to be respected. Sometimes this type of conversation takes practice, and I find that NVC (non-violent communication) is unmatched in that area. In addition to NVC, Emotional Freedom Technique can also be helpful. With these tools, you can gracefully move through the intense fire of anger and find the message behind it. It is your job to get better at expressing your anger constructively. It is my job too. We must all collectively learn and teach how to appropriately feel and channel our anger. As we do that, we will be contributing to create more harmonious societies where we respect each other. We will not do it by pretending anger has no rightful place, nor by judging others as “angry.” Morella Devost facilitates profound transformation for people who want to thrive in every aspect of life. After receiving two Masters Degrees in Counseling from Columbia University, she also became a Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP facilitator, and Holistic Health Coach. Morella is a VenezuelanVermonter who works with people all over the world from her beautiful office in Burlington, Vermont.

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BO OK REVIEW

REFLECTIONS ON A GIRL’S JOURNEY THROUGH ICE AND LIFE Review by Bernadette Quist

AUTHOR BIO Lee Zacharias is the author of four previous books, including The Only Sounds We Make and Lessons, a Book of the Month Club selection. Her work has appeared in the Best American Essays series. Born in Chicago and raised in Hammond, Indiana, she is professor emerita of English at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. 26 | The Brick Magazine

ACROSS THE GREAT LAKE by Lee Zacharias

uthor Lee Zacharias adeptly captures the mind and voice of both a five-year-old girl and an eighty-yearold woman — sometimes on the same page. Mostly, we hear from sassy, ahead-of-her-time Fern who goes on the trip of a lifetime with her mostly illusive freighter-captain father. He takes her to work with him on his Lake Michigan railcar ferry when her mother becomes too ill to care for her. Fern’s father is gone most of the time, but on one sadly memorable trip, he makes the decision to take her with him. The child’s observations as the only girl aboard

a river of a sentence that runs on for nearly half a page. At the same time, there were brilliant, compact observations throughout. For instance, this description of Fern’s stepmother spoke volumes in just a few words: “She was a woman of enormous energy, but no passion.”

are inquisitive, delightful, funny, and laugh-out-loud joyful. Zacharias’ research is also impressive. She lists over forty books and sources as part of her dig into Lake Michigan railroad car-ferries, the ethnicity of northern Michigan settlers, port towns, weather patterns, earlychildhood education on the Great Lakes, and more! It’s clear that she poured herself into this book, and her writing is beautiful. Spilling her ample talents onto the page, however, led to a mixed read from the perspective of a person who knows little girls (having raised two girls of my own), yet knows virtually nothing about freighters crossing icy Lake Michigan. While Zacharias completely nails the mostly endearing stream of consciousness in the mind of her young protagonist, sometimes that stream turns into

Fern’s memorable journey across the vast water between Frankfort, MI and Wisconsin includes human interest and interaction with the older, all-male cast of characters, ghost ships, the father she idolized, and a love of her childhood home that is glorious. “What I am saying is that winter in Michigan,” says Zacharias, “is not the unendurable, runny-nosed aching shiver people elsewhere in the country imagine, all goose bumps and an extended huddle around a woodstove, drinking toddies from cups that chatter on their saucers and pining for spring. We went outside. We explored the woods on show shoes and cross-country skis. “You would be surprised,” she continues, “at the number of seniors who pass on the palm trees and endless summer to retire back to Frankfort, no matter where they have spent their adult years or how long they have been gone.” Passages of dialogue like the following brought the human scenes to playful life. “Tell you a secret,” says one shipman to Fern, “Keeping your nose out of other people’s business gives it a

