The last thing in the world I should be doing right now is writing a blog post, but I've neglected my 3 followers for way too long! :)
A couple of weeks ago, I befriended one of my favorite teachers of all time on Facebook. It wasn't necessarily what this teacher taught me, but her ability to relate to me and the vested interest she took in me during those crucial adolescent years. I had her as a teacher from 7-10th grade - she taught in our gifted and talented program.
Anyway, I think about this teacher a lot, especially when I'm doing therapy with my adolescent clients. I try to remember what made this teacher so awesome and made me feel ::seen:: by her and recreate that same feeling in my therapy sessions. So when she facebook friended me, I thought it would be a good opportunity to let her know that she really impacted me, and really she still influences me and the work that I do. So, I wrote her a facebook message and went on my merry way. Honestly, I assumed every one of her old students had told her at some point what an impact she made because we ALL loved her. My friends from home and I STILL talk about her. But she wrote back and said that she cried reading my letter and she never knew she had such an impact. I thought a few things: 1) I know that other people feel the same way about it and not only can I not believe that people don't tell her all the time how much they appreciate her, but how sad that they don't! and 2) So many people from my past still impact my life for good in the present - I should really let them know, and 3) I realized it often takes having many years perspective to have insight on just how much someone effects you. This teacher definitely knew that I loved her to death in middle and high school, but she really couldn't have known that, 11 years later, I am still so grateful!
I have been working with a population recently that really doesn't have many things to be grateful for - their lives have been horrific, and sometimes I wonder how they have managed not to give up entirely. I've realized that many of these clients haven't had any sort of role model, mentor, or even a positive adult figure in their lives. It seems so unfair that they have had no one, and I have had so many, but it really makes me appreciate who I have been blessed to know.
So, I'm starting a gratefulness project, and once per week, I write an email or facebook message to someone who really impacted my life in some way, even if it was just for a short period of time and even if they don't remember me. So far, the greatest pleasure has been getting it all out, realizing just how much they meant to me, and sharing just how special they are to me. I finish my letter, and I feel soooo grateful. It puts me in such a positive space. This past week, I wrote a college professor, who I know didn't remember me, but he really changed my life and how I view the world and has a daily impact on what I do in therapy with my clients. I expected a message back from my high school teacher, who's known me forever and knows my family, but I did not expect (or need) a message back from this professor. I just wanted to let him know that he makes a difference. But wow, his letter back brought me to tears. Again, I KNOW this professor is LOVED at Tufts - all of my friends who took his classes still talk about him. In fact, while I was on vacation, Ashley and I spent an hour discussing what we learned in his class and how it informs our work. But it seems that no one shares these things with him! Here is an excerpt from his letter:
Lindsey! Your kind words brought tears to my eyes! Really! THANK YOU so much for taking the time to write me and share your memories with me. I have NEVER received such a wonderful letter from a student and you should know that your letter has made me rejoice that I am a teacher. As a teacher, I know that I have the potential to influence, in ways both great and small, the course of someone's life. Your marvelous letter is excellent confirmation! THANK YOU SO MUCH. I will cherish your words forever.
I'm still in shock that a) he wrote back - this man is BUSY and b) he doesn't get letters like this all the time because I KNOW every student who takes his class feels similarly to me. But I guess... it took me 11 years to write my high school teacher and 4 years to write my college professor, so maybe people just put it off, think it's unimportant or never reflect back on those influential people - I'm not sure.
But I do know that it makes me feel good to reflect on all the people who have impacted me significantly in a positive way. So far in my gratefulness project, those people are teachers, but I know for others they are bishops, priests, grandparents, babysitters, neighbors, etc., and I also fully intend to contact people who are not teachers. It just so happens that I fell into this gratefulness exercise by contacting a teacher. It's also pointed out to me that people ALWAYS appreciate being told they mean something to you, and why do we hold those things in? Why not take being grateful one step further and share with those we are grateful for what they mean in our lives?
So, that's my challenge to myself and to you, if you'd like to take it on. Email or write one person who you are grateful for every week and tell her/him exactly how much s/he mean to you. Don't expect a response, just be mindful of the gratefulness you feel and recognize how luck you are to have had that particular person in your life. If they do respond, it's an added bonus.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Romantic Comedies
I'm playing around on my computer with Jay Leno in the background, but this joke caught my attention and made me laugh:
New research shows that romantic comedies ruin relationships because women who watch them develop unrealistic expectations... So basically the same thing that porn does for men.
