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Nicki, a resident of Sacramento Valley in Northern California, found herself struggling to fill her days after the loss of her husband of 52 years. Her transformative moment came when she discovered GetSetUp just as the pandemic hit. The platform, offering a variety of classes, which are subsidized thanks to the Area Agency on Aging 4, became a source of new experiences and learning for her. One class that particularly caught her attention was art.
"I never thought I would be interested in art," Nicki said, "but the art history classes were great, and learning how to draw opened a new world for me. I took some classes on GetSetUp I never thought I would be interested in. When I was younger, I would go to museums, but I never thought I would be able to create art myself. I took up the challenge because my brain said, 'you can do this now since you aren't doing other things.' And that’s when the creative side of me just came out."
Previously Nicki had worked for the government, and her life was so structured she hadn't had time for creativity, but the GetSetUp art classes helped her find a new side of herself.
Beyond art, Nicki found immense value in meditation and mindful chair yoga classes taught by Glenda.
"What really helped me through the hard times was taking meditation and mindful chair yoga with Glenda," she shared. "They helped me put things in perspective and gave me a new outlook on life. I really enjoyed finding something new like this to be excited about."
Nicki appreciated Glenda's teaching methods, which gave her tools to handle life's situations differently.
"The technique of breathing in through your nose and exhaling through your mouth does something to you physiologically," she explained. "It helped clear my mind and cleared my thoughts. Now I meditate for 3-4 minutes in the morning to get myself going, and again at night so that I can feel really good before I go to sleep."
Meditation has also helped Nicki manage her health and wellness, particularly staying calm in stressful situations like MRIs.
"The annoying noisy MRI sounds of an hour and a half were replaced by the ocean and the waves, which put me into a calming meditative state. This proved to me that meditation definitely works. It’s all mindset, and you really have to use that part of your brain to your advantage."
Nicki thoroughly enjoys taking these classes with other people her age. She can empathize with their struggle to let go because she remembers having that problem in the past as she tried to mediate.
“I think the meditation has helped me to let go and has been a vital part of my latest version of myself. It has calmed me and helped me look at life in a better light. I handle things as they come, and I do my best. Looking back, I wish I had had the opportunity to properly do mediation earlier in life, especially when I was caring for my husband. If I had known this, then my life might have been less stressful as this would have helped at the time."
Nicki plans to keep meditating for the rest of her life, and it's one of the things she looks forward to every day. The practice is also helping her to appreciate things more in her life.
Nicki also found that GetSetUp classes were a great way to connect with like-minded people going through similar experiences. She is grateful for the opportunity to take these classes and for the support of the Guides.
"I think I really found myself again with all the classes with GetSetUp. I have blossomed, and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to take wonderful classes and meet wonderful people from across the world," she said.
She believes that virtual classes are easier for most people.
"Being virtual gives people the opportunity to be more open and be more themselves."
She enjoys seeing others smile and talk in class, feeling almost like being in person.
"The Guides make the class. The more expertise and hands-on experience they have had, the more they really draw you into what they are teaching you."
Inspired by Guide Russ's classes on Walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain, Nicki was thrilled to visit some landmarks of the walk during a family trip to Spain.
Nicki loves filling her calendar each week with diverse classes that keep her mind active and help her stay positive.
“It's just exciting to learn something new every day, which is very fulfilling! And I am happy and very grateful that all of this has brought balance back into my life!"