chance to grow.” There are many sailor observations that tickled me. This and the authentic research made for a mostly interesting read; but unfamiliar, unexplained terms like “bosun,” “snow wasset,” “companionways,” “chadburn,” “windrow,” “sanchions,” and “jump the clump” were sprinkled throughout, sometimes multiple terms per sentence, and were just a bit too distracting to me personally. I marked an equal number of “joy” and “annoy” pages in this book, and I attribute this to Zacharias’ talent for writing. At the same time, I felt an impatience with being so overwhelmed by references to things I wasn’t familiar with and didn’t care enough about to look up every few pages. I love Lake Michigan, the setting, the ideas, getting to know Fern, her ghost, her quirks, her pain, and how she dealt with the blows life had dealt her; but I hit some rough patches with this novel. Die-hard Michiganders and Great Lakes junkies will enjoy the book, but if you’re not that into historic freighters, you might want to try something else. Bernadette Quist is a book lover on several levels. Having been a book printer for the past 20 years, she now works with Adair Graphic Communications in Dexter, MI. She is also an avid reader, listener, and occasional reviewer of select titles. She has also been writing songs and singing them since she was a kid. She is pursuing her own dream deferred — writing, playing, and recording music in addition to helping authors and publishers print and promote their own books and magazines. For more information or to request a price quote, please email her at bquist@adairgraphic.com. December 2018 | 27

YOUR KITCHENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WINTER ARSENAL by Jillian Fraioli

Photo by Ramiro Mendes

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’m what you’d call a food hoarder. If an archaeologist went on an excavation in my freezer, they’d find my stash: chicken bones from roasted or rotisserie chickens, ham bones, fish bones; shrimp shells, multiple bags of vegetable detritus (they can be very useful!); ice cubes of chimichurri and pesto, stocks of various flavors, small amounts of leftover spaghetti sauce, meat scraps, and frozen ginger bits. I’m that person that if you invite me over and you’re throwing away any kind of bone, I’ll ask to take it home. To me, this is a boon. I can conjure up almost any kind of soup, casserole, or one-pot dish, even with a limited pantry. I don’t know where this behavior originated. Maybe it was from reading all that MFK Fischer in my twenties, then working at upscale restaurants that believed in no waste. I remember when I saw the first cauldron of lobster stock get assembled. Everything went in there — veggie scraps (fresh of course), roasted lobster shells, shrimp shells, spices — nothing was wasted. I was fascinated. But I’m burying the lede. This horde that I keep is my first line of defense against all the winter blues — from colds and flus to just feeling down in the dumps. With all the over-indulging since late October, I make it a point to make a batch of bone broth every weekend as soon as the weather turns to autumn. Bone broth is easy to digest and has numerous nutrients known to help your body ward off or help fight colds and the flu. It also helps keep you hydrated, and if you add a little salt, more’s the better to help your body retain fluids. December 2018 | 29

Now I do know where this belief originated. My grandmother believed in the healing powers of food, especially a good chicken stock spiked with enough garlic to ward off a dozen vampires. But she’d turn that magic into pastina cooked in the magic broth with egg and parmesan, and a dash of leftover spaghetti sauce, which is something us kids would eat (drink broth or eat grown-up veggie soup? No way!). I still crave it when I’m feeling crummy. There are several of these types of dishes across most cultures that I also dabble in, congee and okayu being two of the ones I’ll make if we have no pasta on hand. But it’s that season; we’re around more people, the kids are up later, and were sharing all the germs that love to gather at a winter party. So out come any bones, all those saved bits of veggies, some garlic, ginger, bay leaves, plenty of pepper, and maybe some ingredients you wouldn’t have: brewer’s yeast, apple cider vinegar, and star anise.** Here’s my recipe guide for a Sunday bone broth, with some suggestions of what to save in your own freezer. If you have an instant pot, that cuts down on your cooking times, but I’ll often still simmer my bone broth over a weekend just to smell the magic through the house. It has a definite effect on the household morale to be surrounded by the smell of stock brewing. **Don’t worry! If you don’t have all these things laying around, you can use the suggested substitutions. 30 | The Brick Magazine

December 2018 | 31

Chicken Bone Broth

•

2 cups of veggie scraps. I save onion ends, carrot ends and peels, celery ends, stalks, and leaves, parsley stems, leek tops, cabbage leaves (in small amounts), collard green stems, kale stems, chard stems, garlic skins, parsnip ends, mushrooms, and corn cobs. DO NOT use any type of pepper; it will make your broth sour. You want a good cross section of these scraps — not all onion (unless you’re making onion-based soup) or all carrot (carrot and parsnip can make your stock too sweet).

•

Or, you can use three stalks of celery, leaves attached and chopped in large pieces, and one medium onion halved, OR a full leek including the top greens, washed well, two carrots, scrubbed and washed, skin on and chopped in large pieces.

•

2 TBSP apple cider vinegar. This is not optional, as this is the catalyst that will pull all the goodness out of your bones and leech it into the broth.

