Making Time for Herself Helps Her Help Others: Meet @harriethodgson1

Member Spotlights feature interviews with fellow Connect members. Learn more about members you’ve connected with and some you haven’t met yet. Nominate a member you think should share the spotlight.

TERESA: What brought you to Mayo Clinic Connect? What motivates you to take part in the community?

@harriethodgson1: My husband is a retired Mayo Clinic physician, and I think of the clinic as a reliable source of information and connection.

TERESA: What about Connect makes you feel comfortable to share and to be open with the community?

@harriethodgson1: When I connect with other caregivers, I feel less alone. Their posts contain practical, helpful suggestions.

TERESA: What groups do you participate in?

@harriethodgson1: I participate in the Caregivers and  Heart & Blood Health groups, and a discussion on colostomy.

TERESA: What surprised you the most about Connect?

@harriethodgson1: I know I’m going to find a breadth of information and total, gut-level honesty.

TERESA: What energizes you, or how do you find balance in your life?

@harriethodgson1: Because my husband’s professional in-home care provider comes for two hours every morning, 365 days per year, I’m able to continue my writing career. Writing is my self-care and balances my caregiving. As a health writer, I’m doing research constantly. I write to help others and, in the process, help myself.

TERESA: Tell us about your favorite pastime or activity.

@harriethodgson1: I love reading — just ask Amazon about how much I spend on books per year year — baking and art. This is probably due to my Master of Arts degree in art education. I’ve tried many media: sketching, painting, wood cuts, jewelry design and craft projects. Though I don’t have time for art projects these days, I still appreciate art, and it enriches my soul.

TERESA: Do you have a favorite quote, life motto or personal mantra?

@harriethodgson1: I wrote my own mantras:

1. Blessed are the plodders, for they shall be published.
2. Caregiving is love in action.

TERESA: What do you appreciate the most in your friends?

@harriethodgson1: After four family members died in 2007, including my daughter, the mother of my twin grandchildren, some close friends created a “caring basket” for the twins. It contained candy, a candy dish and gift cards for places the twins would enjoy: a bowling alley, movie theater, local restaurants and clothing stores. Looking back now, I realize the cards gave the twins some control over lives that were out of control. On the way home after visiting relatives in Wisconsin, we stopped for lunch at Applebee’s. When my husband reached for his wallet, my grandson declared, “It’s okay Grandpa. I’ve got it.”

TERESA: What food can you simply not resist?

@harriethodgson1: I hate to admit this, but it’s butter. I have to monitor myself all the time.

TERESA: What do you love about where you live or vacation?

@harriethodgson1: I’m originally from Long Island, New York, and have lived in Minnesota for years. It’s a state where people vacation, and I can understand why. Minnesota has more than 10,000 lakes, farms that look like living quilts, wonderful fly-fishing streams and a culture known as “Minnesota nice.” After 61 years of marriage to my husband, a true Minnesotan, I feel like a Minnesotan and am “Minnesota nice.” This is especially true in Rochester, Minnesota, home base for Mayo Clinic, where city residents are used to patients, constantly helping  them, and truly care about them.

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