J is for .......

 

J is for January. And that is what started Perki and I on the train of thought that led to this post. How can we incorporate the letter J into our physical and mental well-being in 2021? 

Very few, if anyone, will dispute that 2020 was a memorable year that we would rather forget. We are not out of the grip of COVID yet but the existence of a vaccine does give hope and a glimmer of the light at the end of this dark tunnel. 

J is also for Journey. Let's use the power of The People (Perki's People) on our individual journeys toward better physical and mental fitness in 2021. 

And just for fun, as you make your way into 2021, Perki encourages you to find way to incorporate the letter J in to your January fitness Journey. Share your progress this month using the letter J as much as possible 

-Keep Smiling Keep Moving. You got this. 

Getting to Know "The People" - Sara Mooney

Sara post kayaking in Alaska - 2018

Sara Mooney joined Perkis People just about 7 years ago. Perki loves hiking with her and really enjoyed this interview.

P: Perkis People is a group for people who want to use fun and friendship to build and protect their health. What are your favorite ways to add fun to your mental and physical well-being?

Sara: Getting outside in any way. Hiking and Kayaking are my favorites right now but anything works for me. On occasion, I like riding my bike, too.

P: I saw that the Schuylkill Sojurn was cancelled. That’s a shame

Sara: Well, it was postponed until August. So, we’ll see... Still hoping to go on the abbreviated journey.

 P: What Inspires you?

Sara: Nature in general. There are so many patterns, colors, and textures. There is always something to look at.

P: Earlier this year, Perki adopted the term SOCHA to mean any purposeful activity in your day. What is your favorite SOCHA?

Sara: Hiking

P: What is your least favorite SOCHA? In other words, what is that movement that is necessary to your day that you find hard to do.

Sara: While not a daily movement, Burpees are right up there.

P: When Perki asked The People to share something about themselves that perhaps others did not know you wrote, “While working at Disney World, I had the privilege of giving Anthony Daniels (Star Wars's C3P0) a tour of Fantasmic! island. Later that same evening, after he imbibed at The Brown Derby, he sat down there and kept yelling to me while I was up on the spotlight tower. One of the most surreal experiences.

I have also designed and run lights for an Amazing Bacon Brother concert, so I am a 1 degree of Kevin Bacon.”

P: Tell me a little more about the meeting with Anthony Daniels.

Sara: This back when Disney held their annual Star Wars weekends. In the early years, the stars of the movies would often request tours of attractions. As one of the lighting leads, I was called in as part of the group to give Anthony Daniels a tour of Fantasmic! I must have made an impression, because that night after imbibing with dinner, he saw me up on the light tower and called out to me, SARA!.

P: Tell us about what you did then? How is it you were in the place and time that put you on this tour?

Sara: I was in the entertainment industry then. I was a stage technician primarily doing lighting. This was in the late 90’s early 2000’s.

P: So the Kevin Bacon thing was during this time as well?

Sara: Yes. MGM, or Disney, whatever they called it then did lots of special events. And one of those was an “Amazing Bacon Brother” concert.

P: Is there anything else about this time that you’d like to share with “The People”?

Sara: It was probably the wildest years of my life. I met lots of celebrities then. Roy Disney and Keven Schneider (of Smallville and Dukes of Hazard)

P: Ok, lets finish up with some fun questions. What’s the most useless talent you have?

Sara: oooh. Let me think about that. Can I come back to it?

P: Sure.

P: What amusing thing has someone tricked you into doing or believing?

Sara: Ummm, I’m not sure. I’m usually the one doing the tricking.

P: Ok, tell us about a time when you tricked someone else into doing or believing something?

Sara: Well, it was April 1^st and I had these fake ants. We had been having some issues with ants in the house that spring. I sprinkled some fake ants by the front door and called my mom over. I told her I think the ants are back. Mom went to the kitchen to find the ant traps and get ready to steam them out.

P: How far did you let her go?

Sara: Oh, not far. As soon as she got to the kitchen and took out the traps, I told her it was a joke.

P: And now your mom doesn’t let you come home for April 1^st anymore.

P: Do you have a favorite mythical creature?