Use 8-10 quarts heavy-bottomed pot or instant pot Makes about 5-6 quarts of bone broth Ingredients: •

2 pounds of chicken bones (about two full chicken carcasses, from roasted or rotisserie chicken) or 3 pounds of fresh chicken wings. If I’m starting with wings, I’ll coat them in a little olive oil and roast at 385° for 40 minutes. This is not required, I just prefer the deeper flavor. Be sure to add in all the roasted juices if you do this!

Note: If you’re brave and want to take this a step farther, and have a butcher or store that stocks chicken feet, you’ll get even more bonus gelatin and nutrients. I try to add two feet in each of my chicken bone broths. When I can find them, I usually buy a couple of pounds and store them in packs of two in my freezer.

32 | The Brick Magazine

Photo by Webvilla

mine off when it’s reduced by just over 1/3. Sometimes this can take two days, but if you start it early enough, I recommend you simmer at least eight hours.

Optional (but strongly recommended): •

2” piece of ginger, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise

•

2 garlic cloves, smashed, skin left on

Instant Pot:

•

2 bay leaves

•

2 tsp peppercorns, slightly bashed in a pestle

•

2 TBSP brewer’s yeast (full of all the B vitamins you need!)

Set your instant pot to lock, ensuring you’re setting it to pressure cook, and choose manual for 90 minutes. You want to let it naturally release. If you’re leaving the house or forget for a while, it does the stock no harm to let it sit on warm.

•

Strain out all the goodies in a fine-meshed sieve, making sure to let all the broth drip. I push my veg and bones against the strainer. I don’t care if my broth is cloudy or thicker, I know I’m getting all the nutrients in my broth!

•

Refrigerate overnight. Once the broth is cold, you will have a fat layer that is now easy to remove and discard (I save this, you knew that, though, right? We call it schmaltz, and use it in place of butter or olive oil). Your broth should resemble a light to firm Jello.

Optional (but not necessary): •

1 piece of star anise

•

1 tsp of fish sauce (this deepens the flavor)

•

parsley stems (the stems have more flavor!)

•

2 stalks of thyme or tarragon or oregano

•

any mix of herbs/stems you wish, really (but be careful with rosemary, it can get overpowering if you use too much)

Directions: Add all the ingredients to your stock pot or instant pot, and add as much water to come about two inches below your stock pot (or the “max line” on your instant pot). Stove Top: •

Place your stock pot on a burner to medium-high. Watch it carefully at this point, and when it comes to a rolling boil, either move burners to a low-simmer one or turn the burner down low enough where there are tiny slow bubbles. You don’t want to quick boil this. I take

I typically will save half of my yield in the freezer, and make at least one soup out of the other half. This is delicious heated up and sipped. Add in some small pasta shapes and diced carrot for the kiddos, like Campbell’s Chicken and Stars. Or, use it as a base for a full chicken or potato leek soup. For extra kick, just take all the veggies in the house, cut them up in bite-sized pieces, sauté them quickly in some of the schmaltz, add your bone broth, and then simmer for 30 minutes.

Jillian moonlights in her own kitchen as Executive Chef. She comes from a long line of at-home chefs, making Sunday sauce and homemade pasta as soon as she was knee-high with Grandma Fraioli. Jillian used to work at such illustrious restaurants such as Emeril’s Fish House in Las Vegas (where she was a Pastry Chef), and both in the front and back of the house of Serafina and Tango in Seattle. She ended her career in restaurants many lives ago, and now supports women-owned businesses, including The Brick Magazine as assistant to the publisher. You can follow along with her cats and knitting (and sometimes food), if that’s your jam, on Instagram @yarnologie. December 2018 | 33

