I’d like to revisit a morning I spent on a mountain near one of the Upstate, New York reservoirs. The sun was on its way.
I was awake in my little tent and sitting at the opening to watch the morning’s first light. The sky changed and mirrored across the top of the water, which was absolutely beautiful and calm. I was at peace in a way like never before.
There was no one around. There was no one to interfere with the moment and no one close by to intrude upon the quiet sounds of nature; the birds chirping and the wind blowing. I could feel the cool breeze of on my face. I could think without the interference of anything man-made. In fact, the only thing man-made at this place was me. All else was there long before I was created.
From In The Classroom: The Ripple Effect of a Bullied Brain
The following is based upon personal experience. This is not to say that I am a professional by any means. However, the ideas I am about to share are the ideas which helped me to understand myself and the ripple effect of my insecurity.
Continue readingCorona-Check
In times like this when the anxiety is high, all we can do is remind ourselves to breathe. And by this, I do not breathe the same way that you are breathing now.
When I say breathe, I mean slowly.
Pay attention to this.
Breathe in through your nose, nice and slowly. Feel the air as it moves through the nasal passages and let this fill your lungs as much as you can take.
Once your lungs hit the top of their capacity, pause for a second, and then let the air out through your mouth.
weathering the storm
This is a page out of Life Volume 1:
In times like this and when there’s nothing else to do but shelter in place, the only thing we can do is find some way to replace thoughts with action. Otherwise, we run the risk of losing our sanity.
A Redirection of Thought
Put me out there, know what I mean?
Put me out there in the middle of the ocean when the sun is high, the sky is blue and the winds are just enough to blow back my hair. There is no tension, no grief, no reason to believe or disbelieve anything.
Put me out here where nothing else matters except this, us, and the buoyancy of the deck beneath our feet.
Just To Get Away
There are times when there is literally nothing else we can do except wait. There are times like now for example; there’s nothing we can do about the epidemic or the pandemic (if this is one) and monitor the facts until things change.
Most of all, there are times when there is nothing else we can do but implement our own model of self-care plan. We can do nothing else but settle in because for all we know, this ride could be short or long but either way, the best plan to have is a plan that serves us best.
Day 3: Presentation Day
Today is the last day, which means I will be giving a presentation in a few hours about the language we use and the labels we place on people with mental challenges.
My presentation will be judged upon my knowledge of the subject as well as my delivery of the information. I am not nervous to speak in a roomful of people. I’ve done this more times than I can count. The only difference here is I am being graded on my performance. Best that I stick to the books and keep my subject with the facts, which is fine
Either way, the truth here is simple. The truth is we all have challenges of our own. Truth is everyone is trying to outrun something in their life at least once; whether it be a simple thing or more complex; everyone has something to tangle with at some point.
Day 2 of 5: They Pulled a Switch
This is day 2 of 5 which has officially been shortened down to 3 days, to which I say “Fine” without any protest so long as I reach my goal and become certified.
However, first and foremost, I must remember that first and foremost, I began this trip for a reason. I came here because my reasons are true. I am here because my reasons for understanding mental health are true as well.
Day 1 of 5: Wish Me Luck
Today is day one of a new endeavor, but yet, none of this is really new to me at all. I am writing to you from a hotel room in Orlando, anxiously awaiting the start of a class that will certify me to become a mental health first aid trainer.
Continue readingFrom Letters: Old October
Old October and I was young on cold morning and the rain came in rushing in. The streets of Midtown West, the 7th Avenue Garment District woes and crazy times, rushed with people in quick hurries to beat the out-of-nowhere storm, which came in suddenly and without warning.
And me, there I was in a window seat at a coffee shop, writing a letter to my Mother, looking out the window and watching everyone scatter and run for cover.
I watched businessmen with briefcases put their newspaper over their head to shield them from the heavy rain.
Large gulp-sized drops fell from the sky and spattered on the ground in a chattering sound that could be heard from my place inside, safe from the rain.
Some were readied with umbrellas and some just ran through, trying to avoid the downpour, to avoid the curbside puddles, and the dirty splashes from crazy cab drivers, swishing through the street, eager to pick up a fare and make their ends meet.
