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You can help save a life by asking the question

When it comes to depression and suicidality, saving a life can begin with a caring conversation. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the courage you show when you talk to someone who’s struggling might be lifesaving to a friend or family member. Around one in 20 people have considered taking their own life in the past year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Close to 50,000 people die by suicide in the U.S. every year. Professionals in behavioral health care often refer to stigma that doesn’t exist for physical conditions like a broken ...

DIY distress

There are several three-lettered acronyms that invoke anxiety, such as FBI, IRS, and IOU. An acronym that should be added to that list is DIY. “Do it yourself” sounds seductively simple. While there are numerous things that people should definitely do themselves — such as blowing their nose — there are some undertakings that should be relegated to professionals. Brain surgery is a good example of something that should never be a DIY project. But just because a thing is beyond a person’s skill level and would likely tax his patience doesn’t mean that some guys won’t ...

Miles to go

The uptick on my miles walked and ran in my fitness tracker app spikes every May. Right around Memorial Day weekend, the number of minutes for exercise jumps accordingly too and stays high straight through the balance of summer and into fall. While lamenting the purchase of a new pair of ...

Wow!

In case you haven't noticed it, life is a bundle of “Wows!” It hardly seems necessary to remind us of these Wows!, but we sometimes get so caught up in everyday happenings that we don't respond in someway to these special times. Early on, one of those Wows! for me was seeing a flax field in full bloom. I don't think there are too many of those fields around anymore, but once seen, the field is never forgotten. The blazing blue flowers only last for about a day or so, however, they plant a lasting memory. Wow! A recent wine gave me a Wow! The wine was Apothic Crush Soft Red ...

Recycle right and responsibly

What are the finer points of recycling: What happens after you put your recyclables in the cart? Have you ever wondered what happens to your recycling after you put it at the curb or drop it off at a community-recycling site? One of the most important things to understand about recycling is that once an item has been collected as recycling, it cannot simply be thrown away as trash. Recycling is part of a separate process designed to recover materials and give them another life. It is actually against state law to throw items away that have been collected as recycling. Minnesota has ...

Ask a Trooper

Question: I see a lot of people not wearing their seat belt correctly. Several of them, have the shoulder belt worn underneath the shoulder/arm. Can you provide some education on this? Answer: Seat belt use is required with a properly adjusted and fastened seat belt, including both the shoulder and lap belt when the vehicle is so equipped. You are more likely to survive a car crash if you use both the lap and shoulder belts together. • Lap belt: Adjust the lap belt to fit snugly across your hipbones or upper thighs. It should never be positioned across your abdomen or the soft part ...