I havn't posted in a couple of weeks, mainly because my computer was on holidays, or least crawled down to a sanil pace, possibly a work to rule thing.
I have started a new venture. I am volunteering at a local horse therapy operation. This organization is called PRANCE. I am quite sure what this acronym stands for, but I am sure I will find out. This organization recently recieved a Govt grant and in order to run this program it is nessesary that they have a person with a mental health background on staff. I recieved a telephone call a couple of weeks ago and agreed to have an interview with the Executive Director. Now I am volunteering 3 hours a week on Tuesday afternoons.
For anybody who doesn't know me I am 73 years old, overweight and have arthritis in both knees. So if you imagine me working in a paddock with mostly young women and very large horses, you will have something to smile about. I am also continuing my pet/house sitting jobs. It is good to being using my therpist skills on someone other than dogs and cats. I fear losing my skills and I always, as long as my health permits, want to do something that helps myself and others.
We have four horses on the property that my daughter and her family live on. I have never had a real relationship with a horse. I have always thought that were attractive and that they give the property a certain ambiance that I enjoy, but their care and feeding has never been my concern. Not that I will responsible for their care at work either, but I will be working with them as partners in the therapy course I am involved in. This is a form of therapy I am not familiar with but even after two weeks I can see the value these beautiful animals bring to this exercise.
Afternoon Thoughts
Wednesday, June 27th, 2012..........3;58p.m.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
"All It Takes For Evil to Triumph Is For Good People To Do Nothing" ...Edmund Burke
It is none of my business, I don't want to get involved, etc etc. How many times have we stood and watched someone being abused? That doesn't always mean being punched or kicked, sometimes it means being screamed at or cursed at, or sometimes even being quietly threatened or demeaned.
Sometimes it is an adult displaying their authority to a child or a young adult. Sometimes it is a man bullying a woman, occasionally it will be a woman abusing a man; I say occasionally because even if the woman is bigger the man is inevitably stronger.
Their seems to be be something in the nature of human beings that makes us want to impose our views and our will on others. It is there as far back as recorded history goes. Let's be mean to anyone who isn't like us; to anyone who looks different, sounds different, worships different or is different in any way.
I wasn't always innocent of observing, even inflicting pain on others. I have said and done unkind and hurtful things. I realize now I was most often guilty of hurting others when I was hurting and frightened myself. Sometimes being unkind to others made me part of a group that I thought I wanted to belong to, you know "the in group".
I have observed that one person on their own is usually pretty harmless but put a group together and very quickly a "mob mentality" develops. Most of the reading I have done tells me that one person didn't usually lynch a person of a different color, there was usually a group. We seem to feed off of each other. Even with children bullying it is so seldom a one on one thing. If you take the time to observe there will be a group of kids picking on one or two.
I live in a home where we all like each other and we have each others backs. Where no one has to point someone Else's weakness's to show their own strengths. I am so grateful for that.
Afternoon Thoughts
Thursday, June 14th, 2012.............3:39p.m.
Sometimes it is an adult displaying their authority to a child or a young adult. Sometimes it is a man bullying a woman, occasionally it will be a woman abusing a man; I say occasionally because even if the woman is bigger the man is inevitably stronger.
Their seems to be be something in the nature of human beings that makes us want to impose our views and our will on others. It is there as far back as recorded history goes. Let's be mean to anyone who isn't like us; to anyone who looks different, sounds different, worships different or is different in any way.
I wasn't always innocent of observing, even inflicting pain on others. I have said and done unkind and hurtful things. I realize now I was most often guilty of hurting others when I was hurting and frightened myself. Sometimes being unkind to others made me part of a group that I thought I wanted to belong to, you know "the in group".
I have observed that one person on their own is usually pretty harmless but put a group together and very quickly a "mob mentality" develops. Most of the reading I have done tells me that one person didn't usually lynch a person of a different color, there was usually a group. We seem to feed off of each other. Even with children bullying it is so seldom a one on one thing. If you take the time to observe there will be a group of kids picking on one or two.
I live in a home where we all like each other and we have each others backs. Where no one has to point someone Else's weakness's to show their own strengths. I am so grateful for that.
Afternoon Thoughts
Thursday, June 14th, 2012.............3:39p.m.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Words From An Italian Grandmother
"It is only tomorrow that we understand the why of today"
Last Saturday evening while my family was in Hamilton I was watching TV, looking for something interesting and real. I found a show that interviewing grandmother's from other cultures. It always amazes me how much the same women are, no matter what part of the world they are from and how much we can all learn from each other.
When I am alone at home or at work I will go through all the channels on the TV looking for something different and I usually find some documentaries that are informative and educational. This one was especially so. They interviewed women and their grandmother's. Al the grandmother's were women who had integrated to Canada from counties all over the world. These women had passed their knowledge, their culture and their language to their daughters and granddaughters.