Sara: I’d have to say a dragon.

P: Would you rather own one or be one?

Sara: Definitely BE one.

P: Why?

Sara: The seem to be very wise and independent creatures. To have the mentality to be your own creature and do what you want.

P: Let’s go back then to the talent. What is the most useless talent you have?

Sara: I can flip my tongue completely over.

P: Um, ok next time we see each other I’m going to ask about THIS!  How did you discover that you could do it?

Sara: When I was a kid my sister and my dad would make Taco shells with their tongues. You know, where they could fold their tongues to look like taco shells.

P: Yes. We used to call them hot dog bun tongues.

Sara: Yes, hot dogs buns, taco shells. Anyway, I couldn’t do it at the time, but I discovered that I could flip it upside down. And it had the added benefit of freaking my sister out!

Getting to Know "The People" : Amy Gormley Skeel

Amy and her husband, Rob,
hiking the mountains in McCall, Idaho in 2019. 

For the first in our Getting to Know "The People" series, Perki had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Gormley Skeel. Amy has been a member of Perkis People for about ten months. Read on to learn a little more about her.

P: Perkis People is a group for people who want to use fun and friendship to build and protect their health. What are your favorite ways to add fun to your mental and physical well-being? 

Amy: I enjoy walking and riding my bike. I will often go out for an hour at a time. I listen to podcasts to distract me from fatigue or soreness; from the feeling that I want to stop. I listen to podcasts while walking not riding my bike. Riding my bike requires more paying attention. 

P: Do you have some favorite podcasts? 

Amy: Yes. I enjoy History Chicks and Stuff You Missed In History Class. And the American Girl podcast. I enjoyed the American Girls growing up. This podcast is told from an adult historical perspective. 

P: What Inspires you?

Amy: People who that make a difference in a small way. Doing the best with what they have. Ordinary people that do more then they think they can. (laugh) I guess we are all ordinary. 

P: In our own way, yes. 

P: Earlier this year, Perki’s People adopted the term SOCHA to mean any purposeful activity in your day. What is your favorite SOCHA? 

Amy: I like to lengthen ordinary walks. For example, when I go to work, I like to park as far away as possible. I work for a large hospital complex so that means about a ½ mile walk to the building. Then I take little detours to add steps until I get to my desk. 

P: What is your least favorite SOCHA? In other words, what is that movement that is necessary to your day that you find hard to do. 

Amy: Finding the motivation to get up and go in the first place. I sign up for a fitness class and then when the time comes, I don’t want to go. Once I’m there, it’s fine. 

P: Ahh I think we can all relate to that! 

P: When Perki asked The People to share something about themselves that perhaps others did not know you wrote, “At age 8 I got to ride on a police horse on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House... still remember the horse's name (Springer) but have sadly forgotten the name of the kind mounted policeman who let a horse-crazy little girl ride on his horse!”
P: Tell me a little more about the ride on the Police house when you were 8. How did that come about? 

Amy: My family was visiting Washington, D.C. Actually, I was home-schooled, and this was a family field trip. Dad took the day off from work. It may have been a stop on the way to a longer vacation – probably to visit our friends in North Carolina. My Grandmom Gormley lived in Bowie, MD at the time, so we could stay there overnight. 

We took the White House tour. I remember being so excited to see President Bush’s dogs. It may seem silly now but to my 8-year-old self, that was the closest thing to a celebrity sighting. After the tour we went out to Pennsylvania Avenue to view the White House behind the fence. There were lots of people and Mounted Police were going up and down keeping an eye on things. 

Cara, my sister, and I were horse crazy then. We nosed our way up to ask questions. The horse was BIG! Even my mom and dad remember that the horse – named Springer – was a huge animal. The policeman asked, “Do you want to sit on him”? Um, YES!. Cara, being younger got to go first. I was a little jealous, I have to admit, and I remember thinking that other kids must be jealous right now, too. He gave us a ride up and down the street. Also, my mom reminded me that the officer’s name was Officer Watson.  

P: How did you get up on the horse? 

