Ode to Timebanking
/Thank you to SSTB member Daisy Birch for sharing this wonderful poem about timebanking!
Events team member: Charlotte Cook
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Charlotte joined the timebank in 2019 after reading an article in The Washington Post about her friends, SSTB members Mary and Al Liepold. After some successful exchanges - offering rides and getting computer help - Charlotte decided to get more involved in the timebank. As she says, "If I join something, I don't just join in name. I have to do something with it." Since the spring of 2020 (the start of the pandemic), Charlotte has been a member of the Events team, planning the Social Walks which help our members safely meet with others while walking on beautiful trails in our area.
In her role as Social Walks coordinator, Charlotte connects with members who express an interest in leading a walk. They work together to confirm the location, date, and time, and Charlotte writes up details for SSTB’s social media. After the walk, Charlotte writes up a brief summary to share in the newsletter.
The Events team meets virtually each month, and Charlotte attends when she can to help brainstorm ideas for upcoming activities. She appreciates these meetings because they give her “an insider’s ear to events” so she can plan ahead to attend virtual socials and activities of interest.
Charlotte enjoys the work she does for the SSTB - she likes organizing people and creating spreadsheets with details. Naturally an introvert, Charlotte has found herself doing more outgoing things because of her timebank involvement.
With Charlotte’s help, the timebank has offered 7-8 Social Walks since the start of the pandemic to places like Brookside Gardens, Lake Needwood, and Buddy Attick Lake in Greenbelt. Many thanks to Charlotte for sharing her time and skills with the SSTB!
The Silver Spring Timebank is looking for more members to help on a monthly or quarterly basis, or even just once or twice a year. And, you earn a timebank hour for every hour you give. Current open jobs include:
Writing an article for our quarterly newsletter
Posting updates to our sstimebank.org website
Posting events to our Facebook page
Organizing or leading an online or in-person social event, like a Virtual Social or a Social Walk
Mentoring a new timebank member
Leading a virtual Orientation and Refresher session
If you've got 1-2 hours to offer each month, every other month, or even a few times a year, please let us know. We'll get you connected to a job that fits your interests and gains you timebank hours too!
November Virtual Social: Thinking outside the recycling box
/The November 2022 SSTB Virtual Social brought together an enthusiastic group of creative and eco-minded people.
"Creative Re-use to help the planet and your wallet,” hosted by longtime timebank member Tanya DeKona, was a forum for thinking about ways to re-use objects rather than putting them in the trash. Re-use can happen with materials that would otherwise be recycled, too.
Creative Re-use means giving an object, or parts of it, a new life, with a new purpose. This extends the life of objects, eases the burden on the planet, and saves you money. In that spirit, Tanya and the participants shared some of their creations made from ordinary household objects. They also showed objects that they wanted to find a way to re-use rather than dispose of, and the group brainstormed possibilities together.
The group also shared resources on the topic such as https://reuse.dc.gov/. It is clear that every object has many possibilities, and every act of conservation matters!
SSTB Virtual Socials are a fun way to learn about something new, connect with other timebank members or – for people who haven’t joined the timebank yet – a way to learn about timebanking, too. There is always time for members to talk about timebank exchanges they could do with one another.
Do you have a topic you’d like to share in a Virtual Social? It’s great fun, and you earn timebank hours for presenting. Please write to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com so we can discuss it further.
Sequim Daily Photo, https://www.sequimwadailyphoto.com/2018/08/02/creative-reuse/
September Virtual Social: De-kryptoniting your favorite junk foods
/The September virtual social was on de-kryptoniting (making healthier) your favorite junk foods. Knowing this is a vast topic, we began by pondering what treats our ancestors ate before these treats became processed, extruded and unhealthy. Then we looked at favorite modernized unhealthy treats and suggested replacement ingredients. Replacing ingredients often saves money and time. It also gives us health, focus and energy instead of sucking it out of us.
Some suggestions during and after the social were: Using stevia, monk fruit, dates, and coconut to replace depleted sugars and chemical sweeteners. For example, our ancestors didn’t have Sprite, but they had lemon, soda water, and stevia. And we could replace depleted salts and chemical salt-substitutes with original/natural salts and salt substitutes, like mined, mineral or sea salts, miso, vinegar, sumac, lemon, and onion.
Here are 8 initial de-kryptoniting tips. Enjoy!
Observe (w/out judgement): What do you eat or drink most often that you know is unhealthy? (Remember: leave judging in the courts, and drama on the stage.)
