Category: Sage Advice®

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08.03.21 | Community

The Science of Laughter

Laughing is something we do numerous times a day without a second thought. Whether we are with friends, watching a funny movie or simply reacting to something that catches us off guard. There is much more behind the infectious response than the loud, quirky and eccentric sounds that come with it. The power of incorporating laughter into your day-to-day routine has huge implications for the quality of your life in the broadest sense. Let’s look further.

Recognizing the impact of laughter’s effects on things such as stress, happiness and health, we at Sage Collective appreciate its importance, especially in relation to our 9 Ways of Vibrant Living. 

Why do we laugh?

Throughout history, laughter has been seen as a social signal. There are many factors that can affect what we find humorous including age, gender, culture or community. Laughter presents itself in most human interactions as the presence of connectivity, comfortability and the strengthening of a shared or mutual relationship. Furthermore, research shows that the more laughter that is present in those relationships, the stronger those connections or bonds become.

The prevailing theory is that there are three types of scenarios that make us laugh: incongruity, superiority and relief. Incongruity theory is rooted in the idea of expecting one outcome, and receiving a totally different one — resulting in laughter. Superiority theory explains that we might find someone else’s weaknesses or mistakes humorous, making us feel superior to them in the moment. Last, relief theory is the use of comedy in tough or uncomfortable situations in order to relieve stress or tension. If you reflect back on what made you laugh today, do you see the reasons falling into one of these categories?

The health benefits of laughing

There are tangible health and wellness benefits for individuals and communities when we all spend more time laughing. From a purely biological perspective, when we laugh, our bodies reduce the levels of stress hormones, in turn lowering our physical stress and anxiety. At the same time, the action also releases serotonin, which leaves us feeling euphoric. As stress hormones diminish, we lower blood pressure and increase blood flow — which directly leads to the oxygenation of our blood to provide us with more energy. 

Incorporating more laughter in your life

Wondering how to add laughter to your life? Start by considering the concept of humor and its relationship to laughter.

Merriam-Webster defines humor as “the mental faculty of discovering, expressing, or appreciating the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous: the ability to be funny or to be amused by things that are funny.” However, because humor is so subjective, it’s nearly impossible to give it a clear-cut definition. Let’s just say that laughter is the direct reaction or acknowledgment that someone has found something humorous.

For some, laughter may come easy. For others, it might be more difficult to find humor in life. Either way, here are some tips for learning to laugh more. 

One of the easiest ways to find laughter is to surround yourself with people who you find funny and entertaining, but with whom you already have a comfortable and strong relationship. Discovering things that make you laugh throughout your daily life and experiencing them more is also a great way to easily find humor. This might be found in the radio station you listen to on your daily drive, or a television show you play in the background while you do chores at home. And if laughter doesn’t come easily for you, consider laughter therapy — it’s a new form of searching for a chuckle by training yourself to look for humor in uncomfortable and difficult situations, rooted in laughter’s relief theory. There are lots of resources available online, and even apps you can download to your phone!

So even if you aren’t the traditional joking type of person or you find it hard to see the comedy in hard situations, dig deep and look for the laughter in your life. You won’t regret it.

A group of people stand around each other looking at a phone and laughing
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07.29.21 | Sage Advice®

Performing Arts Center comes to old Marshall Fields Building in Bronzeville

As we’ve seen with the initiative to restore The Forum and the persistent preservation of Black and African-American history through the Bronzeville’s Historical Society, new projects continue to emerge across the Bronzeville neighborhood, including a renovation of the former Marshall Field Warehouse. 

The warehouse, located at 4343 S. Cottage Grove Avenue, will be reimagined as a performing arts center and museum. The original building was erected in 1915 by Marshall Field and had a sister building located in Lakeview — now also a theatre. 

The building will continue to hold great significance as home to the future African American Museum of Performing Arts (AAMPA). This “living” museum will house an archive of African American performance art and allow visitors to experience, participate and witness an abundance of performance art. You can learn more about the AAMPA here on their website. 