Amy: I remember that Officer Watson got down, lifted us up onto the horse then held use there while he climbed up. We sat in front of him for the ride. I was a lanky 8-year-old but still, this horse was big. I had never been on a horse before – just pony rides at fairs.  

P: Thank you. Now we’ll finish up with some fun (I hope) questions to answer. What’s the most useless talent you have?

Amy: I can move my hairline enough to move my glasses sitting on my nose. There is some scrunching involved. It’s the same motion that some people use to wiggle their ears, but I can’t wiggle my ears. I can make my glasses move. 

P: What amusing thing has someone tricked you into doing or believing?

Amy: Well you know who I’m thinking about right now. (It wasn’t a question) 

P: Yes, I’m sure it’s the same person I think about when I hear this question. (note to reader; my father is Amy’s grandfather. AKA Gumpop)

Amy: I remember when I was studying for the Spelling Bee, Gumpop told me that the word “Gullible” was not in the dictionary. Of course, I had to go look it up. 

P: Do you have a favorite mythical creature?

Amy: I’ve always been intrigued by the stories of the Loch Ness Monster. 

P: Would you rather own the Loch Ness Monster or be the Loch Ness Monster? Why?

Amy: I guess I’d rather own the Loch Ness Monster. I don’t want to go under water. 

THANK YOU AMY!

2020 KSKM Challenge: Series 3 Feb 29 to March 27

Series 3 features a scavenger hunt in addition to the usual SOCHA participation. There are 19 items on the list. (Yes the odd number bothered Perki too. It is what it is. Keep Smiling Keep Moving). A prize will be awarded for the most items found between Feb 29 and Mar 27. The People are on the honor system to only report items found during a SOCHA (Spirit of the Challenge Activity). 

• Photo documentation is required for scavenger list credit. 
• Comment with the photo with the date and what SOCHA you were doing when the scavenger item was discovered. 
• Limit of two scavenger items per day. Honor system in place here too. 
• Limit of one item credit per instance. For example, a leprechaun riding a bicycle is only good for Cyclist OR Leprechaun. Not both.
• Scavenger items involving people (example runner, hiker, cyclist) must be other than yourself. 

A scavenger list is available below and will be posted in the files section of the Perkis People Group Facebook page. Feel free to copy and/or print to keep your own track. 

There will continue to be a participation prize. One entry into the drawing for each SOCHA during the month. With or without scavenger list items. However, The People are not required to post a photo of SOCHA (unless it involves scavenger credit). You must report the non-scavenger SOCHA however. Perki does not read minds. Text posts to the Perki People Group should tell the date you did it; what you did, who you were with, how you felt etc. Don't be shy. You never know who you might inspire with your effort. Remember SOCHA is any exercise or other self-propelled movement. See last month's post for some examples. Tag your text based posts with #Perki2020 so I don't miss them. 

Group SOCHA activities are encouraged. Individual members seeking SOCHA credit must make their own post to Perkis People for credit. Perki is really bad at reading minds. 

Scavenger items:

ð      Rock

ð      Waterfall

ð      Clover

ð      Kite

ð      Dog

ð      Cyclist

ð      Runner

ð      Hiker or walker

ð      Person in a Kayak or Canoe

ð      White Tail Deer

ð      Spider Web

ð      Shape in the Clouds

ð      Turtle or Tortoise

ð      Duck

ð      Geese

ð      Leprechaun

ð      Wind

ð      Daffodil(s)

ð      Full Moon (March 9/10)

Keep Smiling Keep Moving,

-Perki

2020 KSKM Challenge: Series 2: Feb 1 to Feb 28.

Series 2 is all about the Spirit of the Challenge:  The spirit of the #KSKM2020Challenge is to move under our own power as much as possible; to find ways to move under our own power that perhaps we weren’t taking (enough) advantage of before. 

It’s not how far or how long you go; it’s about getting up and going! 

In Series 2, The People get a point for any activity that embodies the spirit of the challenge. 

