Amanda's 60th Birthday Painting Party! Come and make your masterpiece!!

Below find the invitation, but first the philosophizing!

Commmunity Building Around Health

In the coming decade, I am looking to build a community around health.

I am grateful for and inspired by all of the communities that I have been a part of throughout my life. I have learned firsthand the benefits and power of coming together, in community, to create a shared benefit for all, from education and mutual help, to joy.

I am grateful for my communities, over the years, of neighbors, schoolmates/sportsmates/churchmates/jobmates, the schoolmates/sportsmates/churchmates of my children, friends from all of my activities and wanderings, and most of all, and most important of all, my family. I have been enriched by them all. And I thank all who have been a part of my life. I stand in wonder of the power of community.

Now, I wish to create a new community which embraces nutrition, as its primary orientation, as I age, and I need it most, and, as I advance in my profession and I am able to give most abundantly, as well.

I invite folks into the introduction to this type of a community, at the same time that I am celebrating my 60^thbirthday! Perfect timing!

We know all too well, the typical progression of health when following the health habits typical in America. I want something different. I want to gather together, with this common purpose to learn and experience and explore and celebrate an intentional way of living which optimizes health and joy.

I have optimized joy in my life with all of the communities I have been a part of and I hope to continue in many of them throughout my life. I am grateful. I am simply adding one more, that does not yet exist, in the form that I envision. I hope that this can be manifest in a way that optimizes health and joy for many in a way that is new and would not have happened for many, without it.

One of my favorite brilliant and kind supervisors, Leta, when I was a young professional, would say, “I will take the first shot at it, and I will make lots of mistakes. I want you all to chime in and let me know what you think - what might need to be adjusted or changed, what you like and what needs to be further brainstormed.” I loved Leta – I loved her approach and her willingness to be vulnerable and I strive to take that same approach, with the same vulnerability, here, with this. I also have a project in front of me, just as we had a project in front of us at my work so long ago. I certainly can’t imagine all of the details, best practices and nuances which might contribute to the best functioning of the community that I am now envisioning, so I also ask for help – I ask for you to chime in with your ideas!

To those who are interested, come join me, in a new community built around health and nutrition. To those who would like to see an introduction to this – come on by for my 60^th Birthday Party! For those who would like to engage more fully – well, also come to my 60^th Birthday Party if you can – but, also, please email me with some of your inspirations and how you would like to connect and be involved in community. I am hoping for folks from a wide community, so please also spread the word to other folks who you think would be interested.

                                                                      Amanda

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THE INVITATION!  (The formatting disappeared - to receive the easy-to-read version, please RSVP and I will send it to you!)

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Inside, Outside and Distant, Please Join

Amanda’s

60^th Birthday Painting Party!

Sunday, March 28^th

• Open House 12 noon – 10pm
  • Like a series of small chatty tea parties! With time to create your masterpiece!
  • Come for 10 minutes or 10 hours or anything in between!
• 3pm -- “cake” ceremony! (OK, it’s not really a cake… it is just something sugar-free for candles!)
• 4pm – “soft ice cream” Using fruit, veggies, superfoods and my Vitamix. (OK, it’s not really ice cream… just something cold, creamy, super yummy and healthful!

Serving

• Healthy immune enhancing food! (No gluten, sugar, soy, corn or peanuts)
• Healthy immune enhancing drinks! (No alcohol or sugary drinks)

OUTSIDE - Painting Party Play!!

• Pick a canvas and some paints and enjoy!!
• Individually wrapped/packaged foods and drinks
• Ongoing “seed swap” table
• Chalk-play on the sidewalk
• 3pm “Cake” ceremony, candles and song. (“Ice Cream” follows afterwards, inside.)
• After dark: Stargazing, fingers crossed. Dance?

INSIDE - Tea Party, Conversation and Play!