The planned theatre, to be known as the Lillian Marcie Theatre, will include a 350-seat main theatre, a 100-seat black box theatre, dressing rooms, rehearsal areas and a roof deck. The theatre’s name originates from the nonprofit group overseeing the project, Lillian Marcie Legacy Company. Actor Harry Lenox, who is part of the all-star team developing the project alongside Keith and Aaron Giles and Michael Worldlaw, named the nonprofit after his mother, Lillian, and longtime mentor, Marcella “Marcie” Gillie. 

The Chicago Community Development Commision voted in mid-July to recommend $3 million in tax increment financing (TIF) be set aside by the City Council to help finance the project in Bronzeville. Along with TIF, the nonprofit also seeks to take advantage of other tax benefits in order to develop the future project contracted by Ujamaa Construction. 

With plans to start construction in January 2022 and complete the work in early 2023, the Lillian Marcie Legacy Company and Bronzeville neighborhood have yet another exciting development to look forward to as the community’s entertainment and cultural offerings continue to flourish.

A rendering of the future Lillian Marcie Theatre and museum in Bronzeville
Courtesy of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development
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07.27.21 | Community

Celebrating Bronzeville’s historic Pearl’s Place

The feeling of an enriched shared experience is something we at Sage Collective advocate for ourselves as well as for the community around us. That’s why we love to highlight some of the most culturally rich and lively locations in the neighborhood near our future King Drive properties.

One of these locations is Pearl’s Place; a food staple that is often voted one of the best restaurants in the neighborhood — and has secured its place as one of the most beloved spots for large gatherings and some of the most delicious meals in Bronzeville. From being featured on Windy City Live with Carla Hall to being chosen as a top 5 soul food locations by Midwest Living, their feel-good food and welcoming atmosphere say it all. 

Having been owned and operated by community leaders and running successfully for more than 30 years, Pearl’s has become the heart of the neighborhood in many ways. It’s a perfect place to stop for their legendary buffet after visiting Bronzeville’s numerous art galleries, shopping at local boutiques or leaving a church service.

The dining environment has always been a huge part of Bronzeville’s culture and landscape — read more on that and Bronzeville’s history here — and Pearl’s is a big part of that tradition. Whether they are celebrating the neighborhood’s history or offering their southern-style soul food classics, Pearl’s is proud of their cozy environment that’s meant for everyone to enjoy.

Not only does Pearl’s show passion towards the success of the Bronzeville community in ways like hiring locally and within the neighborhood, but they also offer sponsorship for local events. Pearl’s continues to support the neighborhood’s deep roots as one of the most vibrant epicenters for Black culture and history, and never ceases to give back to the community all while looking towards our future. For all this and more, Pearl’s Place has earned a special place in the community. Pearl’s Place is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and located at 3901 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60653.

A picture of Pearl's Place in Bronzeville
Bronzevile's Historic Pearl's Place
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07.22.21 | Sage Advice®

Bronzeville Spotlight: Victory Monument

As we continue to develop our properties at 4108 S King Drive and 4112 S King Drive, we enjoy putting the spotlight on landmark locations in our historic Bronzeville neighborhood to celebrate and dig more into its rich history. Today, we’re exploring one of the city’s best-known and respected monuments, especially in Chicago’s Black communities, the Victory Monument. 

Chicago’s Victory Monument, which stands near the intersection of King Drive and East 35th Street, was built in 1927 in honor of the all-Black, Eighth Infantry Regiment of The Illinois National Guard, whose members served during WWI under the French. Created by the French American sculptor, Leonard Crunelle, the monument’s main structure was built in white granite with a bronze doughboy (common nickname for American soldiers during WWI) figure standing on top. That figure of the soldier was added almost ten years after the original construction.