HOLIDAY JOY: LAUGHTER IS GOOD MEDICINE by Lisa Profera MD

Photo by Inna Lesyk

34 | The Brick Magazine

Photo by Kristin Vogt

s you get caught up in the busy holiday season, take some time to laugh. My advice one year ago in the first issue of BRICK discussed ways to stress less over the holidays. Now that we have hit the one-year anniversary of this wonderful magazine, I hope that you have benefitted from the helpful perspectives and practices shared by all of the authors this year. Holiday time can be a time of stress, but we can keep that to a minimum and place the focus back onto joy. Taking time to laugh can help. You may have heard the phrase “Laughter is the best medicine.” This concept, derived

from a Biblical proverb, is commonly accepted today. Who doesn’t feel better after a good laugh? Laughter can be contagious, as a good comedian knows. Humor is universal; it’s present in all cultures. We don’t necessarily need to speak the same language to find a situation funny. Babies laugh spontaneously before they can speak. Just search “babies laughing” on YouTube for some uplifting, unbridled laughter in its purest form. Gelotology is the science of laughter. This field of study was pioneered by William Fry at Stanford University. By taking his own blood samples in the early 1960s after December 2018 | 35

watching funny movies, he demonstrated improvements in immune function. The healing powers of laughter were extolled and published in the New England Journal of Medicine over 40 years ago (Norman Cousins, 1976). To quote Harvard University psychiatrist George Valliant, “Humor is one of the truly elegant defenses in the human repertoire…humor, like hope, is one of mankind’s most potent antidotes for the woes of Pandora’s box.” The physical act of laughing expands the lungs and engages muscles in the chest and abdomen, which improves oxygenation, blood flow, and digestion. Think of it as a mini workout for your thorax. Have you ever laughed so hard you had to catch your breath? Laughter can improve our psychological and physiological health. Beneficial psychological effects such as stress reduction, improved mood, and decreased pain perception have been reported. Laughter in psychotherapy is especially effective when both the psychotherapist and the patient laugh together. It’s a winwin for both.

Photo by Talen de St Croix

36 | The Brick Magazine

Physiologically speaking, mirthful laughter releases beta-endorphins, which have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system by causing the release of nitric oxide. This improves blood flow and reduces intravascular inflammation (a cause of heart disease). The natural “opioids” released by laughing not only make us feel emotionally better, but make our bodies function better and feel less pain. Japanese researchers have found that laughter lowered blood glucose levels in patients with type II diabetes by altering gene expression. Research on the effects of mirthful laughter in cancer patients showed that the physical act of laughing improved function of natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells eliminate bad or dysfunctional cells in our systems, such as those infected by a virus or those that have become cancerous.

This holiday season, take joy in the simple things â&#x20AC;&#x201D; friends, family and fun. Be silly, channel your inner child, and find humor anywhere you can. Try to eliminate as much negativity as possible. The news is rife with crisis after crisis, which takes a toll on our health. Turn off the news and watch the comedy channel. I challenge you to keep stress at a minimum and substitute humor and laughter in its place as much as possible. Why? Because this will keep you younger and healthier in the long run. By blocking the stress-cortisol response, laughter can be an antidote for holiday hassles. My prescription for this month is ten minutes of laughter a day â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it does a body good. Instead of just typing LOL, go ahead and do it!

Happy Holidays to you all, and thank you for reading BRICK for the last 12 months. Lisa Profera MD Owner and Founder of PROJUVU MD Aesthetics and Lifestyle Medicine Please note that the information in this article has been designed to help educate the reader regarding the subject matter covered. This information is provided with the understanding that the author and any other entity referenced here are not liable for the misconception or misuse of the information provided. It is not provided to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any disease, illness, or injured condition of the body. The provider of this information shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity concerning any loss, damage, or injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this information. The information presented is in no way intended as a substitute for medical counseling or care. Anyone suffering from any disease, illness, or injury should consult a qualified healthcare professional. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

December 2018 | 37

THE FRUITFUL DARK By Madeleine Forbes

ecember is a time of paradox for those of us tuned into the seasons. And even if the rhythms of the land are not ones you pay attention too, you probably know what I’m talking about. One one hand, there’s the buzz and gaiety of the holidays — brightly-lit spaces, gatherings with family and friends, the hustle and chaos of feasting. And on the other, there’s the stillness of the land. The trees stand bare; the sap moves inward, stalling growth. Movement is kept to a minimum. The birds forage quickly, finding what spare sustenance they can. The days themselves are fleeting; nights long and cold. In the depths of winter, we need the solace of holiday joy — we need to reconnect to the light and laughter that brings warmth to the coldest time. But we need the dark, too — we need to connect to that pause, that rest, and 38 | The Brick Magazine

