Subject line from Shake It Out by Florence + the Machine.

"When you hope for something in your life, if it doesn’t happen, you are disappointed or upset. If it does happen, then you become elated and excited. You are constantly riding a roller coaster up and down. Because he has never encountered any doubt about himself at all, therefore the ( Read more... )

All over the world, governments are pouring vast resources into education reform. In the process, policy makers typically narrow the curriculum to emphasize a small group of subjects, tie schools up in a culture of standardized testing and limit the discretion of educators to make professional judgments about how and what to teach. These reforms ( Read more... )

From On Writing* Life isn't a support system for art. It's the other way around ( Read more... )

From my recent reading

From either The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Ten Little Indians by Sherman Alexie or Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie ( Read more... )

I have been trying to think about how to talk about the weekend. That it was needed, and nourishing, and reminded me of why I am taking the path that I am, definitely. But, how that happened is another matter. That's less clear cut. And perhaps, that's the way that it works ( Read more... )

As you all know, I love Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. The characters crept (sometimes exploded) into my heart, and I have found few worlds that draw me in and refuse to give up the ghost when I leave their lands. I still get shivers when I hear the descriptions of the gunslingers - when I hear the words of the "gunslinger prayer":

I do ( Read more... )

Over the past three months, I've been thinking a lot about awkward turtle moments. I've become a much more introverted person. I remember when people used to think of me as the "life of the party." I laugh about that one, now ( Read more... )

This is from today's post by Susan Piver, a lovely writer, wonderful instructor, and insightful woman (among other things).

After today's orientation, I need this reminder. I need to remember I am not going to fall apart. That rest is necessary. But, so is decency toward self and others.

However, there is a difference between letting go and ( Read more... )

There was a story about the Zen master Suzuki Roshi. This was a situation where his students had been sitting and they were 3 or 4 hours into a very hard sitting period, a sesshin. The person who told the story said every bone in his body was hurting, his back, his ankles, his neck, his head, everything hurt. Not only that, his thoughts were ( Read more... )

Clinicians are witnesses. Clinicians may work with patients who are repeatedly flooded with memories and emotions of prior abuse and trauma. The repeated reliving of traumatic experiences is a tragic remnant of the traumatic event. Clinicians may be the first person to hear of these events. Implicit to the notion of bearing witness is the burden of ( Read more... )