There are three bronze panels around the sides of the monument, each representing elements of Black culture and history of Black soldiers through life-sized figures. The first panel, the Victory Panel, presents a cloaked female figure representing motherhood and holding a branch that symbolizes victory. The second panel, the Columbia Panel, displays another female figure with a helmet on her head holding a tablet engraved with a list of battles that Black soldiers fought in. The last panel, the African-American Soldier Panel, depicts a Black soldier from the Eighth Regiment with an eagle standing at his feet. A fourth bronze panel facing north holds the names of the 137 total members from the Eighth Infantry that lost their lives fighting in WWI. 

The monument was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 and labeled a Chicago Landmark in 1998. The monument is also home to many annual celebrations and observances including its Memorial Day ceremony and the starting location of the historic, and largest Black parade in the world, the Bud Billiken Parade. 

Having been in place for almost 100 years, Victory Monument continues to illuminate and commemorate an important part of history, and is just one of the many special landmarks located in our historic Bronzeville neighborhood.

Photograph of Victory Monument in Bronzeville
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07.20.21 | Community

How to Become a Better Listener

Becoming an engaged listener can give you the power to strengthen relationships, validate feelings and empower others. It takes more than just sitting down with someone and hearing what they say to become a better listener, however. Listening is a skill that takes time to practice and master in order to fully appreciate its influence and capability within conversations.

The three C’s of effective listening: compassion, curiosity and courage 

When practicing to become better and more effective listeners, many follow a guide focusing on three main components: compassion, curiosity and courage. The ingredients in this recipe work independently as well as collectively to strengthen the skills needed to become a better listener. Let’s take a closer look.

One of the most important things to show when listening to others in an open and safe environment is compassion. Showing things such as empathy and understanding for someone’s situation—  instead of apathy or disregard — welcomes the opportunity for those sharing to feel more comfortable with the listener, but with their own story and experience, as well.

The presence of curiosity within conversation is also key for displaying interest and affection. Showing your interest and craving to learn more from those speaking can further the feeling of validation and in turn encourage them to continue being open and vulnerable.

You might be wondering how courage comes into play when practicing listening and instead may think it’s more important for speaking. Yet, having the courage to effectively listen to someone often require courage and vulnerability, more so than sharing your own voice. In fact, Winston Churchil famously once said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

Beyond the three C’s, we should also all aim to apply compassionate witnessing and active listening to become a better and more effective listener.

Compassionate witnessing

Compassionate witnessing, an essential element in effective listening, goes one step beyond being empathetic and compassionate.

Compassionate witnesses understand the act of understanding as key to being a better listener. As a listener, your role isn’t to judge, interrupt or share your thoughts. Your main goal is to create a connecting and welcoming environment where you make the other person feel seen and important. By including compassionate witnessing into your listening environment, feelings and reactions of validity start becoming more familiar to all.

It is also important to enact compassionate witnessing techniques into how we treat ourselves. By making ourselves and others’ words visible and important, we have the opportunity to mold and revolutionize all relationships.

Active listening

Although being a compassionate witness and including the three C’s into your listening habits help you become a better listener, it isn’t enough to just simply sit and listen. Active listening is being fully engaged in the conversation you are a part of, going beyond being a compassionate witness.

There are many aspects of being an active listener, including the use of engaging body language. Opening your body up (not crossing arms and legs, for example) and showing assurance by leaning forward, nodding your head and smiling can all be signs to the speaker you are actively engaging and listening to them.

Another aspect of actively listening includes clarifying and paraphrasing without interrupting the speaker. Clarifying involves asking the speaker for additional information related to what you find interesting or unique in what they are sharing. And in the process of paraphrasing, you have the opportunity to summarize what was said in order to get confirmation and demonstrate that you are understanding the content of the conversation in real time. Both of these techniques are helpful and engaging for those listening, but for the speaker as well.

One of the last things you can offer as an active listener is giving feedback, especially if the person you’re conversing with is open to this kind of change. If they are looking for feedback, it’s important to actively share your thoughts, feelings and constructive advice if you have any.