Spirit Of the CHallenge Activities (or SOCHA) generally fall into two categories:

1)     Replace motorized movement with self-propelled activity. Examples include but (knowing this group) are certainly not limited to:

o   Taking the stairs when an escalator or elevator is available

o   Walking or biking to local places (shopping, library, bank, restaurants, visiting friends, etc.) instead of taking the car

o   Parking at the far end of the parking lot at work, a shopping center, entertainment venue etc. and walking to the entrance

2)      Engage in an event or activity that requires self-propelled movement – visit a museum, a zoo, a festival or fair, take a hike or a walk, go for a run, a bike ride etc.

In essence, any exercise or self-propelled movement gets you a point. For this series, The People may earn unlimited SOCHA points. Earn one every day if you like. Earn more than one in a day – however, points are earned only for different things or trips. For example, if Perki walks to the store in the morning and to the library in the afternoon on the same day that’s 2; if Perki walks to the store and the library in the same trip that’s 1; if Perki goes for a hike in the morning and walks to the bank in the afternoon that’s 2 and so on. (Perki isn’t eligible for prizes but will be playing along)

The People can earn extra points with their SOCHA by engaging in the following February themes: Shadow, Repeat, Leap, Friendship

·       In February the groundhog attempts to see his SHADOW.

·       In the movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray had to REPEAT his day over and over.

·       In 2020 we celebrate a LEAP year.

·       February is International FRIENDSHIP Month

REPEAT – repeat an exercise or activity you did/enjoyed in series 1. It’s not required but consider trying to build on or expand the effort spent doing the activity in series 1.

LEAP – celebrate leap year by taking a leap (of faith in yourself) and try something new in exercise / self-propelled movement.

FRIENDSHIP – Do an exercise or self-propelled activity with family or friend(s) for an extra point. Family or Friend do not have to be part of the challenge. Although you could consider inviting them to join us. 😊

·       In the case where multiple people in the same group activity would like friendship points, each person in the group who wants friendship points must take and post a separate photo of or from the group activity.

SHADOW – get an extra point for any of the above when you take a shadow photo. One shadow photo point available per person for each activity. 

• In group activities the person who posts the photo gets the credit, however, multiple people from the same group can post different shadow photos from the group activity for their own credit.

 For the creative competitors in the group: It is possible to get up to four points in one activity –

·       1 for each SOCHA;

·       +1 because your SOCHA met the REPEAT or LEAP criteria;

·       +1 because the activity was accomplished with a FRIEND;

·       +1 because you managed a SHADOW photo during the activity.

However, you must provide enough detail in your description of the activity to make it clear to Perki that you satisfied the various point thresholds.

PRIZES:

For series 2 there will be a prize drawing for participation. For every point you earn, you get one entry in the participation prize drawing thereby increasing your odds of winning.

For series 2 there will also be a popular vote (and prize) for best shadow picture. Details to follow.

Document your activities with photos that include your name, the date, and the activity. For Friendship, if the photo does not show people tell us who you were with. It’s always optional to tell the group a story about your activity and you never know when your story will inspire someone else. 

Reading this and interested in the challenge?  Join us on Facebook at Perkis People.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/perkispeople/

Keep Smiling Keep Moving,

-Perki

2020 KSKM Challenge Series #1 – Jan 4 to Jan 31

The activities for this series are defined by P*E*R*K*I.
Park-Elevation-Rock(or Rock N Roll)-Knowledge-Indoor

P is for PARK; walk, run, or bike to a local park and spend some time there. You’d be surprised how many pocket parks exist in our communities. Open your favorite mapping program and look for green space in your neighborhood.

If a local park is not available in your community, (or it’s too far)  then take a moment to drive to a park and leave your car a distance away. Then walk, run or bike ride to the park. How much distance away? That’s up to you. What works for you? A block, 3 blocks, half a block.

What you do at the park and how much time you spend doing it is also up to you. Continue your walk, run or bike ride; Play on the playground; Throw a ball or stick for your dog; Play catch with someone; meditate; turn around and go home (or back to your car). The opportunities are endless and entirely up to you.

Document your visit with a photo of the park. Comment on the photo telling us who you are, when you visited this park and (optional) something about your visit. If you visit the same park in other weeks of this cycle; be sure to take a different photo each time.

