Do yourself a favor and find a way to volunteer for an organization you like. It’s good for the soul - yours, and theirs. It’s non-fattening, and has no free radicals. Well, some of us from the 60s might be considered freed radicals, and a lot of us volunteer. Spend an hour this week volunteering - read how volunteering changed life for our guest writer, Jennifer A. Lee from Volunteer Gear, Inc..

In my younger days, a creamy, dark, sweet substance found its way into my not so chubby tummy (again, I was younger) when the days were dark. Dipped in peanut butter, the day became even brighter.

As I have aged, my body has changed, my metabolism has slowed and my worries have become more real and chocolate can’t seem to solve all of life’s problems any longer. The most unexpected

replacement for my favorite sweet has emerged - volunteering.

My life over the last several years has been difficult at best. From launching a business to raising three kids to marital struggles, financial problems and ultimately a divorce and a business closing, many days, weeks and even months left me in a state of panic.

I was in the midst of all of my struggles when I volunteered to serve with the Meals on Wheels committee at my church. Meals on Wheels, also known as Golden Diners, is a program run by the Salvation Army. Volunteers deliver hot and cold meals to local area seniors on a daily basis. In my area, local churches sign up for delivery every 4 months. The churches have a coordinator that assigns days of service to the volunteers. Typically two people are assigned a route. In some cases they ride together and in other cases, they split the route.

On my days of service, Cody (my one year old Old English Sheep Dog) and I head to the Senior Center. Occasionally one or more of my three kids partakes in the excursion. The Senior Center packs the food and provides the delivery list. Cody and I map out our route and begin our drive.

Each delivery is a little different. Some folks are bed ridden and a care taker accepts the meals. In other homes, it is a widower welcoming the company you provide for the day. One lady welcomed me into her home so I could chat with her husband sitting in the family room chair. One gentleman needed the company of our visit, but never would accept it. For some folks, the volunteer may be the only person they see all week.

After delivering the route a few times, you become attached to these people, people you spend a very short time of your life with but the care and concern you have for them is real. You worry about them if they are not listed on the route or if they are not home when you stop.

I began this journey of service to do just that, serve others. What I found is that those I was serving were actually serving me. I gained a greater sense of peace with each delivery. My day became brighter. My stress diminished and some of my problems did not seem as important. I look forward to my delivery months.

Volunteering is good for the mind body and soul. Serving others can be accomplished in so many ways from chairing the committee that raises money for a cause to coaching a child’s sports team to volunteering at the local food pantry to buying the food that stocks the shelves at the food pantry. Knowing that you made a difference in someone’s life is the greatest reward. The fact that it took me 42 years and many days at the gym to replace the comfort of chocolate was a lesson well worth learning.

Jennifer is the operations director for Volunteer Gear, Inc. a unique new company that encourages volunteers to share their stories, comment and encourage others to own their cause. Founded on the premise of giving people an outlet for their volunteer spirit, Volunteer Gear launched its website and t-shirt product line promoting volunteerism and encouraging people to support own their cause.

Women keep each other afloat (Photo by Oddsock)

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Doing some housekeeping today, I dove way back into the contents of Women Day By Day and found some articles our newer readers may have overlooked. Here, then, are some of the best web articles for women from Women Day By Day.

Sexy Stories for a Hot Summer Beach Read

Women in need find recovery and independence

Low Cost Activity Books for Young Children and Moms

Pro-Life Thinking: Understanding the Basics

Pro-Choice: The Basic Issues

Aging Tissue Can Be a Risk Factor for Breast Cancer

Lose Weight or Lose Yourself - Truths About Dieting

Resources for Military Women, Women Veterans and Families

Women-Fix Your Own PC? Windows Ailing? Tips from Computer Guru

Our site for writers and freelancers

Take a look at some of these and then dip into our archives. Tell me what you think - add your comments or contact me about doing a guest blog! I want to engage with you.

My Twitter friend, Cathrine from Canada, has had a tough time this year. Bush economics did her no good. A change in the administration didn’t help much either, as lots of boomers are finding. Perhaps Obama will pull the fat out of the fire, but it may be too late for boomers.

Like so many, Cathrine lost her job. She felt she had no options. When you go to file for unemployment and you realize your 50-something birthday looms evilly around the corner, you feel — fear. My husband went through the same thing.

Cathrine will tell you how dark it got for her. She considered solutions that wouldn’t have solved a single thing. She found solutions that brought her out of the dark and into the light and gave her enormous hope. A new path. Read about it on Cathrine’s blog.

Cathrine says she found faith, and her own strong spirit. She gives credit for those findings to a number of things. But, me, I see something obvious that brought Cathrine up and out. Inspiration from others. Reference the photos above.

At 84 years-old, a lot of people lie down and pull an afghan over their knees. One of the ladies pictured above didn’t. She raced Dragon Boats, whatever that is, and was winning championships at 84. You can find her in the picture, world’s oldest Dragon Boat racer, 3rd in 2nd Row .

The photo was sent to Cathrine by another Twitter friend - known as ColorMeRed -whose Twitter profile is vibrant with lush, red lips, exuberance and outreaching energy. The 84 year-old Dragon Ball champ is ColorMeRed’s mom. No surprise there - the energy is hereditary.

You can find new spirit in Cathrine, nurtutred by determined women. When we reach out for help when we’re troubled, and other women take our hands, magic can happen. Cathrine reached out - a friend sent this photograph to her and told the story of an 84 year old athlete.