Becoming a better listener is an ongoing process of building a toolkit of skills and actions, and continuing to draw upon these tools in ways that are uniquely appropriate to any given conversation. And as your listening improves, you’ll come to internalize the mechanics and have endless opportunities to experience the power of reciprocity — the simple pleasure of giving and receiving.

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07.15.21 | Sage Advice®

Radical ways to repair harm: restorative vs. transformative justice

The last year and a half marked a breaking point in the status quo. The combined stresses of a global pandemic, as well as increased national awareness of police brutality and racial injustice in America, made one thing clear: we need to radically reimagine our communal approach to safety and care.

As we collectively look to create a future where all people feel safe, longtime organizers and activists are pushing for two solutions: a turn towards restorative justice or transformative justice. These human-centric methods for addressing harm dispel the idea that people are disposable beings, or that punishment should be carceral. Learn more about the concepts, and what makes them different from one another, below:

Restorative Justice

Restorative justice acknowledges that when crime occurs, it causes harm to those that are involved. Rather than focusing solely on punishing the perpetrator of the crime, restorative justice is concerned with addressing the harm caused and the impact of that harm.

This is addressed by facilitating dialogue between all parties involved. Ideally, a conversation will be collectively held by all parties, including: the person who has caused the harm, the person who has been directly harmed, and the community where the harm occurs.

During this conversation, the person who has caused the harm should take accountability for their actions and make amends. The person who has been directly harmed may outline what they need in order to heal.

The community is an integral part of this process as well, because as the process of restorative justice seeks to route a path towards forgiveness and healing, its end goal is ultimately to reintegrate the person who has caused harm back into society, where they will have a second chance.

Transformative justice

In an article from Novel Hand examining the difference between restorative and transformative justice, and how transformative justice digs one step deeper, writing:

“…restorative justice attempts to restore to the condition before the harm took place. However, usually, that original condition is itself one that has a number of injustices built into it. Transformative justice aims to dig deeper: how can we also address the root causes of injustice and move toward an even stronger community?”

Essentially, restorative justice acknowledges the failings of our current carceral state, where the prison industrial complex puts people away for crime in a way that feels disposable rather than healing. But furthermore, transformative justice takes its critique of current systems further and acknowledges the failings of our current system to also address racism, sexism, ableism, and classism – and how these conditions contribute to where crime occurs, from whom it occurs, and how treatment/punishment differs across the spectrum.

Peace and Conflict scholar Anthony Nocella says on this subject: “Transformative justice…is about looking for the good within others while also being aware of complex systems of domination.”

This cursory overview of restorative and transformative justice is just the tip of what’s been said and what there is to learn about radically reimagining the ways we repair harm in our society. To learn more, we recommend reading the full article by Novel Hand and conducting your own research from there!

 

Illustration of outstretched hands
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07.13.21 | Health & Wellness

How to become a “joyspotting” expert

Similar to taking an awe walk, joyspotting is the intentional act of going out into the world to look for things that spark joy in you. While the word may sound unusual, it’s actually amassed quite a cult following – with entire online groups dedicated to sharing in joyspotting (and their subsequent findings) together. Even if you’re not ready to join an online group just yet, find out how to become a joyspotting expert using our tips below.

The Origins of Joyspotting

Joyspotting is a term first coined by Ingrid Fetell Lee. As a designer, Lee began to notice the relationship between one’s surroundings and their mental health. For example: living in a home filled with bright prints and patterns provides an immediate mood booster. Lee knew this was a counterintuitive principle. So often, society tells us not to derive joy from the things that surround us, but from what’s within us.

In contradiction to this view, Lee sheds light on the relationship between our environment and our emotions, and shares inspiration and resources for living a more joyful life through design in her book, The Aesthetics of Joy. She has also created a website dedicated to this viewpoint, that shares the same name. There is also an online Facebook group that we referenced above, The Joyspotters’ Society.

