IN THIS TOGETHER
O RD I NARY PEO PLE LIVI N G E X TR AO RD I NARY LIVE S
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CONTENTS
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36 features 14
CONSERVATION OF THE GULF COAST
Restoration after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
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MIRA LEHR’S “HIGH WATER MARK”
Environmental artist: now is the time to act
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FROM ESPN TO EDUCATOR
A life en fuego: Dan Patrick battles back
special section: book excerpt GROWING BOLDER: DEFY THE CULT OF YOUTH, LIVE WITH PASSION AND PURPOSE
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SOMEONE LIKE ME
The power of example and the magic of personal transformation
Spring 2020
in every issue 6
NOTE FROM THE CEO
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CONTRIBUTORS
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GROWING BOLDER WITH
Big names, bold lives
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5 QUESTIONS
Denise Austin celebrates 40 years in fitness
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ORDINARY PEOPLE
Living extraordinary lives
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GB BOOK REVIEWS
Suggested reading for lifelong learners and bibliophiles
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THE TAKEAWAY
The big life of Little Anthony
create 48
LATER-IN-LIFE ROMANCE NOVELIST
The "oldest author of erotic romance" is still publishing at age 83
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DRIVEN BY DESIGN
Architect Turan Duda merges art and function
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SUSTAINABLE HOME DESIGN
Get creative and do-it-yourself
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THE POWER OF CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT
Problem solving in life and in art
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GROWING BOLDER MOVIE NIGHT
Q&A with Roger McGuinn
finance defy 30
GREATNESS NEVER QUITS
Inspiration from Dr. Jim Smith, Jr.
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I USED TO BE A DANCER
Connecting the past and present versions of yourself
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“CAT TALE: THE WILD, WEIRD BATTLE TO
SAVE THE FLORIDA PANTHER”
Adapted from “Florida Man” Craig Pittman’s latest book
heal 34
5 TIPS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
Defense against COVID-19 starts at the cellular level
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FLATTENING THE CURVE
One New Yorker’s story of surviving COVID-19
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YOUR LIFE AS A MASTERPIECE
Creating harmony from the inside out
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POWERED BY PLANTS
Plant-based foods bursting with bold flavors
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ONE SLOW BREATH AT A TIME
How to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic
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A FREELANCER’S TIPS FOR WORKING
FROM HOME
Adjusting to the emotional challenges of working alone
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THE VALUE OF TRADITION
The joy of teaching self-reliance to the next generation
travel 12
CAMPING
The original social isolation
connect 18
MEMOIR WRITING
Your story is the gift of a lifetime
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MAN OF TWO COUNTRIES
A Cuban-American looks at 64
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FROM A DISTANCE
Staying connected while staying apart
ON THE COVER BUBBLE BOY BRINGS LEVITY TO LOCKDOWN
Photographer George Kamper and his wife Sherryl create photo series sensation G R O W I N G B O L D E R / VO L . 4 0
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NOTE FROM THE CEO
This issue of Growing Bolder celebrates the power of creativity and the importance of creative engagement to all of us.
It’s one of our greatest human gifts, especially as we age. A long-term study, published in the ”Journal of Aging and Health,” examined a variety of personality traits and concluded that only creativity has significant life-extending benefits. Those with above-average creativity enjoyed a significantly lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and a 12% decrease in mortality over an 18-year period. The mechanisms behind the health benefits of creativity are not fully understood, but most researchers believe it’s because creative thinking draws on a variety of neural networks within the brain. Creativity, at its core, is simply problem-solving. Any great painter or composer will tell you that a blank canvas or blank sheet of staff paper is little more than a problem to be solved. Creativity is taking what is and constructing what can be. Human creativity has never been more important than it is right now. It’s being tested as we race to find a cure and a vaccine for COVID-19 and scramble to find ways to reduce pollution, to clean our air and oceans and ultimately to save our planet. We might not be the ones to solve these monumental problems; but it’s important that we nurture and develop our creative spirit, because it helps us adapt to circumstances, find solutions to problems and keep moving forward without being trapped by the challenges of aging.
