Recognize
Hard to believe, but there are only 7 words left! Let’s dive into this month…
1. Be Paul
2. Let it Go.
3. Act the way I want to feel.
4. Do it now.
5. Be polite and be fair.
6. Enjoy the process.
7. Spend out.
8. Identify the problem.
9. Lighten up.
10. Do what ought to be done.
11. No calculation.
12. There is only love.
January: Energize
February: Love
March: Save
April: Serve
May: Recognize
June: Savor
July: Plan
August: Share
September: Simplify
October: Release
November: Thank
December: Smile
Sorry I’m a little late this month—April really killed me. I have incredibly raw nerves, and am ready for some me time. I think that is good to remember, because I’ve really fallen off the bandwagon with some of my first few months—and I think when we’re exhausted, It’s harder to find time to ‘choose’ to be happy. This is all about living a more fulfilling life, and right now, I’m not doing the things that I tried in January, or remembering how to feel renewed and ‘spend out’ when I want to show love or feel loved. So, may is a great chance for me to ‘recognize’ what I’m needing, and also recognize others.
It’s also a GREAT opportunity to recognize some friends (which I am doing this weekend!). It’s graduation for many people, and I will get a chance to catch up with old friends, and recognize that all-important rite of passage.
So, time for some self-evaluation—how can I recognize how to save, serve, love, and energize my life…and what is holding me back from doing those things? And, how can I recognize others in the right ways…even when I am worn ragged from a long school year?
Serve
I’ve come to know a lot more people in Iowa City, and this past weekend has been the BEST weekend I’ve had here. I even had an old friend who was a visitor—my FIRST visitor! Seriously—I had plans on Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday. What else could I ask for! Things are really going great so far in this year that I’ve said I’m taking control of as I venture through it. This month is serve—potentially my hardest month so far. As a recap of the rules, and bolded rules that I think will be important to consider this time around;
2. Let it Go.
3. Act the way I want to feel.
4. Do it now.
5. Be polite and be fair.
6. Enjoy the process.
7. Spend out.
8. Identify the problem.
9. Lighten up.
10. Do what ought to be done.
11. No calculation.
12. There is only love.
January: Energize
February: Love
March: Save
April: Serve
May: Recognize
June: Savor
July: Plan
August: Share
September: Simplify
October: Release
November: Thank
December: Smile
I could have chosen ‘serve’ for last month. It would have been easy to — I took a group of GREAT students to Memphis, Tennessee to make a difference in the community (and their lives) by doing service, and got a chance to do some service myself. But, I felt like because I chose a few really easy things so far (although save was pretty hard), I would move Serve to this month because it would ask that I be better at planning and try to serve more frequently.
One of my main goals—which has been a goal since I’ve been here—is to do some service at a retirement home/nursing home. My grandmother is in a nursing home, and I love her dearly. All of my grandparents have ended up in a home, and as someone mentioned last fall to my parents (as they were losing a parent) : People no longer die like they used too…it looks like this.
‘This,’ of course, was referring to hospice, and after a very long life in a hospital of various kinds of body failure. I guess I just have a soft spot in my heart for older people, and even though I don’t enjoy that environment, my goal is to bring a certain level of love and joy to people in a place they probably don’t like much, either. So, I would like to identify some time to go play piano at a nursing home, and I’m going to talk to my students who do service to help me plan it. This is a goal of mine, and I want to spend a little more time helping others, and less time thinking of myself.
My book this month is an old favorite: East of Eden
This book is my absolute favorite book, and I think it’s about time I revisited it. I don’t know that I’ll ever read anything I love as much as this—so I’m looking forward to rekindling that friendship! I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from East of Eden:
“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”
March Ending
Without going into detail, “Save” was only quasi-successful. I wasn’t incredibly effective at saving money…but I did save a lot of time. And, I learned that one of the things I need to do in the future is start saving for:
1. A Ph.D. program, because Iowa isn’t much help in paying for that…and….
2. A House/Condo. Yes, that’s right, I’m saving for that, because I think Iowa could be a longer stop over than previously imagined.
I think part of my problem is, up until this point, I haven’t had things to save FOR. But, with a Ph.D. and a House Mortgage that I’d like to have, I have a little more motivation. And, being 8 months into my new job is a pretty damn good feeling.
On to SERVE!