As Lee became more and more tuned into what caused her joy from her surroundings, she began to develop the habit of intentionally seeking out – or looking to consciously observe – these causes of joy. And hence, joyspotting was born. As she says, “The world seemed to be teeming with tiny, joyful surprises. All I had to do was look for them… It was like I had a pair of rose-colored glasses, and now that I knew what to look for, I was seeing it everywhere. It was like these little moments of joy were hidden in plain sight.” Instead of seeing the world around us as beset with distractors, joyspotting is a way of creating a reservoir of positivity.

Twelve Ways of Joyspotting

To become an avid joyspotter is simple. Look around you and determine something that causes you joy. It could be a pair of colorful, patterned socks worn by the man next to you on the train, or the unexpected sidewalk chalk drawings on a walk around the block. But just in case you need a little bit of help getting started, Lee put together The Joyspotter’s Guide, which outlines her twelve tips for joyspotting. Below, we offer a brief description of those tips.

Look up. Joy often comes from things that float or fly in the sky, whether that’s shapes you find in the clouds, or a stray red balloon. Look down. Maybe you discover a rainbow in a puddle, or a vibrant pair of shoes on a passing pair of feet. Keep an eye out for color. What flashes of blue catch your eye? How does an abundance of green transform the environment? Follow the curve. Life is full of hardness, so where do things get soft around the edges?

Go where the wild things are. There’s always joy to be found in nature, whether it’s enjoying the smell of a rosebush, or listening to birdsong. Seek out symmetry. Where there are mirror patterns, there’s often a surprising sensation of randomness or harmony. Search for signs of abundance. Where do things feel lush and full? It could be a fruit bowl on a family member’s kitchen counter, or a few too many Christmas lights at the neighbor’s house. Joy has a way of spilling over. Watch for weirdness. Where are things out of place, or just out of the ordinary? It’s those standout details that often feel most special.

Zoom in. Focus your attention on the tiniest of details. Notice the invisible. What joy surrounds you that can be felt or heard, but not seen? These sightless observations hold a magic of their own. Similarly, use all your senses! And finally, take the scenic route. The paths you wouldn’t normally take often hold the most surprises, and within those, there’s much joy to discover.

 

Photo of man looking through a spotting scope
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07.08.21 | Sage Advice®

Visiting the Obama Portraits at the Art Institute of Chicago

This summer, the beautiful and inspiring Obama portraits – depicting 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama, and first lady, Michelle Obama – will be gracing the walls of the Art Institute of Chicago for just eight brief weeks. With such a limited viewing period, below we’re outlining how to plan your visit to see these seminal works of art ASAP!

Visiting the Portraits

Access to viewing The Obama Portraits is included in General Admission for all Art Institute visitors. However, the exhibition does have a capacity-limit, and entry is first-come, first-served.

Tickets must be reserved in advance online, and entry to the exhibit on the day of your visit will be managed via virtual lines. General Admission tickets are being released in limited, timed batches, as outlined below:

  • Tickets for July 1–15 will be available on June 24.
  • Tickets for July 16–31 will be available on July 8.
  • Tickets for August 1–8 will be available on July 22.
  • Tickets for August 9–15 will be available on August 2.

A limited quantity of tickets will also be available onsite for qualifying groups. Learn more about free admission guidelines at the Art Institute of Chicago here.

Remarkable Works

While many other Presidential Portraits in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery have been traditional, head-and-shoulders portraits painted in classical styles, President Barack Obama took a notably different approach.

Barack Obama commissioned Kehinde Wiley to create his portrait. Wiley is an American portrait artist known for his placement of contemporary (typically African American) figures in the guise of powerful historical figures. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama commissioned Amy Sherald to create her portrait. Sherald is an American artist known for her arresting, otherworldly portraits that document the contemporary African-American experience.

Wiley and Sherald are the first African Americans to be commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to create official portraits of a president or first lady. The resulting works are remarkably contemporary.

