Marion County Tribune

Opinion The Marion Tribune July 25, 2024 5A Reproduction of all matter herein is prohibited without the expressed written consent of the publisher. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ALL letters must be signed and a street address and telephone number provided. The address and telephone number will not be published, but used to verify the authorship of the letter. Email Letters to: llimadasilva@mariontribune.com ADVERTISING POLICIES In the event of a typographical error, advertising goods at less than the proper price, The Marion Tribune will furnish a letter to the advertiser stating the correct price to be posted in the place of business. Or, the newspaper will (when contacted within 48 hours of the error) publish the material correctly in a space equal to the space in which the error occurred plus additional space for the store signature. The Marion Tribune accepts no liability for failure to publish advertising. 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Periodicals postage paid at Jasper and additional offices. Postmaster send address changes to Marion Tribune, 100 Betsy Pack Dr Suite 204, Jasper, TN 37347-3523 The Marion Tribune Vol. 1 – No. 52 1 Section – 10 a es I sure could use a big hug T rue confession: I am a hugger. There are only two sides to the hugging debate. Pro-huggers would say, “Well, good for you! There’s nothing better than a good hug!” Anti-huggers are more likely to say, “Ewww, creepy.” I don’t know why I am a hugger. Maybe I got a lot of hugs when I was little. I am an equal opportunity hugger. Young, old, male, female. Watch out. If you’re in my zip code, you might get hugged. I hug my wife, of course. I hug my adult sons, and thankfully, they hug me back. I hug my friends and co-workers when they have accomplished something, or when they just need a little encouragement. I hug total strangers who say nice things about my work. However, I don’t hug as many people as I once did. The pandemic pretty much wiped out hugs, and they have yet to make a full comeback. I have two co-workers who are among the friendliest folks I know. However, they have made it clear: they consider a hug to be an invasion of their personal space. One is male, and I will often tell him he deserves a hug. He smiles, and expresses his appreciation that I didn’t cross the boundary. Another is female. “I’ve just never been a hugger,” she said. “If I let you hug me, what will you want to do next?” For her, hugs are o ff -limits, and she politely lets you know. The hugging process can be awkward. In my e ff orts to be politically correct, I might approach a woman I rarely see, and o ff er a handshake. Sometimes that gesture is accepted graciously. But if she expects a hug, she is insulted when one is not given. She will say, “What? No hug?” That leaves me feeling like a jerk, because truth be told, I want a hug too. I just wasn’t sure the feeling was mutual. Of course, I’ve been on the other end of that quandary too: expecting a hug, and then settling for a handshake. There are di ff erent types of hugs. Our friends and relatives get a full-bodied, a ff ectionate hug. For a more casual acquaintance, there’s the neck- hug. For someone you don’t know that well, there’s the side-hug. Our “guy” friends get the bro-hug. The most embarrassing hug is the head- knock. Neither side is sure, so in the midst of all the clumsiness, while trying to decide how to hug, your head collides with the other person’s noggin, creating a massive headache for both. Much like a handshake, your fellow hugger can either commit, or leave you limp. Most people know how to hug appropriately. Firm, yet gentle. Brief, yet meaningful. Still, there are potential surprises. One of my most memorable hugs happened a few years ago. On the scene of a news story, an attractive young reporter from a competing station greeted me warmly. I barely knew her, but I soon became very familiar with her. As I o ff ered my hand, she pulled me in for a bone-crushing hug. She was about half my size, but mercy, she was strong. That’s when I learned the meaning of the expression, “She took my breath away.” When I regained consciousness, I vowed I would be ready for her next time. There would be no more sneak attacks. My wife had a similar experience when she was a news reporter. A high-ranking elected o ffi cial would grab her, and darn near crack her ribs. After a few of those crunches, she learned to head the other way when she saw him coming. Understandably, since the pandemic we have become more germ-conscious than before. Time was, we didn’t blink an eye when asked to take a swig from a friend’s water bottle. And inside our homes, we were fearless when sharing food. “What’s the harm, we’re family!” The pandemic was truly life changing. Some might say it made us practice better hygiene, which we should have already been doing. But if it contributed to a decline in hugs, it is still a villain to me. Some people just like a good hug, while others really need one now and then. Trust me, I’m doing my part. David Carroll is a Chattanooga news anchor, and his new book “I Won’t Be Your Escape Goat” is available on his website, ChattanoogaRadioTV. com. You may contact him at 