What Do Support For Gay Marriage and the Decline of Marriage Have to Do With Each Other?
The relationship between gay marriage and unwed moms isn’t a thing. Let’s stop trying to make it a thing.
Day 1 and 2: UIASB Urban Gardening and Hope House
What a long couple of days day. I am NOT a morning person, but some how, I managed to make it from 6:15 am - 1:30 am two days in a row, even after having a lot of fun (but tiring) activities.
I keep forgetting that today was Sunday—it felt like Monday, and I also forget it isn’t going to be Friday in two days, either. No time change, but my brain is exhausted.
I think over the last few months I’ve always hoped that my students were learning, but the last two days have been special. I was almost overcome with the sight that my students were learning…a LOT…the last few days.
On Sunday, we spent some of our time urban gardening. I have to admit, for some people we have met, time has been a suggestion. We showed up to the first site and were an hour early…so we drove to the University of Memphis campus, and the students had a chance to tour their student center, and see a Southern School Orientation and Enrollment leader conference for training—including some folks from Clemson dressed as people from Harry Potter.
A few highlights from our day urban gardening:
- We spent time in two different ‘urban gardens.’ One was a location in South Memphis ,while the other was near Midtown. Both gardens are set up so community members can stake a claim in a location and plant and garden their own vegetables.
- I think people were surprised by how much they ENJOYED gardening. Some of the people most reluctant gardening enjoyed what we were doing most—and didn’t want to leave by the end of the day.
- We spoke with the Executive Director of GrowMemphis, Chris Peterson, and he shared that the true power of GrowMemphis is building community through addressing the inequities in the communities. Each garden is run by a member of the community it serves—while the seeds are all provided, the community works their own gardens, and it’s really developing a network throughout the entire city—and the city is very divided racially and socio-economically…and these issues have combined to address some REAL trust issues in the Greater Memphis and Shelby County area.
- Our MPH student, and some of our undergraduates had some good one on one time to learn from Chris, and he shared some of the frustrating things that make things difficult for GrowMemphis—chief among them things like a city food policy code book that hasn’t been updated since 1960, or urban gardens where community members can’t afford to even have water at the location, to many other issues that make his work difficult—but the EXCITING thing is that the students really caught his passion. The questions in the evening when we debriefed and reflected were: “How can we have this same kind of passion in Iowa City?” “Are there ways we can help with these issues in Iowa City?” I thought this was special.
- This day clearly connected with the Supermarket Sweep Activity—and I could really see their wheels turning as they began to think about some systemic things that made some of these issues real for them
- We also had a chance to meet with the Alumni in the area—what a special thing for our students. They were so gracious to host and support their fellow Hawkeyes! (Not to mention they shared some great barbeque!)
The next day, we spent our day at Hope House, a daycare for children who are affected (not infected) with AIDS/HIV. There were some wonderful little kids who the student got to play with, socialize with, and really enjoy having fun—everywhere from reading books, to raking leaves with them, to playing with toys, to just getting on the floor and racing cars. These kids all were products of poverty and families who had a parent or sibling who had AIDS/HIV.
The students were stuck on the thought of ‘stigma’ with this disease, and how that fit in with the greater public health issue that exists with AIDS and HIV, and so we discussed that at length tonight. They did a simulation about stigma and HIV, and some students were emotional—but it certainly hit home. This was important because tomorrow, we’re working with a center whose main purpose is to help adults who have AIDS or HIV, and it isn’t a darling little kid who we’re helping — it’s an adult who carries the understanding and stress of being labeled as HIV+ or as having AIDS everyday.
Beyond all this, a few of the comments I heard tonight were:
- “I can’t wait to get back to Iowa City and get more involved with these issues.”
- “There’s gotta be a way to do some urban gardening of our own in Iowa City.”
- “We have these issues at home. They aren’t just here.”
- “There’s so much to do—I just hate that I can’t fix everything.”
- “We all have our own strengths in service—some like the manual labor, others liked working with kids, but we each contributed.”
- “These issues compound, and there has to be a way to address one that helps all the other moving parts.”
- “I won’t be tired when I return home, I’ll be more alive and ready to do something!”
I have to admit these types of things tell me that we’re reaching at least SOME of the folks. They are engaged right now…and I think the experiential learning has been pretty impactful for them. So far, this has been a really good trip!