allow ourselves to remember what it’s like to stop for once. To pause some more, and to listen. Most of the time, we avoid that space like the plague. We rush into gaps in conversation, fill quiet moments with books, with music. We fight the stillness most of all with the endless scroll, scroll, scroll of our ever-present devices. I’ve been noticing lately how quick I am to reach for the screen to fill almost any small window of time, any moment when my mind might otherwise be still. We all do it. At restaurants and in lines, across dinner tables and in movies, I see the blank expression descend as the digital world opens up. But as I’ve paid closer attention to the seasons, what I’ve come to appreciate is just how important it is to have these times of doing nothing. Not just moments, but whole months when the energy of what we’re striving for changes. We should allow these fallow seasons to occupy their own space, and to honor the energy they bring.

If I allow myself to create space and rest, I know that the energy I bring to future projects will have a different quality. You might not be able to take a complete vacation from your work, but you might be able to postpone the start of new projects until spring, to allow yourself to pare back your activities to a minimum, to give yourself permission, if not to stop completely, to at least stop growing. Because we want to be growing all the time, don’t we? To earn more, do better, be better. And yet, over winter, most of the living things around me know their goals are much simpler. They survive, they live off their reserves; they preserve themselves until the light comes back and it’s time once more to get creating. So, in my work and in my life, I’m playing with the idea of allocating a season not to grow. A season when, if I have any extra time or energy, I can spend it nourishing and nurturing myself without the pressure to see immediate results. A time when, as far as I can, I allow myself to take time. To have space. To reconnect to the void, the darkness, the space from which all things are created.

Photo by Paolo Santarsiero

When winter comes, we see the bones of the farm. Without the lush growth, the fruits, the foliage, the shapes of the trees stand out. I can make out the curve of the landscape, the stark shape of what’s here. In much the same way, when I allow myself to slow down, I find myself looking at my life, my work, and the shape of my days. Taking time out of my inbox and away from my workspace brings perspective. I can see where the stress points are — where something’s jutting, not right; where a part of my life is bearing too much load, where I need to do some pruning or restructuring. The land is quiet but it’s not dead. Beneath the soil, the organisms that turn the matter discarded by the forest into rich new soil are hard at work. The garden, thickly composted and rested over winter will be a fecund source for the new growth come the spring.

The light is important — I wouldn’t for one moment forgo the precious time I have to spend with those dear to me. But the dark is equally important. And in between the noise and the parties, I invite you to take some time to to connect to the silence and the dark. To step outside, perhaps, into the frozen air and tilt your head up to the black infinity that is cold, dark space. To remember that sometimes, the most powerful contribution we can make is to be receptive to the silence, and to allow the truly meaningful ideas to emerge. Like the hard ground, it can seem impossible sometimes that anything could really grow from silence. Don’t be put off by that. Resting is a part of the cycle. The winter is a powerful time. Come spring, everything will change again.

Madeleine Forbes is a writer living off-grid in the hills of central Portugal. As an immigrant and former city-dweller, she started The Seasoned Year as a space to share her journey into the landscape, and help others deepen their connection to seasonal cycles. You can sign up for free Letters from the Land and follow Madeleine’s blog via her website; or follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

December 2018 | 39

Photo by Kira auf der Heide 40 | The Brick Magazine

THE GIFT OF PRESENCE by Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC

“Let others see their greatness by looking into your eyes.” – Mollie Morti

is the season of presents. For some, giving gifts is a delicious delight. For others, it is a nerve-racking, stress-filled challenge. Why not take the pressure out of this year’s holiday time? Gift-shopping need not have to throw you into overwhelm. Instead, simply consider nurturing all of your relationships with the gift of presence — your wonderful presence! How does one practice presence in relationships? First and foremost, you must appreciate your personal significance. Feel into this. Really recognize how much you matter to those in your inner circle — because you do! And your absence, or a distracted, half-there emotional state, is going to be upsetting for those close to you. Surprisingly, this appreciation is not something that comes easily for some people. Many tend to dismiss or devalue their significance. Think about it — if you don’t realize your significance, you are not likely to imagine your presence will impact others or even register to them. And therefore, you’ll be less likely to offer it! I love to remind my coaching clients that the more they know the value of their unique essence, their inner gold so to speak, the more they will strive to be deeply present in (and for) family and friends.