See what unhealthy ingredients can be replaced (processed milks, preservatives, chemical flavorings/colorings, trans fats, depleted sugars, salts and starches.).
Imagine our precious ancestors (say, 10 generations back) eating. How would they make and eat your favorite junk food? Try their ingredients. For example— a candy bar: Stuff a walnut & unsweetened chocolate into a date— add a dash of mineral salt, optional. Wow!
Ponder healthy preindustrial (ancestral) condiments: roasted sesame seeds/tahini, chilis, mustard, fire (or organic liquid smoke), mineral salts, lemon/lime juice/zest, sumac, stevia, dates, fermented salsa, miso, nato, and live flavored vinegars & pickles.
Check what percentage of your food is green vegetable and mushrooms.
Check what percentage of your food has pre- and probiotics (for a healthy gut).
Check what part of your 24-hour day gives your gut a full rest (intermittent fasting).
If you think you may have any eating disorder, smoke, or over-drink, seek help from professionals and healthy loved ones.
Many thanks to SSTB member Daisy Birch, a diversity, health, and executive coach, for hosting this social. Daisy practices both virtually and internationally.
Make your own! Our daily condiments carousel: (clockwise): Lemon, nutritional yeast, chili’s, pink salt, black pepper, homemade vinegar, olive oil in spray bottle, roasted sesame seeds, black mineral salt, sumac, fresh onions/pepper, some stray things we’ve pickled, blenderized mustard seeds & vinegar. The saffron rock candy on the sweets shelf is for the rare stomachache. We’re just trying out the Bragg herbed salt substitute.
Congrats to our winners!
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The Membership Team concocted a second Scavenger Hunt and we had three winners!
But first – what were folks hunting for? And what did they find?
Players searched the hOurworld database looking for members who could satisfy certain requirements. Here are some examples of the questions:
Long ago, you used to play bridge. Now you and some friends want to get back to it. But you definitely need a refresher. Which member can help?
You’d like to stretch your body and try some yoga, but don’t want to have to leave your home. Is there someone who would work with you via Zoom?
You just got back from a trip to IKEA and want to assemble your furniture finds!! Who might be able to help you?
These, and several other questions, were posed and answered by Brandi Burke-Hicks, Rachel Heckscher, and Fred Shuback – each of whom earned a bonus hour by playing. Hopefully, while searching, they found some offers that appealed to them on which to spend their extra hour !
We’ll likely be doing this again next year, so be on the lookout for Scavenger Hunt, edition 3!
Summer social walk
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In August, Charlotte Cook led a small group of timebank members on a summer social walk around Buddy Attick Lake in Greenbelt. The weather was perfect, conversation flowed, and new friendships developed. They walked at a leisurely pace along the 1.5 mile trail, stopping to enjoy the view and take photos of monarch butterflies, water lilies and a heron in the lake. Following the walk, they went to the Greenbelt Farmers’ Market. It was a lovely morning indeed!
If you would like to lead a group to your favorite walking destination, let us know at silverspringtimebank@gmail.com.
Summer 2022 Virtual Socials
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At the June Virtual Social, “Discovering the Best of Ourselves,” host Anna Doroshaw led a discussion on personal strengths and talents. She first invited participants to reflect on times when we have felt energized and “in the flow” as well as when we have felt drained and blocked. She noted how this is often related to whether we are engaged in activities that are aligned with our strengths and talents.
Anna shared some tools that can be used to learn more about where we, as individuals, shine brightest. The better we know ourselves, the more likely we can offer the best of ourselves while drawing out the best in others.
The July Virtual Social featured a discussion of "Good Books, Good Food, and Peace," hosted by Mary Liepold. Participants each talked about a book that made a lasting impression, including such varied selections as The Velveteen Rabbit, Diet for a Small Planet, The Chosen, and a series of Star Trek books. We then discussed food memories which included preparing our own specialties, sharing meals with special people, and dining in memorable locations.
Peace was our third topic, and the group’s interpretations included places we can go to be at peace, activities that help us feel peaceful, and how we work to promote peace in the world. It was an enriching evening, full of both introspection and inspiration.
Timebank members who host our Virtual Socials get to share an area of interest informally, meet new members, and reconnect with past exchange partners. They also earn hours for their time hosting plus prep time. There is always a member of the timebank’s Events Team on hand to tend to the Zoom and answer questions. Past hosts have enjoyed the experience and encourage other members to write to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com to discuss hosting a social.