There followed a determination, a power and a strength that didn’t get into Cathrine by accident. It got there by connections to strong women. Networking. Empowering. My grandmother gave me similar gifts. I haven’t, in some ways, had such a stellar year myself.

On the other hand - I am still getting work from a lot of publications; Dan is working and his surgery was successful. I am near my grandkids and they are all healthy. My two PTSD’d kids are slowly, slowly growing less fearful, more successful.

The gifts we women give each other when we give ourselves the gift of fortitude travel the length of generations. We may never see it. We may never know it happened. But it’s magic. And our daughters reap the benefits.

Be well, and prosper.

Cathrine Twitters as @CathrineFeehely
I Twitter as @mkpelland
Red Twitters as @ColorMeRed
What do you think? Have you had a great experience nurtured by other women? Tell us.

What about women and prostate cancer. No, you, as a woman are not at risk for prostate cancer, it’s a man thing. But you may be involved in you life time as your mate, husband, lover, friend or loved one discovers he has prostate cancer or is at risk of getting prostate cancer.

When I learned my husband has prostate cancer I was a bit flippant about it. My dad had had prostate cancer for many years. They watched it. They didn’t treat it. Doctors said prostate is the slowest of cancers and no big problem. For older men.

Dad’s prostate cancer was a non-issue for many reasons. He was elderly - like in his upper 70s. He had other health concerns. His cancer was small, slow and his cancer indicators like the PSA blood test, didn’t change from year to year.

My husband is different. He’s young. Much younger than dad was. His prostate tumors are “fairly agressive” the doctors say. His indicators are higher and changing more quickly. He needs intervention quickly and we need to make some decisions with clear thinking and good input.

Here’s what we did, and I recommend you do something similar with your mate.

1. Get him a biopsy if your doctor has a concern about your significant male’s prostate.
2. Go with him to doctor appoinments as a second set of ears and eyes.
3. Take notes.
4. Listen carefully to the explanation of the biopsy results and ask a million questions.
5. If surgery is indicated, consult with at least one surgeon who does robotic surgery, one who does open surgery and a separate urologist. Ask if you should see an oncologist (cancer specialist).
6. Together, read a lot about the disease, the outcomes, the risks and the treatments.
7. Ask more questions. Then, talk together calmly and help your man come to a decision.
8. Act - with a calm sense of urgency. Don’t procrastinate.

For more information, read my blog at DemystifyingDigital.

A few more resources to read together:

Potential side effects.

A government sponsored site about prostate cancer.

Can Pills Prevent Prostate Cancer??

This week, while cruising the Internet, I found solid gold for women. Online freebies. Online empowerment for women. Online fight against breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a scarey proposition and early detection is the key. On new innovations in breast cancer imaging and treatment, The New York Times says today

“Two big developments in breast cancer research are making headlines and generating buzz among scientists: one a new diagnostic option, the second a potential way to reduce the time patients must spend in radiation treatment. Each is promising, but there are some important points that are not yet clear.”

Your doc will tell you that some tumors closely resemble healthy breast structures or ducts, and vice-versa, so finding tiny tumors is not easy. This new molecular breast imaging

Program Name: Clean for the Cure®

Benefit to Komen for the Cure: $50 per Oreck XL Ultra Upright and $70 for each XL 21 Vacuum Cleaner

Suggested Retail: $549 for the Oreck XL Ultra Upright; $799 for the XL 21 Vacuum Cleaner

2007 Guaranteed Donation: $500,000 minimum guaranteed donation

2006 Contribution: more than $700,000

How many vacuums have you owned in the past ten years? What did you pay for each of them, how long did they last and how efficient were they after, say a year? How did they each smell after the first five uses?

There’s a lesson in how to purchase tools to keep home environments healthy and pleasant. You’ve heard the cliché, “more isn’t always better”? Food for thought – better is better. Some manufacturers produce vacuums that last and clean well for years, effectively filtering some allergens and other irritants from the air passing through them. From first-hand experience, the fact is this – they are expensive compared to bargain cleaners at discount stores.

But the cost, considered over an average ten year life span for say, an Oreck product or a Miele cleaner, is actually less than buying seven or eight cheap vacs. The two quality brands cost around $500 for a high performing machine. Buy the $100 low-end every couple of years at your local mega-mart, and you’ll spend $1000 over ten years.

Oreck is partnered with the Susan Komen Foundation, a non-profit that should be of interest to every woman. They work to find a cure for breast cancer. So, focusing on Oreck makes some sense. They offer the XL Ultra, trimmed in pink, as part of Komen’s Clean for the Cure program. It comes with a corded, semi portable quick cleanup machine.

Both machines, as you would expect from Oreck, are light weight and easy to handle. The company claims new technology that prevents odors and filters very efficiently. Using the machines, you’ll notice a distinct difference in the smell produced, or rather, not produced. I’m pretty impressed with the power, the lack of odor, and the ease of use.

Not all Oreck products are top notch. For instance, their cordless dust picker-upper type(like a dust-buster…) is ridiculously expensive, useless and annoying. It’s clumsy. It doesn’t hold a charge - doesn’t clean well. But the two featured in this campaign will make you much happier, even though the bright pink trim might be off-putting. Considering the message behind that color, we can deal with the garish pink.

If you’re in the market for a vacuum, you might investigate this Oreck. The prototype gets good consumer reviews. You have to have a vacuum. All women need be concerned with breast cancer and its devastating implications.

The mission of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is, “to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures.” They are the definitive organization to support such a mission. If you aren’t in the market for a vacuum, you’d do well to investigate Komen for the Cure.