Personal Development   

Enjoying our many regional breweries is a special part of living in Western North Carolina. We will gain a greater understanding of and appreciation for our regional brewing industry through the perspectives of its rich history and current events. We will explore a layperson’s view of the brewing business and process and how to enjoy beverages and breweries in WNC.

More than just beautiful flower arrangements, ikebana (“giving life to flowers”) is a contemplative practice firmly rooted in Japanese culture, aesthetics and philosophies of wabi sabi, simplicity, understated elegance and living harmoniously with nature. We will explore and practice the current expression of this graceful, ephemeral art by creating basic arrangements from simple miniatures to complex centerpieces and freestyle arrangements that can be reproduced and admired at home. Prerequisites: Participants must be able to use garden scissors to clip flowers and small branches and to carry flower containers with water. Note: As this is a progressive course that builds on knowledge gained in each class, participants should only sign up if they can attend all classes. Materials: Garden scissors, round container and Japanese kenzan (flower frog); cost varies if buying new. Materials fee (payable to instructor): $25 for fresh plant materials and other shared supplies.

Mahjong is a stimulating tile game that uses skill, tactics and luck. We will learn to play mahjong using the National Mah Jongg League rules and cards. We will learn the fundamentals needed to play a supervised four-player game. Notes: As this is a progressive course that builds on knowledge gained in each class, participants should only sign up if they can attend all classes. Contact the instructor in advance for questions about accommodations for participation/color blindness. Required textbook: Let's Play Modern American Mah Jongg! by Stacey Rea (2017), ISBN: 978-0996750714, available from the instructor at a discounted rate of $10 on the first day of class.

Mahjong is a stimulating tile game that uses skill, tactics and luck. We will learn to play mahjong using the National Mah Jongg League rules and cards. We will learn the fundamentals needed to play a supervised four-player game. Notes: As this is a progressive course that builds on knowledge gained in each class, participants should only sign up if they can attend all classes. Contact the instructor in advance for questions about accommodations for participation/color blindness. Required textbook: Let's Play Modern American Mah Jongg! by Stacey Rea (2017), ISBN: 978-0996750714, available from the instructor at a discounted rate of $10 on the first day of class.

We will learn how to play the Wright-Patterson style of mahjong. This fun, tactile game is played with tiles and a book of 92 suggested hands. We will focus on creating non-competitive, intellectually stimulating play. Required textbook: Mah Jongg Wright-Patterson Rules (2022), available to purchase from the instructor at the first class for $8.25.

Meditation helps us to focus, quiet the mind and direct our energy. We will review various types of meditation and discuss physical techniques such as balancing, grounding and other methods to redirect energy. We will also study the energy centers, often called chakras or energy wheels, and how these impact our body and mind. Each day will include the practice of meditation.

We will learn the general rules of poker including hand-rankings, betting and playing. We will cover some basic guidelines for determining our chances of getting certain hands to help us with betting. We will learn three basic games then explore some of the hundreds of variations that we might enjoy playing with family and friends. Note: Participants will need a working Zoom camera and participate with it turned on. Materials: Pencil, paper and deck of cards.

This fun-filled introduction to the fascinating game of bridge is for newbies and those wanting to refresh skills. We will learn the language of bridge, play hands, discuss strategies and apply challenging concepts that make bridge the most popular card game worldwide. Required textbook: Beginning Bridge I by Patty Tucker (2015), ISBN: 978-0615949154; available from the instructor at the first class for $7.

Resilience is the capacity to navigate adversity and grow through struggles that we all face. Using curriculum from the Penn Resilience Program, we will learn actionable skills that build cognitive and emotional well being, strong relationships and signature strengths. Prerequisites: Participants must be comfortable with group discussion.

The rules of go, an ancient board game from China, are much simpler than those of chess, but it offers much greater scope for strategy and creativity. Go is played on a large grid with hundreds of playable intersections, with the goal to enclose more territory than your opponent. We will dive into go through instruction, discussion and guided play.

We will gain insight into our personalities using astrological theory. Topics include astrology basics; interpreting a birth chart; transits and aspects; predictive tools and how to use them; and celebrities’ charts.

We will use games as a lens to understand ancient and contemporary cultures. We will learn the history of popular games from ancient cultures including the Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Romans, Vikings and Aztecs. We will also cover the various philosophies of games and how they can help us better understand our world today. Classes 1-4 will include lecture, game-play and discussion; the last two classes are field trips. Prerequisites: Good sportsmanship. Notes: Field-trip locations are located within a 10-minute drive of the Reuter Center. Materials fee (payable to field-trip host): $7.

Your life is just beginning. The integrative stage of life (from retirement to death) presents us with our greatest opportunity: to trade what Jungian psychologist Jim Hollis calls our "provisional adulthood" for an elderhood that is fuller, more authentic and more whole. We will clarify our life trajectory (past and future), appreciate the triumphs and challenges of our adaptation to the 20th/21st centuries, consider a wide scope of character strengths and virtues, and create a roadmap for our wonderful future. Prerequisites: Participants should be willing to read and listen, and have an open mind and a sense of humor.

Change occurs in every phase of our lives, but do we change in harmony and balance with the earth? We will connect with Mother Earth as we discover our hidden treasures within. We will explore ways to manifest those treasures by working with the four elements (fire, earth, air and water), sacred geometry and new possibilities through calling the directions of the Medicine Wheel. Each class will include an illustrated lecture, discussion and short guided meditations.

In 1939 Uruguay, a couple of bridge and rummy players invented a new card game that was meant to be less confusing than bridge and more sophisticated than rummy: canasta! We will learn to play modern canasta following the Canasta League of America’s rules.

Add a little flair to your dinner table. Each day we will explore and demonstrate table settings suitable for different occasions. Themes include various holidays, life events, guests and cuisines. We will take away lots of creative ideas to explore at our own dinners, parties and special events.