...spent last Saturday on a weekend bed-and-breakfast yoga retreat way up-state...(I’m now proud owner of a pine-scented eye-pillow...seeing how much I was enjoying it, someone commented that I’m becoming a metrosexual...I said I’d probably have to stop buying my clothes at EMS to make that happen)...woke up for the first of three awesome, healthy meals with good friends, morning yoga class, a couple long walks along the creek and a climb to the top of a mountain (overlooking the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania...which, admittedly, could fit, along with the Grand Canyon of New York at Letchworth, and the various grand canyons of other eastern states, into a small side canyon of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado in Arizona...but is lovely nonetheless)...(see pics)...restorative yoga class, and a post-dinner-and-red-wine Thai massage....and it occurred to me that this really wasn’t a day I could complain much about...
...with the women at the rehab, I focus mostly on GED preparation and literacy, but now and then, with someone more advanced in her education, get to work with creative writing and journaling...encouraging letting-loose on the page, freeing-up the creative voice...almost invariably resulting an empowering and enjoyable experience, for everyone involved, when we see what blossoms on the page....but it’s also a difficult, and often daunting, frightening process...giving what can seem a terrifying concreteness on the page to thoughts one would like to push away, no matter how consistent and inevitable the failure to do so...requiring encouragement, gentle prodding, and understanding from the supposedly more-together teacher-person....and, ultimately, it's all about honesty...
...I haven’t written anything this week, she said, head hanging low....that’s okay, said the teacher, neither have I...
4 comments:
Thanks for the visits this week Dr. J
What a wonderful gift, your presence is to the people at the rehab...as present as you can be:-) Your work is an inspiration to me...you are helping them to find their voices and express themselves...how cool is that?
(PS I've been to "the little-Grand Canyon" you described many years ago...nothing like the GRAND Grand Canyon, but still a lovely place to be)
I have recently stumbled upon your blog and I have to say I enjoy it very much! You make me laugh and laughing is something we should all do more of. I think people are getting too serious!
Thanks for your writings!
Karuna
Sounds like a great weekend, drjay...nice photos, too. Oooh, I've been to Letchworth, although it was an exceptionally dry summer that year, so, not much water in the falls.
I'm always impressed with your work helping folks. I wish I had something in your way of smarts to offer. (Yes, there're plenty of ways to help besides teachin', and I should take the time to do so...)
Happy riding today, 'cause I knows you'll be out there!
I really loved this post. Especially the end about the honesty and the woman who hadn't written this week.
Sometimes you just need to get out of your head and experience stuff to be able to write it all down later.
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