2018 First Blog; Janus, Looking Back, and an Idea for 2018
Last year, 2017, was for me, full of hard work, deadlines, and new challenges. And it was mostly all to the good. I learned a lot and I accomplished a lot. Now it’s time to turn the page. But first I want to note the blog that I wrote last year at this time about my grandmother’s concept of interdependence and her wish to make January 1st “Interdependence Day.” If anything, humanity becomes more and more interdependent in every way, economically, environmentally, politically, to note some obvious ways, every year. This is true despite the push for autonomy in some parts of the world. In fact, I wonder if this impulse to hold onto, or reinstate a sense of distinction, is a reaction to the fear that local uniqueness will be subsumed into a larger, more homogeneous culture. However, I know that for my grandmother interdependence did not…
The Light of Meaning and Purpose
This blog is my gift to everyone in this season of darkness opening to the power of light entering the world. When I prepared a talk on self-care a couple weeks ago, I learned about something I had not considered part of self-care. To set the stage, let me explain. I struggled to figure out how to present the topic to a group of caregivers. Because I have worked in the field for years, I knew that most caregivers know about self-care. Their stumbling block is to practice self-care. I believed that my challenge was to present the material in a way that addressed this stumbling block. At first, I wasn’t sure how to do this. In my research on the general topic of self-care, I divided the presentation into sections, nutrition, exercise, sleep, managing stress, resilience, and spiritual health. My supervisor suggested the last topic, spiritual health. Studying it…
Managing Stress
Last week I gave a presentation on self-care. I included several aspects under the umbrella of self-care including nutrition, exercise, sleep, spiritual health, and stress. At this time of year, and I will add, at this point in time, stress is a big factor in many lives. In my research, I gathered the following facts and suggestions for managing stress, adding some ideas of my own as well. First, stress in context. Stress is one of our body’s natural and needed reactions to perceived danger. Occasional moderate stress can help us focus and achieve. When stress is too frequent, intense, or when it is prolonged, it becomes destructive and taxes many of our body’s systems. Chronic stress levels can lead to hypertension, heart attacks, and strokes, as well as other chronic health conditions. Research informs that there are two components that increase and possibly prolong stress; believing that you…
Reflections on a Possible Pivot Point in our Culture
There is much in the news today about sexual harassment and sexual assault. Many famous and powerful men are caught up in scandals related to sexual misconduct. It seems that a well-covered, even attractively clothed societal structure has been stripped of its façade and the underlying scaffolding of power, entitlement, and abuse of other human beings is now bared for all to see. Many pundits and commentators have written about aspects of these scandals. For example, what degree of harassment or abuse amounts to grounds for legal action? What are appropriate consequences for these acts, losing a job or position? Does it matter that these events are decades in the past? How can ‘truth’ be determined when one party denies any culpability? Nonetheless, many tentatively opine that this is a turning point for our culture. The days of casually dismissing or ignoring reports of sexual harassment may be over.…
Acorns to Oaks
When I hear someone interviewed on a media platform about some noteworthy accomplishment, a highly acclaimed book or a successful new company, for example, I notice a pattern. Invariably the interviewer asks a version of these questions. What was your original idea? How did you achieve your success? The responses are similar. The initial idea is usually a vague one, not quite formed. And the path meanders, filled with obstacles and diversions. I get the sense that the beginnings are tentative at best. I’m mindful of the quote about the acorn and the oak tree; how humble the beginning of an oak tree, yet the potential for the massive tree is there from the beginning. I remember one of the interviewees saying that he got up at four AM to write for an hour and a half, and then he began his regular day. There are several similarities…
Saints and Sinners, Capable and Limited?
An article I read recently got me thinking. Although it is a religious tract, my thoughts turned to my own personal struggles, nothing religious. The article is about the human mix that we all are, both the good and the bad. The article suggests that when we are at our best we are “saints who know ourselves to be sinners.” (A Study Guide for the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, United Church of Christ, 2017, p. 21) I reflected on how difficult it has been for me to learn this truth of being a mix of positive and negative. In my life, I inflicted these states on myself. I spent a lot of time feeling that I didn’t have much to offer. I was stuck much of the time in low self-esteem. This attitude held me in believing that I should not try for much because I would fail…
Meeting People Where They Are At
This past week I witnessed two friends come to loggerheads about a political issue. One friend had tried to reach out in the form of a letter to someone who had very different political opinions. The other friend chastised the letter-writer for being too soft and gentle, to the point of appearing close to supporting the views of other person and becoming part of the problem. This got me thinking about something I learned years ago. During my career as a therapist, I learned from another therapist one of those things that can’t be taught. We both worked on an inpatient psychiatric unit where some patients were very troubled. There was one seriously depressed patient who seemed to be intractably stuck in depression. My colleague was able to break through and the emotional logjam that held this person back eased and began to resolve. When we debriefed to evaluate…
Finding a Personal Oasis
I wasn’t sure about what to present in my blog today. In the past two weeks I have experienced a variety of events affecting me directly and personally, or indirectly through our society and culture. A lot is going on in our world, much that is upsetting. I could have written about resilience, or understanding how I learn from setbacks, or from successes. None of these topics rang true for today. On my daily walk-jog with my two dogs, I realized what I wanted to write about, finding and cultivating one’s personal oasis. I am fortunate that I grew up on a farm. I remember spending my days outside exploring fields, woods, and streams. I also remember that when I was upset about something, probably something that seemed consequential at the time, but is now difficult to remember or take seriously, I went for a walk through the fields…
RECONNECTING THROUGH YOUR SENSES TO BE YOUR WHOLE SELF
Learning to be aware of sensory input enhances our lived experiences and our ability to make decisions and relate to others. This workshop opens the participants to using their whole bodies and selves in their lives through exercises in gently flexing their bodies, breathing exercises, and noticing sensory input. Writing, art making, and dialogue are also a part of the workshop. Each participant leaves with their personal work, reflections and exercises for their future use. WREN Member $30 ~ Non member $48 When Thursday, October 12, 2017 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Where WREN in Bethlehem Registration Non Member – $48.00 WREN Member – $30.00
What about this fake news?
I have been hearing about fake news for a while now. I think many of us have. It has become the charge by some that certain information about current events should be discounted. Or it is a derogatory statement describing some of the news, usually the news that someone does not agree with, and does not believe or want to believe has validity. In some of my college and high school courses, I remember strict rules for gathering information. Research. In order to call something a fact, I had to find and cite three independent, respected sources of information that acknowledged the incident I wanted to note as a fact. For example, if I wanted to state that it is a fact that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, I must find three separate, independent, and reliable sources that all note that Jefferson was the author. Quickly researching…