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The good news is that creativity is not a magical process that only some possess. It’s part of human nature. We all have it. It is true that some are more easily connected to it than others. But for most, creativity is never a lightning strike of ingenuity. It’s the by-product of fearlessness and persistence. When we were kids, we were encouraged to develop our creativity. The arts were part of the curricula in every school in America. We drew, danced, sang, acted, wrote poems and played musical instruments. But at some point, if we didn’t show what our teachers or parents believed to be exceptional ability, they took away our crayons so that we could get serious about the so-called “important stuff.” Fast forward 50 or 60 years, and we’re learning that creativity, coloring outside the lines and thinking outside the box is the important stuff. So, get back to coloring outside the lines, and remember that the No. 1 enemy of creativity is a fear of failure. Now is the time to start Growing Bolder.
POWER OF CREATIVITY Creativity Increases Longevity and Addresses Humanity's Biggest Challenges
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ORDINARY PEOPLE LIVING EXTRAORDINARY LIVES Bill Shafer
Julia Hawkins At 103, Julia Hawkins is the oldest competitor in USA Track and Field history. She took up running at the age of 100, proving that it really is never too late, especially if you don’t let fear hold you back. “Honey, I’m always afraid!” she said with a laugh. “I’m afraid I might fall, that I might embarrass my family or that I might even die. I even took care of some things at home — just in case, but I look fear in the face and I run.” She was dubbed with the nickname, “Hurricane”, and her story has been featured in media outlets all across the nation. Millions have been inspired by her accomplishments and her attitude. “Why do I do it?” she asks, “Because it makes me feel young again! And if I happen to inspire somebody along the way, that’s good, too!” Her advice for the rest of us is to take good care, practice moderation, keep an active mind and body and don’t be afraid to try something new.
David Hackett David Hackett is a pioneer and legend in the sport of skateboarding who is just as proud of what he’s doing now: saving the lives of young addicts. Hackett, 59, is still in great physical shape, but it was more difficult coping with the damage from drugs and alcohol. “It took me about 20 years to get sober, and it’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever done,” he said. Hackett understands the challenges and opened his life to desperate, young men who have lost their way. “The most powerful medicine we have is the power of belief,” he said, and he proved it to himself in a battle with colon cancer. “I stick to a vegetable-based diet, work out every day, I have fun and a positive attitude,” he explained, “and I’m still here six years later.” Hackett said cancer changed his perspective. “It gave me an appreciation for life that I never felt before,” he said. “I’ve had the most incredible, amazing, groundbreaking, radical life. I can truly say if I died tomorrow I’d be at peace.”
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Marc Mero “I want to be rich, and I want to be famous.” Those were the words a young boy scribbled down many years ago, words he never forgot. As a professional wrestler Marc Mero fought his way to the top. He became a superstar in the World Wrestling Federation. He was living the high life. Then the call came. His mother was dead. Mero was jolted. “I was an addict, I did stupid things and I felt like a total disappointment,” he said. Mero struggled to get over his regret of being “too busy” to make time for his mom. When he retired he was lost. He found himself by telling his story to teenagers in school assemblies. The students related to his desire for fame and fast times. “I lived that life,” he explained. “It leads to broken hearts, broken dreams and death.” His message connects and Mero is in great demand across the country. He feels he’s finally found his purpose mentoring youngsters and honoring his mother’s legacy.
Jenn Ross Jenn Ross wanted to open a vegan restaurant in an economically disadvantaged location, something everyone advised against. “If you have an idea that everyone thinks won’t work,” she said, “you’re probably on to something.” Much to the surprise of her friends and business advisers, she opened her restaurant; and after one year, DaJen Eats has been a success. Ross says the experience has taught her things she wishes she had known about business and life, especially when it comes to dealing with the one thing that nearly stopped her from moving forward, fear. “I feel fear every week, every day, sometimes every hour,” she said. “But I’ve realized something that changed my outlook: Fear is nothing more than another word for excitement.” Ross said facing fear is the key to changing your life. “If you take the approach that the universe is ever conspiring in your favor, and live your life in that way, there are so many things that can unfold beautifully right in front of us all,” she said.
