Tag: Newsletter Jun. 2021

What have Portland NETS been doing during the pandemic, both neighborhood and city-wide? Lots of useful community activities as it turns out. Neighborhood Emergency Team (aka NETs) volunteers:

* are being deployed as wayfinders and traffic control support at vaccination clinics around Portland and further,

* continue to connect in their micro neighborhoods with neighbors on emergency preparedness, and

* have worked at our local ECC (Emergency Coordination Center) in a variety of support roles.

Hundreds of NETs have volunteered thousands of hours in support of all of our communities here in Portland since the beginning of the pandemic.

Personally, I have, among other things:

* spent an afternoon as a wayfinder at a local vaccine clinic,

* zoomed with our wonderful local co-housing community – PDX Commons – talking about emergency preparedness issues,

* zoomed with the KERNS NET and the Pearl District NET to keep up-to-date with efforts in other neighborhoods,

* attended almost weekly Zoom meetings on Wednesday nights with NETs and NET applicants from all over the city,

* did eprep outreach via snail mail and email with new neighbors on my block, 

* participated in a City-wide Deployment Exercise via Zoom with more than two hundred NETs and other emergency responders from around the country. This was a ‘day two scenario’ mirroring what a response would look like the day after an earthquake in PDX, and

* continued with my own professional development, taking FEMA classes, sometimes more than once. (I am not great at multiple-choice questions, but I am persistent.)

I know there are many ways that Sunnysiders are supporting other Sunnysiders. It really does take a village and the willingness to step up for each other in a mutual aid capacity.

With gratitude to all of you who care very much about Sunnyside.

Slow Streets, Break-Ins, and Clean-Ups

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Slow Streets program (the orange barrels and “Local Access Only” signs) will be updated with more resilient materials over the next several months. That was the message conveyed at the SNA general meeting by Scott Cohen, who directs the program. Scott also reminded neighbors that the Slow Streets program has several distinct goals. It aims to make busy streets safer, promote healthy businesses, provide more space for physical distancing (during Covid), and slow vehicles entering greenways and other local streets.

A resident of Belmont Lofts, near Sunnyside Environmental School, also addressed the meeting to report problems associated with nearby camping. She said they have experienced break-ins including people sleeping in the boiler room, turning off the heat, and breaking into storage lockers. It is very stressful for residents, some of whom have left, and all fear continued illegal activity. She said that the media have not given adequate coverage to such problems. SNA board members invited her to write an article for the SNA newsletter.

The SNA board discussed ways to facilitate neighborhood clean-ups. Regular newsletter readers know that some SNA members have worked hard to clean up trash in the face of inadequate city resources. The gist of the proposed solution involves partnering with other neighborhoods through Southeast Uplift.

Finally, a word on some folks who contacted us about missing the meeting due to things like coaching a softball game or meeting friends at a brew pub. Awesome! We’re going to get through this.

SNA Annual Board Election July 8th [Reminder]

The Annual Election for SNA Board members will be held July 8, 2021 at 7 p.m. Like last year, we will be outside SE Uplift (3534 SE Main St.), both masked and physically distanced. Board terms are 2 years, with about half the seats open each year. Five of the nine board seats are open and at least one current board member is not pursuing reelection.

Membership is open to anyone 18 years of age or older who is either: 1) A legal resident of Sunnyside, 2) An owner of real property within Sunnyside, or 3) The designated representative of a business, school, church, or non-profit in Sunnyside. All members can vote and serve as board members. Members may declare their own candidacy or be nominated by another member. Those that declare or accept nomination by June 10th—the meeting prior to the annual meeting—will be announced to the membership by the Board of Directors. Nominations can be made from the floor at the Annual meeting provided that the nominee is a member and is willing to serve if elected. You have to be present at the Annual meeting to vote (secret paper ballot) but need not be present to be elected. Candidates will briefly introduce themselves before the vote.

What do you think personality is? It is your mindset, your behaviour, and the emotions that you show. It is what makes you stand out from others. It is your quality and your individuality. Every human is born with a certain set of characteristics. However, personality tends to change as you grow. Your upbringing, city, country, school, neighbourhood, friends and many other things reconstruct your personality, which means it is not fixed. Everyone changes with time. People become patient, cheerful, bitter, or reckless over the years. But, what if you could change yourself for the better?

Here are some simple yet highly effective and exciting ways to align yourself and contour your personality as you age. With a sophisticated nature, you would age gracefully and beautifully. 

1. Read Self-Help Books

It is a great habit to read books often, but is it improving you in the long run? Did the last book you read add something to your knowledge? Did it teach you life lessons? Did it explain ways to change your habits and let go of toxic traits? Ask yourself these questions. No book is a waste of time, but if you are investing your time and energy into refining yourself, then choose your book wisely.

Consider reading books from prominent personalities and learn from their lives and experiences. Make sure you have something to learn from every book you read. Over time, you will see how books manifest their magic on you. The lessons will show in your personality after a certain period. You can consciously change your personality with a good book. 

2. Meet New People And Explore

People can change you for the better or the worst. It depends on the person. If you are hanging out with people who do not provoke you to become a better version of yourself, people who are holding you down, or people who throw shade, consider moving on. Even if these people are friendly or helpful, there is always room to go out and meet new people. 

This is especially true if you meet someone from another background or culture. Every person holds a universe inside. When meeting someone new, you have a chance to not only learn from them, but doors to their country, values, and cultures also open up and can inspire you. 

Sometimes people have such a considerable effect on our personalities that we don’t even realise how much we have absorbed until we imitate their behaviour. This is the reason you must surround yourself with people whose personalities are inspiring; they are the ones who read between the lines and educate you.

3. Attend Seminars And Talks By Influencers

We all want to live a successful and happy life. We are in awe of people who are successful. We want to listen to what they preach. In reality, they are just doing things we choose to ignore as mundane. They haven’t done anything out of the ordinary to be where they are.

When you listen to them, you’ll observe how mundane things have an impact on our personalities. For instance, most successful people stress waking up early, some ask you to write down your goals on a piece of paper to give it meaning or have clear plans about your future. All of this is stimulating a change in you to stay motivated and focused. When you keep listening to what they have to say, you gradually notice how their words have wriggled into your subconscious mind and changed you. 

4. Come Out Of Your Comfort Zone

The one bold step anyone can take is to challenge themself. No one can change their personality until they want to. 

Your comfort zones, fears, or limitations have kept you from exploring this world. Every risky step in life is worth it. Whether you succeed or fail, you will always have something to learn, and there is nothing better than failure to redirect you and make your personality more robust and resilient. With age, you will confront every test in life because you will not be what you were ten years ago.

5. Understand That It Is What It Is

One of the most peaceful things in life is when you realise that things happen regardless of how much you want to prevent or change it. When you stop chasing happiness and settle for what the present has to offer, you can save yourself from several touches of melancholy. 

You need to come to terms with life, and you will observe how many useless things were holding you back. This revelation will revamp you in ways that you would have never thought possible because the bigger picture becomes much clearer and it gives you the liberty to live your life without worrying.

Final Word 

Always be open to changes. If your personality can redesign itself with age and time, why stick to the dull life and the old you? Become fearless and search for ways that can bring out the positivity in you. You can read more at shoescentric.com.