Fear
Back at the end of October I made an appointment to see Geraldine Standish, an elder at the Anishnaabe Health Centre. A nice man named Rod Michano met me, asked if I had my tobacco (I did) and if I was "on my moon time" (which always makes me giggle inside). As I met with her and explained my situation (stress, facing a lot of big decisions) Mr. Michano typed at a computer in a corner of the office.
Ms. Standish hit the nail on the head right away. My life has been driven by my fear of poverty. I've built my life around this fear. It's directed my decisions. It fills my mind and preoccupies me. I need to forgive myself for having been poor. I need to move on.
She also noted that my intellect is overdeveloped compared with some of my other attributes. And that my brain has not always been my friend. In fact, my brain has been pretty mean to me, and has dwelled too much on the past.
So I'm making more of an effort to live in the present. To enjoy life. To let go of fear.
"Yeah," says my brain. "Good luck with that."
There was also some discussion about spirituality, which I'm still chewing on. Aboriginal culture seems to put a lot of stock in issues of spirit. What's an atheist Aboriginal to do?
Much to my surprise and delight, Mr. Michano had been typing up the notes of my meeting with Ms. Standish, and I was able to take them with me for reference.
Ms. Standish hit the nail on the head right away. My life has been driven by my fear of poverty. I've built my life around this fear. It's directed my decisions. It fills my mind and preoccupies me. I need to forgive myself for having been poor. I need to move on.
She also noted that my intellect is overdeveloped compared with some of my other attributes. And that my brain has not always been my friend. In fact, my brain has been pretty mean to me, and has dwelled too much on the past.
So I'm making more of an effort to live in the present. To enjoy life. To let go of fear.
"Yeah," says my brain. "Good luck with that."
There was also some discussion about spirituality, which I'm still chewing on. Aboriginal culture seems to put a lot of stock in issues of spirit. What's an atheist Aboriginal to do?
Much to my surprise and delight, Mr. Michano had been typing up the notes of my meeting with Ms. Standish, and I was able to take them with me for reference.