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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Teen Voices: All You Need is Love

by Isabella Dussias

Happy winter to all! February brings us cold weather superimposed with the warmth of Valentine’s Day. In my elementary school years, winter was a time of cold days and hopeful school closings that felt as if it dragged on forever. Valentine’s Day was always a highlight—getting candy and exchanging cards with school friends broke up the doldrums of winter.

So, why do we celebrate love? Countless songs and love stories have been written about it, and there is an abundance of romantic comedies shown on TV. There is puppy love, love handles, love seat and love potions—those endearing terms are endless. There is love of country, love of friends, love of family, love of self. There are lovebugs and love birds, lovesick and love songs.

In asking my friends if Valentine’s Day is important to them as teens, I got many different responses. Some were looking forward to getting flowers or candy from a parent or from someone special. Others were excited to give a card or stuffed animal to their little brother or sister. One of my friends spends every Valentine’s Day having dinner with her grandparents. My other friend donates his time at an extended care facility.

It’s been said that “love makes the world go ‘round.” The goodness of humanity is essential to that, and love plays a fundamental role. In polling my friends, I found that the four-letter word “love” became synonymous with another four-letter word, “kind”. What we, as teens, seem to be seeking out to celebrate is the kindness and love that is inherent within us all. 

Now it’s halfway through winter. Hope you have a lovely February!

Isabella Dussias is a 17-year-old singer-songwriter/composer from New Jersey. She enjoys writing about issues that are important to today’s youth, and she believes music is an important outlet to connect people and share messages through the creativity of lyric and melody. For more information, please visit IsabellaDussias.com.


In-Print Local Insights February 2020
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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