Joe Pires Joe Pires looked up in the sky and caught a glimpse of a strange contraption. He couldn’t get it out of his mind. He had always wanted to fly, but he pushed that dream aside for decades. But what if this could make it possible? It was a gyroplane and Pires decided he had to have one. “When you dream of flying, it’s about feeling the wind, seeing the birds, touching the clouds,” he explained. “I don’t want to be a pilot reading dials in a cockpit, I want to fly!” Now, Pires flies nearly every week. In his 60s, he’s proof that it’s never too late; and it’s changed the way he lives his life. “If I didn’t wake up to the fact that the clock is ticking, I wouldn’t have realized what’s truly important to me,” Pires said. “I’m happier than ever and can’t imagine how I could love life more.”
I N E V E R Y I S S U E : O R D I N A R Y P EO P L E L I V I N G E X T R AO R D I N A R Y L I V E S
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Powered by Plants Plant-based Foods Burst with Bold Flavors Collette Haw
Spring is a time for new colors, new flavors and new habits. More and more people are opting for a plant-based eating plan, and these recipes feature delicious ways to incorporate more fresh produce into your diet. Each dish is bursting with bright flavors and is rich in essential vitamins and nutrients, such as Vitamin C found in the leeks, strawberries, mango and orange juice. There’s also fiber in all the fresh produce and healthy fats in the avocado and flaxseed. Use these fresh and healthy recipes to incorporate some new flavors into your diet, including the rich, sweet taste of coconut milk for the soup and the bright and lively turmeric in the smoothie. The recent coronavirus outbreak proved that taking care of our health is more important than ever; and if you keep your pantry stocked with some of these healthy, plant-based ingredients, you’re helping your body fight off future infections. Be well.
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Vegan Potato Soup 6 Servings
Ingredients
Directions
Heat a medium pot and add olive oil, white onions, garlic, leeks and fresh thyme. Saute until the onions and leeks become translucent. Then, add the potatoes, bay leaves, vegetable stock, coconut milk, salt and pepper. Simmer until the potatoes are soft, and then puree until smooth. Serve and garnish with chives. Calories 184, fat 2.9g, cholesterol 0mg, carbs 37.1g, fiber 6.2g, protein 4.3g
2 white onions, chopped 2 teaspoons garlic, microplaned 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 large leeks, white and light green parts, sliced 4 teaspoons fresh thyme 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced 2 bay leaves 4 cups vegetable stock 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk Pink Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Fresh chives, sliced for garnish
Florida Strawberry & Corn Salad
Sunshine Smoothie Yields 1 12-ounce smoothie
Ingredients
½ cup frozen mango ½ teaspoon fresh turmeric ½ teaspoon ground flaxseed ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice Chia seeds for garnish
Directions
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with chia seeds if desired. Calories 116, fat 1g, cholesterol 0mg, sodium 3mg, carbs 26.3g, fiber 2.1g, protein 1.8g
4 Servings
Ingredients
1 pound mixed greens 10 strawberries, quartered 1 avocado, sliced 1 ear corn, kernels removed from cob 2 ounces goat cheese crumbles 4 tablespoon lime poppyseed vinaigrette
Lime Poppyseed Vinaigrette ½ cup lime juice 1 shallot, minced ½ teaspoon pink salt 1 teaspoon poppy seeds ½ cup olive oil ½ cup flaxseed oil (or just use 1 cup olive oil)
Directions
Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl and keep in a jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Place lime poppyseed vinaigrette in the bottom of a mixing bowl. Add mixed greens, strawberries, avocado and corn to the bowl. Toss the ingredients gently and divide evenly into 4 different salad bowls. Garnish with goat cheese. Calories 309, fat 14.4g, cholesterol 15mg, sodium 369mg, carbs 36.2g, fiber 10g, protein 8.6g Collette Haw is a classically trained Culinary Institute of America graduate. Chef Haw operates the Nourish Coffee Bar + Kitchen at the Center for Health & Wellbeing in Winter Park, Florida, and approaches the Nourish menu with a unique hybrid of her comfort food gone-healthy and “food as medicine” philosophies. She also instructs cooking programs at the Center. Learn more at nourishchwb.com. Illustrations: lightkitegirl / iStock / Getty Images Plus, Photo: Monika-Grabkowska via Unsplash, Recipe Photos: Jacob Langston
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Community Driven Architect Turan Duda Merges Art and Function Jackie Carlin