December 2018 | 41

“Few delights can equal the mere presence of one who we trust utterly.” – George MacDonald After acknowledging your significance and embracing it within yourself, you can move on to a few specifics of gifting it! Let your state of being present for others include setting your phone down. Better yet, put it away, out of sight. Carve out specific time to be together, face-to-face with your dear ones. Make them a priority! Show this first by approaching them with an open, welcoming posture. Look them in the eye, communicating that you truly want to see them, really deeply see them. People also feel seen and known when they are compassionately listened to. So, if you aren’t already, 42 | The Brick Magazine

get delightfully good at the art of listening! Everyone has stories to share, and they appreciate others making a conscious priority to be present, listening and empathizing with them. It really isn’t, however, what you then say in response to a story shared, but rather how you are holding space for the hearing of it, that provides heart-opening conversations and connections. Intentionally bring a nonjudgmental, nonreactive, curious, and open mind to conversations as part of being present, and watch your communications with others grow in powerful, trust-building ways. A present indeed.

Photo by Tyler Delgado Making a commitment to give the gift of your presence to your relationships this holiday season can also include demonstrating your respect for differences â&#x20AC;&#x201D; of opinion, lifestyle, and diversities of cultures and race. Showing oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s openness to differences can free relationships to deepen and flourish much more quickly. When individuals feel safe and comfortable in their connection with another, their guard comes down and their willingness to self-reveal and be forthcoming skyrockets. The gift of presence around differences plays a key role in this type of meaningful, rich interpersonal growth. Another aspect of gifting oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence has to do with the capacity to touch base with those important to us on a regular basis (and sometimes even daily) basis. I like to refer to this as maintaining a meaningful golden thread of connection. Making it a point to touch base consistently in significant relationships, rather that dropping the ball or ignoring opportunities to reach out, has, not surprisingly, an amazing impact. Doing so lets our peeps know they are being thought about. At the same time, as the one

reaching out, you are acknowledging and appreciating your value to significant others. Sweet, thoughtful communication like this deeply touches those we care about; thus, our connections strengthen. So, in this season of presents, savor the opportunity to be present and give it your all!

Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC is a certified Life Coach in Ann Arbor, MI who loves empowering adolescents, adults, and couples to live from the HEART of what really matters to them so that they can bring their fully expressed, vibrant selves into the world. She has a special gift for helping women reclaim their feminine power, and embrace their radiant, sensual, sexy spirits. Their lives transform. They soar into their mid-life magnificence! LifeEmpowermentCoaching.com Complimentary First Session 734.717.7532 December 2018 | 43

Welcome to Booze 101 with

Liz

LET’S HOST A BEER DINNER

By Liz Crowe

elcome to Booze 101, a new and ongoing column here at Brick Magazine. Together, we will explore various options on the alcohol shelf and what you can do with them that does not involve an ice luge, red solo cups, or ping pong balls.* For December, I’ve decided to go with something dear to me: pairing great beer with food. A.k.a., The Beer-Pairing Dinner.

Don’t fret if you don’t think you know about the differences in beer. I’m going to provide you with some specific recommendations. They should be available at most chain groceries, but for a couple of exceptions, you might end up having to visit your local package store or the brewery itself to locate — but it will be worth the trip!

Photo by Jon Tyson 44 | The Brick Magazine

Okay, roll up your sleeves and prepare your shopping-list-making materials! Things to remember: • There are no wrong pairings. • You can drink whatever the heck you want with your food. • These are suggestions based on what I know, not on what you have to do. • You should serve small (3-4 ounce) portions of multiple beers when pairing. Be responsible for your guests’ safety. • Beer, like wine, is best consumed from a glass, not the bottle or can or box or whatever it comes in. • Beer, unlike wine, has multiple ingredients, and those ingredients affect your drinking experience. • Because beer has more flavor options, the pairing opportunities are endless.

A few more notes: • Match intensity with intensity (in other words, fight flavor with flavor).

Photo by Elevate The caveat that I cannot repeat enough throughout this inaugural column is this: you are not bound by any rules when it comes to matching your food with a particular beer! This is about your palate and your taste buds, not mine. I’m just here to provide a few guidelines via some pairings you might not have considered. This can be a super fun event with friends and like-minded, beerenthused neighbors on a cold winter night.