In the larger-than-life, head-to-toe portrait created by Wiley, a seated Obama is set against a backdrop of lush greenery. Each plant in the background holds a special significance, including chrysanthemums, the official flower of Chicago. The portrait of Michelle Obama, created by Sherald, was based on a posed photograph and is intentional down to every last detail, from the grey-scaling of Michelle’s skin to the intensity of her direct gaze.

You can visit the Obama Portraits at the Art Institute of Chicago now through August 15, 2021; tickets are available for purchase here.

And for those interested in a fascinating, rich conversation between Michelle Obama and Amy Sherald, hosted by The Studio Museum of Harlem Director + Chief Curator Thelma Golden, you’ll find it here.

 

Photo of Obama Portraits
(L) Kehinde Wiley. Barack Obama, 2018. Oil on canvas. (R) Amy Sherald. Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (detail), 2018. Oil on linen. Photo courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago.
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07.06.21 | Community

What we mean when we say “vibrant, high-quality, affordable housing”

There’s a lot of language we use at Sage Collective that’s uncommon for the world of senior living. For example, we prefer to use the phrase “older adults” rather than “seniors” – more on that in this blog post here. When discussing our vision for Sage Collective’s residences, we also use the phrase “vibrant, high-quality, affordable housing.” But just what exactly does that mean?

Everything we do at Sage Collective – from the partners we choose, the programming we design, to the residences we develop – is built upon our foundational philosophy: 9 Ways of Vibrant Living. Read more about this philosophy and how we intend to bring it to older adults in our Vibrant Living Manifesto here. Ultimately, we believe that older adulthood is just another in a series of life’s chapters, and that seniors deserve to live just as joyfully, vibrantly, and fully as their intergenerational counterparts.

Too often, senior housing lacks the passion and joy of this belief we hold so dear. Based on limited resources, and often bogged down by limited imagination, affordable senior housing is all too commonly not the enjoyable experience that it should be. We’re here to rewrite that narrative.

At Sage Collective, we encourage our residents and neighbors to experience the freedom and joy of choice by providing them with wellness support, cultural exploration, and spiritual enrichment. We’re in a privileged position to deliver on this promise based on the legacy we come from – more on that in this blog post here. From our past experience, we’ve learned the powerful impact that a strong vision and an even stronger culture has on the services and housing products we’re able to provide.

We can’t wait to share this vision with you. Our first residences, 4108 and 4112 South King Drive in the Bronzeville community on Chicago’s Southside, will bring affordable and market competitive housing units to our community, and will be set apart by our vibrant living philosophy and attention to detail and quality. Stay tuned for more details to come.

 

Photo of contemporary residential interior
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07.01.21 | Community

Vibrant Living Breakdown: Engagement in Social Life

Nine Ways of Vibrant Living is Sage Collective’s innovative model that champions more meaningful, engaged lives for older adults, and that serves as the backbone of our philosophy. We celebrate and uplift components of vibrant living that span from health and wellness, to arts and culture, to spiritual enrichment — but what makes all these life experiences truly shine is our ability to share them with others. That’s why our ninth component is engagement in social life.

Older adults in particular are a population at high risk of experiencing social isolation. The flip side of that risk – and the negative impacts it has on one’s physical and mental well being – means that older adults who are more socially connected often report a better quality of life all around.

The benefits of healthy social connection for older adults are all encompassing and include disease prevention, fewer physical health problems, longevity/length of life, improved cognitive function, better self-esteem, sense of belonging, and maintained purpose of life.

Therefore, at Sage Collective, we strive to provide daily opportunities for social connection and community engagement, whether that’s through our programming or residences. We intend to partner with a host of community organizations, including but not limited to: churches, schools, businesses, and cultural institutions, to provide co-teaching, educational, entrepreneurial and employment opportunities that both enrich and empower our residents.

 

Stay tuned for all these opportunities and more, and in the meantime, you can stay connected with us and our community online through our social media via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Friends gathering to socialize and paint
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