I never knew my Mother's mother, she died when my Mother was 10. I did know my Father's mother, but not well enough. I realize now what a fascinating woman she was. She had 5 husbands and at the end of her life she lived alone. She had a wonderful sense of humor and she had a good sense of money. I hope I inherited a lot of her genes. She taught me much and could have taught me more.
Afternoon Thoughts
Wednesday, June 6th, 2012.............1:11p.m.
Last Saturday evening while my family was in Hamilton I was watching TV, looking for something interesting and real. I found a show that interviewing grandmother's from other cultures. It always amazes me how much the same women are, no matter what part of the world they are from and how much we can all learn from each other.
When I am alone at home or at work I will go through all the channels on the TV looking for something different and I usually find some documentaries that are informative and educational. This one was especially so. They interviewed women and their grandmother's. Al the grandmother's were women who had integrated to Canada from counties all over the world. These women had passed their knowledge, their culture and their language to their daughters and granddaughters.
I never knew my Mother's mother, she died when my Mother was 10. I did know my Father's mother, but not well enough. I realize now what a fascinating woman she was. She had 5 husbands and at the end of her life she lived alone. She had a wonderful sense of humor and she had a good sense of money. I hope I inherited a lot of her genes. She taught me much and could have taught me more.
Afternoon Thoughts
Wednesday, June 6th, 2012.............1:11p.m.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
A Quote By Nikita Ivanovich Panin
"In Youth Our Days Are Short And Our Years Are Long, With Age Our Days Are Long And Our Years Are Short".
The first time I read this I thought how very true this was for me. I can recall as a child thinking "ah, it is getting dark, the day is over already". And when I had my Birthday I would think "darn, it will be a whole year before I have another birthday, that is such a long, long time. The year I was 11 was at least 3 years long, at least that is how it felt to me. I wanted to be 12 so bad, I wanted to grown up, I wanted things to change,
The first time I was aware how fast a year could go was when my first child had his first birthday. The 7 lb infant I had delivered and held was now walking, running actually, he had a developed a definite personality of his own and he was already beginning to let go of my hand.
As a senior citizen I now sometimes have long days, but wow the years are getting shorter. I try to keep myself very aware in the spring when the leaves are that brand new green, that pale green that disappears in a week. The new green of leaves is probably my favorite color. And I make myself very aware when the leaves are beginning to change color because I know in the blink of an eye the leaves will gone from the trees.
My daughter was reminding the other day about when my grandson when 3 years old. She was taking him to a circus where there was a real live elephant. She had been talking to him about it for days. The day of the circus when he first seen the elephant he said "Oh my dod, I am so ecited". This child is now in high school, has a girlfriend and is getting his driver's licence. Time goes by. I think I am wise enough now to get the most out of each day. Time is to precious to spend it dwelling on hurt feelings and real or imagined sleights. I would rather dwell on the kindness's of those I know and those who I meet on the street and may never see again. I have become hyper vigilant now for the goodness in my life and the pleasures that are all around me.
Afternoon Thoughts.
Saturday, June 2nd, 2012...........6:12p..
The first time I read this I thought how very true this was for me. I can recall as a child thinking "ah, it is getting dark, the day is over already". And when I had my Birthday I would think "darn, it will be a whole year before I have another birthday, that is such a long, long time. The year I was 11 was at least 3 years long, at least that is how it felt to me. I wanted to be 12 so bad, I wanted to grown up, I wanted things to change,
The first time I was aware how fast a year could go was when my first child had his first birthday. The 7 lb infant I had delivered and held was now walking, running actually, he had a developed a definite personality of his own and he was already beginning to let go of my hand.
As a senior citizen I now sometimes have long days, but wow the years are getting shorter. I try to keep myself very aware in the spring when the leaves are that brand new green, that pale green that disappears in a week. The new green of leaves is probably my favorite color. And I make myself very aware when the leaves are beginning to change color because I know in the blink of an eye the leaves will gone from the trees.
My daughter was reminding the other day about when my grandson when 3 years old. She was taking him to a circus where there was a real live elephant. She had been talking to him about it for days. The day of the circus when he first seen the elephant he said "Oh my dod, I am so ecited". This child is now in high school, has a girlfriend and is getting his driver's licence. Time goes by. I think I am wise enough now to get the most out of each day. Time is to precious to spend it dwelling on hurt feelings and real or imagined sleights. I would rather dwell on the kindness's of those I know and those who I meet on the street and may never see again. I have become hyper vigilant now for the goodness in my life and the pleasures that are all around me.
Afternoon Thoughts.
Saturday, June 2nd, 2012...........6:12p..
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