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If the recent coronavirus pandemic has taught us one thing, it’s that the places where we spend our time have an extraordinary effect on our overall wellbeing. As you bunkered down at home, did your surroundings make you feel calm and peaceful? Did you experience a sense of flow, movement and instinctual serenity as you walked room to room? If you did, you can thank an architect. For more than 40 years, architect Turan Duda has infused his projects with passion, purpose and thoughtful design. The former Yale University professor trained under and spent 15 years working with famed architect Cesar Pelli, worldrenowned for tall skyscrapers such as the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the World Financial Center in New York City. In 1997, Duda returned to his hometown of Durham, North Carolina, to launch Duda | Paine with his Pelli colleague, Jeffrey Paine. Together, they’ve created an impressive portfolio of projects, including Duke Integrative Medicine at Duke University; the Emory University Campus Life Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and now, the groundbreaking and unique Center for Health & Wellbeing in Winter Park, Florida. The Center for Health & Wellbeing (CHWB) combines wholeness, fitness and medicine into one, integrated center. It was an audacious idea, launched by the Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF) and its partner on the project, AdventHealth. Growing Bolder has partnered with WPHF on a new project, the Wellbeing Network, which is headquartered at the Center. “When we first started dreaming of one center that could cater to a person’s entire journey through wellbeing, we began looking around the country for inspiration,” said Winter Park Health Foundation President and CEO Patty Maddox. “To be honest, we struggled to find one location that did it all. So, we said, ‘Well, let’s design that space. And when we achieve this goal, let’s share with wellness centers around the nation what’s possible.’ And that’s where our fabulous partners at Duda | Paine came in.” Duda says one key word drove the design: community. “We have the three different aspects of life here, through wholeness, fitness and medicine,” Duda said, “but those three circles need to be connected with a central space that will be a community. If you make the space comfortable, warm and inviting, it draws people to it and becomes an integral part of their everyday lives.”
C R E AT E
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At the heart of the CHWB is The Commons, a wide-open space that serves as the building’s beating heart. From its center, visitors branch out to their various destinations, whether it’s the Peggy and Philip B. Crosby Wellness Center for a workout, the Elinor & T.W. Miller, Jr. Community Conference Center for an educational program or the Nourish Coffee Bar + Kitchen for a cup of coffee or meal with a friend. The Commons also features inviting sofas and circular tables, all designed to inspire community members to pause and enjoy social time together. On any given morning, you can find groups of friends playing cards, mahjong or even putting a puzzle together. “People are the life of any building,” Duda said. “Architecture is not living until there are people in it. I welcome that, I want people living in my building. If people are avoiding my building, I’ve failed. This is not some abstract notion of what architecture should be for academics. I want people to see and enjoy and live in this building.” Duda says he draws inspiration from his travels, and one particular feature of Italian life inspired The Commons — the piazza. “Every small town has this little piazza. It’s where life happens. If you’ve watched Fellini movies, he filmed a lot of his scenes in these little piazzas. It’s a theater of life where people are sitting, watching other people. The show is watching other people,” he said. As our recent social isolation experiment has taught us, humans are hard-wired to connect to each other. We crave interactions and experiences with our fellow humans. Technology has distanced us in many ways, whether it’s hiding in our phones while sitting in public or relying upon a text instead of a call to a loved one. Duda says creating a warm and nurturing place for people to interact drives his passion for carving out such spaces. “My 107-year-old uncle said to me, ‘At my age, the most valuable thing you can give me is your time,’” Duda said. “The older I get, the more I understand and appreciate what that means. In this day and age, when we are booking every 5 minutes of our lives on our iPhones, to stop and pause and give your time to somebody, sitting in a cafe, sitting on a terrace …,” Duda trailed off. “Well, if I can create places for people to have that human connection, one on one — wow, to me, that’s success. If I cause people to think differently about their lives, to appreciate what they have, to be grateful for what they have, to be grateful for another human being, then the architecture has really been successful. “It’s in our very human nature to engage in real-life conversations with our friends and watch the theater of life go by. With my designs, I try to bring a little bit of that civic space, civility and community into every project we work on,” he said. He is also inspired by our natural world and is always looking for ways to bring the great outdoors inside. At the CHWB, that includes an undulating wood ceiling that evokes
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the idea of movement and takes advantage of the shifting sun, creating different moods depending on the time of day. In the Crosby Wellness Center’s pool area, wall tiles mimic ocean waves, and the ceiling overhead twinkles with light in the patterns of constellations. In the Commons, large wooden pillars rise up to the ceiling, emulating the power and grace of tall trees. Duda and his team are passionate about features like this, but what if the average person misses the connection that inspired their design?
