January 8, 2015
The Memphis Flyer staff talks about 34 ways for Memphians change our outlook on life for 2015. And one of them is getting involved in mentoring at organizations like MAM!
We here at the Memphis Flyer are not know-it-alls, but that’s never stopped us from giving advice. And in our first issue of the new year, it’s become something of an annual tradition for our staff to offer suggestions to you for ways to enhance and revitalize yourselves as we begin another lap around the calendar. So, without further ado, advice from us to you. Ignore at your peril.
Salsa!
Edgar Mendez will transform you from a couch-tuber who sits around watching Dancing with the Stars into a smooth dance-floor operator in just a few short lessons. Need inspiration? Go down to the Rumba Room, Mendez’s club on South Main, on Saturday night and find your groove by watching men and women of every stripe, hue, size, shape, and ethnic variation spin and swirl and move their hips to the rhythms of salsa, bachata, merengue, etc. At 9:30 p.m., there are free lessons, which, along with a couple of Rumba Room mojitos, can help get you loosened up and well on your way to finding your inner salsero. — Bruce VanWyngarden
Be a Mentor
Showing an at-risk kid that you’re concerned about their well-being and future could have a life-changing effect. Studies show that mentoring a young person can significantly increase their chances of completing school, pursuing a career, and staying away from crime. Various agencies offer mentoring opportunities in Memphis including Youth Villages, the Boys and Girls Club, Memphis Athletic Ministries, and the Grizzlies’ TEAM UP initiative. Use your spare time to make a difference in someone’s life. — Louis Goggans
Volunteer at a Theater
Admit it. You’ve always dreamed of having your big moment in the spotlight. Sure, you tell all your pals who hate musicals that you hate musicals too, but you’ve already got orchestra-seat tickets to Kinky Boots and secretly belt out “I’m Still Here” like Yvonne De Carlo whenever you’re sure nobody’s paying attention. Unfortunately, your brilliant stage career was sidetracked early in life because you were born tone deaf, with two left feet.
Never fear. Having no talent whatsoever in no way precludes you from being a star in Memphis’ ever-expanding theater community. A star volunteer, that is. From the Orpheum downtown to Germantown Community Theatre on Forest Hill-Irene, volunteers work both in the front of the house and backstage. Every theater uses volunteers differently, but almost every day in Memphis there are opportunities to stage-manage, run lights and sound, set props, sew costumes, and hand out programs. Even if you weren’t cut out for the spotlight, with all the theaters in Memphis, there are still a lot of opportunities to at least operate a spotlight. – Chris Davis
Juice!
Resolve to start each morning (or at least a few mornings each week) with a tall glass of veggie and fruit juice. Not the commercial, sugary, bottled kind but fresh, homemade juice made using a juicer. Don’t have a juicer? Stop by Cosmic Coconut or Whole Foods and get your juice fix there. Or order juices from the Memphis-based Raw Girls vegan food delivery service. Juicing is a great way to fill your body with concentrated vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Go for a full-on juice cleanse if you’d like, but it’s also just fine to enjoy a juice as part of your balanced breakfast. — Bianca Philips
A New Uke
Are you feeling insufficiently musical? That’s sad. Let’s fix this immediately by enrolling you in group ukulele lessons taught by Misti Rae Holton at Amurica. Release your inner Don Ho. And mo’. They make bass ukes now, which is totally insane. Pick up a ukulele at any of the local instrument stores. Search for “group ukulele lessons” on Facebook to sign up. Learn music with new pals in a cool place. — Joe Boone
Lower the Bar
So you say you can’t keep your New Year’s resolutions. Every year you make up a list of stuff to do: Quit drinking turpentine; eat only vegan animals; free yourself from the tyranny of pants. But before the Super Bowl, you’re back to guzzling turpentine and wearing trousers. Why not lower the bar? Instead of listing specific things that you need to improve, adopt a vague slogan, like “Try to do better,” and then declare victory. For example, a few years ago, my “resolution” was to Get My Shit Together. About March, I arbitrarily declared my shit to be together and then went on with my pathetic life. This year, I’m going to “Take Care of Business.” I foresee great success. — Chris McCoy
If you’ve ever thought about it, now’s the time. Now. Not later. Set a goal for starting, managing, and completing a book-length manuscript this year. What book? C’mon, you probably have one in mind. Or several. Pick one, be it fiction, nonfiction, or just whatever. Work some time into your normal schedule, somewhere from an hour to three hours a day, when you sit at the computer and don’t browse, check your email, go shopping for stuff, or upload your selfies. Write. Period. And according to a rational goal of so many words (or chapters) at such-and-such a rate. Then see what you have a year from now. — Jackson Baker
Have Healthier Hangovers
You explain your New Year’s resolutions over beer, wine, cocktails, and, or course, the champagne toast at midnight. Then you wake up on New Year’s Day — the very first day of your brand-new promise to yourself — with a booming, gritty, inescapable, hangdog hangover. Google “healthy hangover” and you’ll find “miracle” foods like quinoa, spinach, and cayenne pepper. You’ll also find “miracle” beverages like tomato juice, tea, coconut water, and, of course, regular old water water. You’ll also find things to do like exercise (no joke), have sex, or hit the local sauna.
Many medical practitioners (and your mother, college roommate, boss, boyfriend, mailman, and Instagram follower) believe hangovers are linked to hydration. Over the holidays, I tried the recommended 1:1 ratio. That is, one alcoholic drink to one glass of water. I drank less alcohol (maybe because I was in the bathroom all night) and did, indeed, feel better the next day, lots better. To simplify, drink water as you drink alcohol and you’ll feel better.
But if you must get drunk one night and have stuff to do the next day, Atlas Men’s Health will hook you up … to an IV … for hydration therapy. The Midtown “casual clinic” says the therapy can “bring about a quicker recovery period.” — Toby Sells
