I was very ill last week. One of my medications ran out on me and I was waylaid by the sudden introduction of various allergens which ignited my entire immune system. Let's just say, the pea soup congealed - and I was miserable.
So I did exactly what I tell my students to do ... I called out for help. And the universe responded ... in the form of my precious students. So I am cross posting my thank you note from the school forum to publicly thank them for ... everything!
Oh my goodness!
I am so grateful!
Thanks to ...
Eridanus - for washing my dishes, getting me to prepare all my meals for the weekend and generally being there when I became overwhelmed.
Adam - for putting in the screens, helping me pack up some of the electronics for recycling, and for hanging out while we swapped stories about old Apple computers and played some old games!
Sheila - for being a "genius!" and taking all the sheets, towels and blankets to a laundromat to clear all the space at once and giving me a energy boost!
Jen & Damien - for a wonderful visit and for taking away the pile of equipment.
You guys all rock!
I feel so much better today. Mostly because while talking with Adam, I realized I was in the midst of a huge asthma attack so I (finally!) used my inhalers - D-oh!
Mental note to self: When/if you run out of the meds that stop you from having an asthma attack ... consider using your inhalers when you begin coughing like all get out! Sheesh!
Posted in
Submitted by katrina on Tue, 05/11/2010 - 2:37pm.
Sorry for being MIA.
I have written the above sentence a lot over the past week. I feel like I am waking up from a groggy night of half remembered dreams. At one point, I actually thought, “Hey, maybe I’ve begun to learn how to relax!” Uh, nope … I was in a drug induced fog for approximately three weeks. The drug in question was Flexeril, and as of Friday the 14th, I stopped taking it.
Ai yi yi! Welcome to Fibro-roulette!
So now I am testing yet another drug as of Friday the 21st. I oh so hope this drug will allow me to read, write and think about things. So anyway … I will hopefully be back to blogging this week – at least, that is the plan.
Smoochies ...
Posted in
Submitted by katrina on Mon, 08/24/2009 - 6:13pm.
sweet! :-)
You are usually able to annunciate what I do not have words for. Thank you!
Much love,
-Eridanus
INTJ here. I hear what you are saying.
"what is remembered, lives". It was with sadness that I read of Wilma Mankiller's passing. She won't be forgotten.
"...Weaver, Weaver weave this thread, whole and strong into your web...Healer, Healer, heal our pain...In love may she return again..."
While student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I became friends with Carl Rogers, who was respected as one of the leading psychotherapists of his time. He taught me much about the art of listening.
Dr. Rogers said that when we listen, and people know we are listening, it shows we truly care about them. In turn, they will respond by caring about you. It opens communication and also opens hearts. When we accept them as a person, unconditionally, they will be more kind to you.
We should listen without preconceptions, without anticipation and without judgement if we want others to portray what they truly feel. We listen with all our senses, not just to the words which are said. Some people cannot fully express themselves while speaking, so we must try to see them as they see themselves. We should watch for non-verbal clues as to what they really mean: facial expressions, body movements, etc.
While we should show positive regard for the other person, we should also demonstrate our own positive self-regard. We do not react to their negative comments, verbally or physically, even when we disagree with them. When they do ask for our opinion, however, we should respond with our true thoughts and in specifics rather than generalities. We offer our own perspective as other options rather than as contradictions.
Listening might seem quite passive as opposed to speaking. It is actually very active. To paraphrase Bobby Kennedy, “I learn while listening. When I talk I don’t learn too much.” If you think talking helps to spread your own wisdom, you are not really wise.