900Whitehall Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405, or at RadioTV2020@ yahoo.com. Dear Savvy Senior, Do you know of any car gadgets that can help older drivers? I drive a 12-year-old car and have arthritis in my neck, back and knees which limits my mobility making it more di ffi cult to get in and out of the car and look over my shoulder to backup. Almost 80 Dear Almost, To help keep older drivers safe and extend their driving years, there are a number of inexpensive products you can purchase that can easily be added to your vehicle to help with many di ff erent needs. Here are some popular auto aids to consider. Entry and Exit Aids For mobility challenged seniors who have a di ffi cult time entering and exiting a vehicle – especially cars that are low to the ground or high vehicles such as SUV’s or pickup truck’s – there are a variety of support handles and special seat cushions that can help. Some examples include the Stander ( stander.com ) “HandyBar” ($40), which is a portable support grab bar that inserts into the U-shaped striker plate on the doorframe, and the “CarCaddie” ($20), a nylon support handle that buckles around the top of the door window frame. Stander also has an “Auto Swivel Seat Cushion” ($40), that rotates 360 degrees to help drivers and passengers pivot their body into and out of their vehicle. Rear Vision Improvements To help those with neck and back range of motion problems, which makes looking over the shoulder to back-up or merge into tra ffi c di ffi cult, there are special mirrors you can add as well as back-up cameras. To widen rear visibility and eliminate blind spots, Verivue Mirrors ( verivuemirrors.com ) o ff ers the popular “Universal 12-Inch Panoramic RearviewMirror” ($13) that clips on to existing rearview mirrors, along with a variety of “Blind Spot Mirrors” ($5 for two), which are small convex mirrors that stick to the corner of the sideview mirrors. Another helpful device is the “Auto- vox CS-2 Wireless Backup Camera Kit” ($120, www.auto-vox.com ). This comes with a night vision camera that attaches to the rear license plate, and a small monitor that mounts to the dash or windshield. When the vehicle is in reverse, it sends live images wirelessly to the monitor so you can see what’s behind you. Seat Belt Extenders For plus-sized people or those with mobility problems, there are seat belt extension products that can make buckling up a little easier. For example, Seat Belt Extender Pros ( seatbeltextenderpros.com ) o ff ers vehicle-speci fi c “Seat Belt Extenders” ($13 to $26) that fi t into the seat belt buckle receiver to add a few inches of length, making them easier to fasten. They also sell a “Seat Belt Grabber Handle” ($8), which is a rubber extension handle that attaches to the seat belt strap to make it easier to reach. Gripping Devices If you have hand arthritis that makes gripping di ffi cult or painful, consider the “SEG Direct Steering Wheel Cover” ($17) that fi ts over the steering wheel to make it larger, softer and easier to grip. And for help twisting open tight gas caps, the “Gas Cap & Oil Cap Opener by Gascapo ff ” ($17) is a long-handled tool that works like a wrench to loosen and tighten gas caps. Many of these products can be found in your local auto supply stores or online at the manufacturer’s website or at Amazon.com . Just type the product name in the search bar to fi nd them. Professional Help If you need more assistance, con- sider contacting a driver rehabilitation specialist who are trained to evaluate elderly drivers and provide safety and driving equipment suggestions. In addition to the types of aids mentioned in this column, there’s also a range of adaptive driving equipment that can be professionally installed on a vehicle – like swing-out swivel seats, pedal extenders, hand controls and more – to help people with vari- ous disabilities. To locate a driver re- habilitation specialist in your area, visit ADED.net or MyAOTA.aota.org/ driver_search . Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Nor- man, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. David Carroll Creative Corner Southern Slang I love sweet Southern slang That graces the Southern states. Sitting on the porch of my shebang Jawing with my neighbors sounds great. Once I took a ride to Georgia. Met me a girl so fi ne. Her drawl threw me into euphoria. I thought then and there I’d die. The good Lord blessed the South With smooth talking from our mouth. Slow and honest as a prayer I pray I stay right there. Took me a drive to Tennessee On a road named Copperhead Hill. Everyone there was kind to me. Drank shine til we had our fi ll. Went up North to try my luck But soon I came straight home. They talked a fast and mean muck- a-dee-muck. I was wrong to ever roam. The good Lord blessed the South With smooth talking from our mouth. Slow and honest as a prayer I pray I stay right there. Please sing me a Southern song As I walk with my dog and fi shing rod. Let me glory in this place all day long. American by birth and Southern by the grace of God. The good Lord blessed the South With smooth talking from our mouth. Slow and honest as a prayer I pray I stay right there. John Christof Auto Aids That Make Driving Easier and Safer