•

Find ways to match similar flavors and profiles (roasted with roasty).

•

Find ways to balance out elements (sweet with bitter, sour with sweet, spice with bitterness).

•

Don’t forget about carbonization. It will clean the fat from your tongue and keep your palate ready for the next taste. December 2018 | 45

APPETIZER:

Lighter option: Shrimp Cocktail with a Wheat Ale

Lobster Mac-N-Cheese with Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout

Consider steaming the shrimp yourself, using the beer as an ingredient. But if you’re more about grabbing some pre-steamed options for your guests who aren’t into super-rich appetizers, this combination of briny shrimp with a tart beer will delight everyone.

“Mac-n-cheese” in the winter is sort of a no-brainer, but lobster amps up the complexity that pairs perfectly with the vanilla and chocolate notes in this particular beer. A hint of saltiness from the lobster addition also cuts through some of the richness, which is only highlighted by the alcohol warmth and spice of a barrel-aged stout. Go easy with the servings, because the temptation will be to devour this pairing and get too full too fast. MICHIGAN OPTIONS: Expedition Stout from Bell’s (Kalmazoo) Bourbon Barrel Night Fury from Witch’s Hat (South Lyon) Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel-Aged from New Holland (Holland)

MICHIGAN OPTIONS: Oberon from Bell’s (Kalamazoo) Whitsun from Arcadia (Battle Creek/Kalamazoo) Less well-known option: Honey Lav from Blackrocks (Marquette) This could be tricky, considering these are summer seasonals, but you could substitute a mild ale like Spacerock from Shorts (Traverse City) or Oarsman from Bells (Kalamazoo)

Photo by Yutacar 46 | The Brick Magazine

AND FINALLY, THE DESSERT: Bread Pudding with a Scotch Ale Buttery, caramel notes and bready notes matching and complementing makes this a perfect winter-night finish to a beer-and-food-pairing meal. MICHIGAN OPTIONS: Dirty Bastard from Founders (Grand Rapids) Loch Down from Arcadia Ales (Battle Creek/Kalamazoo) Strawberries and Cream with a Czech Pilsner Photo by Wil Stewart

This mildly-bitter and floral style is a lovely contrast to almost any berry.

MAIN COURSE:

MICHIGAN OPTIONS:

Salmon/Trout/Tuna (or any rich, fatty fish) with (wait for it) a Saison or Farmhouse Style

PC Pils from Founders (Grand Rapids)

This is going to be a controversial option for some who believe that salmon is reserved for IPAs the way filet mignon is reserved for cabernet — but bear with me! This dinner is meant for you and your guests to learn something new about beer, after all. Prepare a rich, fatty fish your favorite way (grilled, glazed, baked) and serve it with an effervescent, bright, complex classic style. Several breweries are doing some great things with this style.

Honorable mention (I’m going off the Michigan theme for a moment, because they do make great beer elsewhere): Prima Pils from Victory Brewing in Pennsylvania (you can find this in many specialty package stores).

MICHIGAN OPTIONS: Farm Hand from Brewery Vivant (Grand Rapids) Vacillate from Transient Artisan Ales (Bridgeman) Bam Biere from Jolly Pumpkin (Dexter)

Bottom line here: pair your favorite food with your favorite beer. See what happens in your mouth and brain. Then try something new to you, and see if you find a new favorite. I’ll see you in January, when we’ll talk about what’s happening in the bourbon world and how you can benefit. *This is in no way meant to disparage beer pong or iceluge drinking. We might even talk about those things later!

Roast Beef with a Porter These are complementary flavors that will do that thing that happens in the movie Ratatouille (when the rat eats the fruit and cheese from the garbage?…oh never mind. I think you get me). MICHIGAN OPTIONS: Vanilla Java Porter from Atwater (Detroit) Distorter from Greenbush (Sawyer) Firestarter from Right Brain (Traverse City)

Amazon best-selling author, mom of three, brewery founder, craft beer marketing consultant, and avid sports fan, Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville currently living in Ann Arbor. She has decades of experience in sales, public relations, and fundraising, plus an eight-year stint as a three-continent, ex-pat trailing spouse, all of which provide ongoing idea fodder for novels and other projects. http://www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor (fan page) http://www.twitter.com/ETLizCrowe

