Hudson Valley Hospital's 'Mind, Body, Spirit Women's Symposium' Gives Women a Chance to Begin a Journey of Self Discovery

Pictured from left, author Joan Anderson stands on the deck of The Chalet on the Hudson in Cold Spring with Suzanne Grady, an organizer of HVHC's Women's Symposium, and WHUD's Kacey Morabito Grean, who gave the opening and closing remarks at the event. Photo by Howard Copeland. Bestselling author Joan Anderson, the keynote speaker at Hudson Valley Hospital Center's annual "Mind, Body, Spirit Women's Symposium," told a crowd of 200 women to embrace the words of St. Augustine — "An unexamined life is a wasted life" - and to strive to become scholars of self and soul.

"I'm 65, and if I live to be 90, I only have 300 months to live," Anderson added. "And we all know how quickly a month flies by." Gasps were heard around The Chalet on the Hudson in Cold Spring, as women grabbed a pen and pad to calculate their months to age 90. "It's time to wake up your life," she said, "At the end of each day, you should ask yourself, 'What moments did I collect today?'"

For a little more than a decade, Anderson has been collecting thousands of self-discovery moments, beginning when she left her husband to live by herself in their tiny cottage on Cape Cod. Her sons were grown, her husband, she says, was pursuing his dream, and it was her time. She wrote about her yearlong soul-searching journey and subsequent friendship with famed lifecycles theorist Joan Erikson in A Year By the Sea, the first of her five poignant memoirs. Since then, Anderson has shared her message — that we are all "unfinished women" — at events such as HVHC's Nov. 1 symposium; by speaking with book clubs by phone; and by leading weekend retreats and a yearly sojourn to the Isle of Iona in Scotland.

Anderson urged the women to do self-inventories every 10 years, getting their entanglements under control, identifying which of their entanglements they have outlived, and which are unlived. And when women plot their next life journey, they should do so with less guilt.

The day's program began with a welcome by Kacey Morabito Grean, of "Mike & Kacey in the Morning" on WHUD. The event also included a hypnosis session led by Sara Oppenheim, CHt, and an introduction to Awareness through Movement: the Feldenkrais ® Method by Peggy Zorn. Both Oppenheim and Zorn are holistic practitioners at HVHC's Wellnes Club. Joanne Campbell, RN, HNC, Director of the Wellness Club, wrapped up the event with a step-by-step guide to ease women into daily exercise. Campbell pulled out her pedometer, and told each woman to invest in one, and work up to 10,000 steps a day.

"I looked at this day as a gift to myself," said Cheryl Constand, who traveled from Easton, CT, to take part in the event. "It was one of the most inspiring, exhilarating programs I have ever attended."

Committee members included Cathryn Fadde, Cathyrn's Tuscan Grill in Cold Spring; Lisa Fine, LF Communications, Inc.; Kathleen Fitzpatrick, North County News; Maureen Hunt and Margaret O'Sullivan, Putnam County News & Recorder; Judy Meyer, Haldane School District; Kacey Morabito Grean; Jane Solnick, Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce; and Joanne Campbell; Suzanne Grady, and Linda LeMon, Hudson Valley Hospital Center.

Hudson Valley Hospital Center is dedicated to serving the health care needs of the community and to providing quality, comprehensive medical care in a compassionate, professional, respectful manner, without regard to race, religion, national origin or disease category. Hudson Valley Hospital Center is located on Route 202 (1980 Crompond Road) in Cortlandt Manor, New York. Call 914-737-9000 or visit www.hvhc.org.

Hudson Valley Hospital Center's Wellness Club is a medical fitness facility that offers the tools and support needed to achieve optimal wellness. By including exercise and healthy changes in lifestyle behavior, members can reduce their risk of disease as well as experience the benefits of a more active and conscious lifestyle.