Well, if I can create places for people to have that human connection, one on one — wow, to me, that’s success.
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“As architects, we talk about what is called a haptic sense. These are things that your body senses, even if you don’t visually see it,” Duda said. “Your body senses when you’re in a compressed space, when you’re in elongated space. So those rhythms of life, the rhythms that we have in our daily activity, are things that we wanted to bring to this building. I think that people do feel them. They may not see them but they will sense them in a very intuitive way. It’s intrinsic to how we use buildings. It’s about a sensation that you get that’s not overt, it’s subtle, it’s in the background; but whether you realize it or not, you’re aware of it.” Duda also is inspired by something that terrifies many of us — math! He is particularly fond of the geometric ratio known as the Golden Section, sometimes called the Golden Ratio or the Divine Proportion. It’s something that’s been discussed since the Greeks, and it shows up in ancient and modern architecture, Renaissance paintings, the music of Claude Debussy, Dan Brown’s best-selling book “The DaVinci Code” and even in nature. The Golden Section is a ratio based on the Greek number Phi, or 1.618, which goes on infinitely, and it exists when a line is divided into two parts and the longer part (a) divided by the smaller part (b) is equal to the sum of (a) + (b) divided by (a), which both equal 1.618. Got that? “The Golden Section is something that is pervasive throughout history. I was just in Greece last year, and the Parthenon is based on proportions of a golden section,” Duda said. “The CHWB has a Golden Section in about a dozen different places. It’s something that is found in nature, is found in the movement of the stars, is found in the wave motion of water, is found in the growth of a snail and all kinds of plant life. It’s something that is intrinsic and fundamental to life itself. “It’s one of those things that I may incorporate but not even make it obvious. It’s subliminal, but it’s something people sense; and they sense the proportions are right, the heights and widths of the space feels right. So never underestimate what something feels like,” he said. Duda sees his architectural designs as a marriage between art and function. He says he personally is inspired to make his projects like great works of art, something that you return to time and time again and pick up something new each time. “Great art provokes curiosity. if you look at it and go, ‘I wonder why the artist did this? Why does this composition have this unusual moment in it?’ That aspect of discovery is what makes the experience of a building rich,” Duda said. “I know as an architect I’m raising the bar really high; but when our visitors walk into these buildings, I want to spark curiosity and inspiration in each of them as well.” Now 66, and after spending more than four decades in his field, Duda says he has no intentions of winding down his career. In fact, he feels he’s just entering his prime. “I tell my wife every morning that I feel like I’m just getting started in my career. It takes a very long time to master what we do. To master this thing called architecture is so complicated. You’re dealing with the realities of construction costs, programs, all kinds of things the complexities of all that,” he said. “It takes a long time to satisfy the problem solving side of architecture. And it’s only when you get to my age, we feel like now I can make all of that into an art form. It’s no longer about problem solving; it’s about creating an art of architecture.” Duda says it’s a lesson anyone can apply to their own lives. The former Yale professor is always teaching, always mentoring and always urging people to imbue what it is they’re doing with passion. “If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, you won’t last,” Duda said. “You’ll either be disgruntled, angry or bitter. Or, you can be enlightened and have joy for what you do. And believe me, that will come out in the work.”
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