December 2018 | 47

WOMAN ON THE STREET

INTO THE UNKNOWN by Stephanie Saline

Photo by Krists Luhaers

48 | The Brick Magazine

f all the stories that have ever been told, there’s one that I love most of all. It’s a story I learned when I was in college, more than (gulp!) twenty years ago. It’s a story that I now teach in my writing workshops. It goes something like this: A woman is sitting at home on her couch. She’s got her comfy PJs on and a big bowl of popcorn (or pastry; take your pick). The curtains are drawn and the house is quiet. She picks up the remote control and turns on a show that she likes to watch, one episode right after the other. She falls asleep. The next day, she wakes up, and does the work that’s hers to do during the day. That night, she puts on her comfy PJs and makes herself another big bowl of popcorn (or wine, your call). And again, she picks up the remote to watch her show. This happens for several days. Several weeks. Months, maybe years. And then? Something happens. She used to feel cozy, satisfied, and comfortable on her couch. In her home. In her snuggly PJs. Withdrawn from the world, snug in a cocoon of her own making. But she begins to feel something stirring within her. Maybe she feels restless. Maybe she feels agitated. Maybe she even begins to feel something that she doesn’t yet have words for. Something rising up from deep within her. Ironically, the place where she used to feel the safest, the most nestled in, the most comfortable is now almost… itchy. It’s as though some mischievous elf sprinkled itching powder on her couch. She tries everything she can think of to make it the way it used to be. She wraps herself in a blanket. She eats a bunch of cookies. She checks Twitter while she flips through menu after menu of episodes, videos, movie trailers.

Photo by Danielle Gray nearest bag. She moves from room to room, grabbing things that might prove useful out on the road, and tossing them into the tote. The animals and people in her house (if any) watch her, uncertain and wary. Where is she going? What’s the rush? And, most of all, who will make our dinner? She, not being cruel (only called to action), does what she can to reassure the creatures and comrades in her household, with whatever words she can muster. I must. I can’t not. To remain would be dry bones and dust. And also, quietly: this is for us all. She sits to lace up the boots she got years ago, back when life was simpler. Back when she travelled more. Back in the time of adventure. Back when the only creature she kept alive was herself. “But who will replace the toilet roll?” the voices cry.

She puts the remote control down.

“We will be lost without you!”

It occurs to her: it’s time to go. She can’t stay on her couch for the rest of her life. Maybe she’s been there too long already. That restless she’s feeling? It’s as though there’s some still, small voice within — in the words of poet Mary Oliver — that’s calling her.

“Can’t you just stay on the couch?”

Calling to. Calling out. Calling forth. Moving her body before her thinking mind quite gets what is happening, she gets up from the couch and grabs the

She, not being cruel (only led), blows kisses at her charges. Trusting equally in her beloveds and in her adventure, she slips out the front door to do the only thing she can. A teacher and advertising writer based in Buffalo, Stephanie Saline spent one decade on adventures in Japan, Seattle, and Montana, and another decade building a popular copywriting business. She now leads writing workshops where women become the hero in the story of their own lives. “We live in a world where we are all heroes now – and that’s a great thing.” Find out more about her work at www.stellaorange.com. December 2018 | 49

with

Soar!

Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC

Get Unstuck. Be Unstoppable.

Life Coaching that helps you get to the HEART of what really matters! Enjoy a Complimentary First Session as a gift to yourself in this New Year! Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC Life Empowerment Coaching, LLC 1785 W. Stadium, Suite 104 • Ann Arbor, Mi 48103 50 | The734-717-7532 Brick Magazine

• www.LifeEmpowermentCoaching.com

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Dr. Lisa Profera www.projuvu.com 1-844-PROJUVU drprofera@gmail.com None of the statements in this ad have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. None of the statements should be construed as dispensing medical advice, making claims regarding the cure of diseases, nor can this product prevent or cure any disease state as an FDA registered General Wellness device.You should consult a licensed health care professional before starting any health protocol or any health device such as BEMER, especially if you are pregnant or have any pre-existing injuries or medical conditions. Results may not be typical, nor are they a representation of what you could experience. Representations may be based on the experiences of several people and you may not have similar results. I am an Independent BEMER Distributor and I am paid by BEMER when I sell BEMER products. Individual results could be biased as a result of financial incentives.

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