FOOD

• Teas all day! Pick your favorites. Hot water in the kettle. Purified RO water.
• Buffet Dishes
  • Warm Crock Pot Soothers (Turmeric Carrot soup and Chili)
  • Salad
  • Sides dishes (rice, beans, lentils, veggies, dips, grain-free chips, cheeses, etc)
• Viriditas* Cocktails**!
  • Premade pitchers of healthful non-alcoholic cocktails.
  • Make-your-own non-alcoholic cocktails.
    • *green vitality, fecundity, lushness, verdure and growth
    • ** cocktails via spirulina, other greens, other colors and cocktail tricks!
• “Ice Cream” make from frozen fruit and veggies in a Vitamix! (Starts at 4, after the “cake”.)

ACTIVITIES

• Studio photos with your cell phone!
• Show-and-Tell game of guessing “What is THIS?” – bring an item of puzzling use!
• Name my fish.
• Finish or create your “One Page” at the craft table.
• Play the instruments in the Piano Room!

HEALTHY RESOURCES

• Powder room with single-use-towels, air purifiers, RO water, hand sanitizers, touch points disinfected each hour.

DISTANCE PARTICIPATION - Can't make it this time?

• Bring, or mail ahead of time, your “One Page”, or seed-swap-sharing seeds ,or teas or something for the “What is THIS?” game!
• I hope to start a tradition of casual Painting Parties twice a year – one in the Spring and one in the Fall. Please keep in touch and join in the fun when you can!

MORE!

GIFTS - Only your smiling face is required!  All else is optional and absolutely unnecessary!!

• “Your One Page” for my birthday binder! I have the page protectors; you bring the page! It can be anything which fits on one page: words, poems, pictures, recipes, art, drawings, paintings, paper crafts, certificates, diplomas, maps, cut-outs, photos, the deed to your house, menus, food labels, a web address to a special video, the first page of your manuscript. Write it! Craft it! Bedazzle it!
• Small packs of seeds, labeled for the “seed swap”. (Everyone will be getting radish seeds from me!)
• A potluck contribution. (Keep it immune-healthy, so no gluten, refined sugar, soy, corn, peanuts or alcohol. Thanks! It’s a new world!)
• A box of herbal tea bags.
• Wildflowers or flowers from your personal garden, please no commercially purchased flowers. I have quite a number of small and medium vases for this!
• Play a musical ditty on my piano, guitar or djembe drums. Or bring your instrument and play!
• Words at the “cake” ceremony!
• (This is a dry party, please no gifts of alcohol!)
• (Would anyone like to lead 5-rhythms dancing at 10pm? We could dance in my yard or go half a block to the field in the park!)
• (Help with party preparations ahead of time! I will be doing the finishing touches for all of the 4 days prior, on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Helping, together, would be another party in itself. Activities for that “pre-party” include figuring out the music for outside and inside, the part of the food prep that can be done ahead of time, the part of the mocktail drink prep which can be done ahead of time, signs for the unusual food and drinks, decorating, leaf blowing, finishing goody-bag prep, and more! Please contact me about when you might be able to join me for helping to create this beautiful day!)

PARTY GOODY BAGS - Enjoy one more immune-supporting parting treat, which you can take home!

BEYOND THE DAY – I am interested in building a health and nutrition community of like-minded people, to add to my friend-experiences. I want to create events where I feel a happy glow after the event not only because of the joy of connection and community with the guests, but also because of the vitality of the healthy food and drinks, and the joy of the learning. Please feel free to invite others to contact me, who you know, who you think would be interested in this.

FULL INFORMATION - Amanda (Thomas) Buxbaum

8632 Garfield Street

Bethesda, MD 20817

buxbaumfive@gmail.com

301-943-6952

RSVP - text Amanda Buxbaum at 301-943-6952

• Include your full name, full contact information (phone and email) and your ETA.
• Feel free to bring a guest or two!
• Note how many people are coming with you, and their full names and contact information (phone and email).
• (Even if you forget to RSVP, you are welcome to show up! “Welcome” is one theme of the party!)