E is for ELEVATION; do some climbing (and/or descending). Examples - a hilly street or trail; a set of stairs; a treadmill set on an incline. How long, how far, and how high you go is entirely up to you.

Note #1: if you choose to climb the stairs at home, make it a purposeful extra trip outside of your daily routine.

Note #2: for this or any task if you have a limitation (temporary or permanent) and need an adaptation; message me and we'll work out an alternative. No explanations necessary just ask.

Document this activity with a photo of the hill, stairs or treadmill you used. Comment on the photo telling us who you are, when you did this and (optional) something about your workout. If you use the same climbing mechanism in other weeks of this challenge; be sure to make the other photos slightly different.

R is for ROCK - or - ROCK ‘N’ ROLL; Pennsylvania is not known as “Rocksylvania” for nothing. Walk, run or bike ride along your favorite trail, street or other path and find some interesting rocks or rock formations.   OR   Dance to your favorite music.

Document (Rocks): If you choose rocks, take photos of the rocks or rock formations. Comment on the photo telling us who you are, when you were there and (optional) something about your rock hunting adventure. If you choose to look for rocks in 2 or more of the weeks, please find different rocks or rock formations each time.

Document (Rock ‘n’ Roll): Be creative. Looking forward to seeing who does this and what you come up with to document it. Don’t forget to share your name and when you danced and (optional) a story about it.

K is for KNOWLEDGE; Plan a walk, run or bike ride around a visit to your local library; police or fire station; other community resource center; a place of business; a knowledgeable neighbor; etc.  and ask a question about something you want to know more about. Wait for the answer and then walk, run or bike ride back to your home. If the place where you’d like to ask a question is too far, drive to a spot where the distance is doable and walk, run or bike ride the rest of the way.

Document this activity by taking a photo of the place you visited. If appropriate (and with permission of course) maybe a photo of the person you asked. Comment on the photo telling us your name, the date and (optional) what you asked/learned. 😊

I is for INDOOR; do an indoor exercise of any kind that’s different from any of the above.

Document this activity with a photo that illustrates what you did. Don’t forget your name, the date and (optional) a story about what you did.

The objective is to try to be active up to 5 days each of the following weeks.

Week 1 – January 4 – 10
Week 2 – January 11 – 17
Week 3 – January 18 - 24
Week 4 – January 25 - 31

Try to do one letter on each of 5 days in each week. If weather, your schedule or your mood get in the way you may combine (no more than) 2 two letters in one day and get credit for both. However, as an incentive to be active 5 days each week, you will get an extra point for doing one letter on 5 different days each week.

You get one point for each task you finish in each of the challenge weeks. Plus the 5-day bonus, if applicable. And remember to stay tuned to our Facebook Group as Perki might add bonus point opportunities when the mood strikes her.

CLICK HERE to refresh on how to document your activities.
CLICK HERE to refresh on earning a prize for your efforts.
CLICK HERE to refresh on challenge objectives.

Reading this and interested in the challenge?  Join us on Facebook at Perkis Peophttps://www.facebook.com/groups/perkispeople/le.

Keep Smiling Keep Moving
-Perki

2020 KSKM Challenge - Earning a Perki Prize

Perki will recognize achievement in two ways at the end of each challenge period.

The Perki Participation Prize to recognize the Perki Person who completed the most activities in the series. In case of a tie, one name will be drawn at random from all eligible entries.

Perki believes in the value of trying; not giving up; and restarting when life or our own heads get in the way. And for that the Perki Perseverance Prize will be awarded at the end of each series as well. For each task you complete in a week, your name will be added to a drawing for Perki’s Perseverance Prize. By way of explanation –the first series is 4 weeks long – so if you complete 4 activities in week 1; 3 activities in week 2; 2 activities in week 3 and 2 activities in week 4 you will have 11 entries into the Perseverance drawing at the end of the period. The more you try, the better your chances of having your name drawn for the Perseverance Prize.

Those who end up eligible for the participation prize in any given series are not eligible for the perseverance prize in that cycle.

Perki is not eligible for any prizes but she will participate.

Keep Smiling Keep Moving
-Perki