It's so true! I think it's really hard for women these days to be happy in relationships because we grow up with Disney movies telling us our prince will come and we'll live happily ever after. Then we watch romantic comedies that may show some relational turmoil, but in the end, things work out, people end up happy and together.
I'm not going to lie, I love these kinds of movies! I mean, I STILL watch Disney movies, and I regularly watch things like Hitch, The Holiday, Because I Said So, etc. Even further, I really hated movies such as 500 Days of Summer, The Last Kiss, etc. Know why? Because they were realistic! They didn't have happy endings, and I hate when things don't have happy endings. I want to imagine that things will work out, that love overrides difficulties, that people won't hurt each other, even though this CLEARLY isn't the case.
But dang it, I hear everyone's sad stories all week, and OBVIOUSLY my relationships haven't ended happily, so when I want to relax and watch a movie, I don't want realistic, I want what I dream of - the happy ending. I feel like even though Jay Leno's joke was funny, this actually could be hindering my ability to get into good relationships... like maybe my standards are too high. But then I feel like I shouldn't lower my standards - that seems a little desperate.
I don't know - it's something to think about. I think I have realistic expectations about what relationships are actually like and the problems that arise and even when it's time to walk away, but maybe it's a matter of finding someone to be in a relationship with that I am unrealistic about. Maybe this is TMI for a blog..
Just go back up to the top and read that joke again and forget everything else. :)
New research shows that romantic comedies ruin relationships because women who watch them develop unrealistic expectations... So basically the same thing that porn does for men.
It's so true! I think it's really hard for women these days to be happy in relationships because we grow up with Disney movies telling us our prince will come and we'll live happily ever after. Then we watch romantic comedies that may show some relational turmoil, but in the end, things work out, people end up happy and together.
I'm not going to lie, I love these kinds of movies! I mean, I STILL watch Disney movies, and I regularly watch things like Hitch, The Holiday, Because I Said So, etc. Even further, I really hated movies such as 500 Days of Summer, The Last Kiss, etc. Know why? Because they were realistic! They didn't have happy endings, and I hate when things don't have happy endings. I want to imagine that things will work out, that love overrides difficulties, that people won't hurt each other, even though this CLEARLY isn't the case.
But dang it, I hear everyone's sad stories all week, and OBVIOUSLY my relationships haven't ended happily, so when I want to relax and watch a movie, I don't want realistic, I want what I dream of - the happy ending. I feel like even though Jay Leno's joke was funny, this actually could be hindering my ability to get into good relationships... like maybe my standards are too high. But then I feel like I shouldn't lower my standards - that seems a little desperate.
I don't know - it's something to think about. I think I have realistic expectations about what relationships are actually like and the problems that arise and even when it's time to walk away, but maybe it's a matter of finding someone to be in a relationship with that I am unrealistic about. Maybe this is TMI for a blog..
Just go back up to the top and read that joke again and forget everything else. :)
Saturday, July 17, 2010
I'm like... an adult...???
Tonight I took a quick trip to the grocery store at around 10:30 for some essentials that I literally couldn't make it through the night without. There was, of course, only one checker, given the time of night, and there were about 6 people in line ahead of me that were, I would venture to guess, somewhere between ages 23-28. Each of them had one item: a six-pack of beer.
My thought, as I stood in line thumbing through a Cooking Light magazine and feeling slightly annoyed that they didn't all just pay together was, "Oh, they must be having a BBQ or going to the beach tomorrow."
The first girl to check-out pulled out her cell phone, while waiting for the others, and her end of the conversation went something like this:
"Hey babe. Yeah, we're getting the beer now. I think the plan is to go over to B's house, drink the beer and then hit up the bars."
This startled me, and I looked from my magazine to my watch. What startles me more is my thought process that followed:
"Good grief! It's almost 11 o'clock! Who starts drinking this late? Who even goes out this late? Are these college kids? No, they look my age. Do they not realize how late is it? What day is it? Isn't it... Oh, I guess it's Friday... Hmm, do people my age go out this late on the weekends? Don't they have other things to do like studying or sleeping? Wait, is this what normal people who have normal jobs and aren't grad students look like?"
I realize that I'm awake at 2am, but I have been in my PJs since about 11:15 and I've been reading about treatments for various psychological disorders and drinking Diet Dr. Pepper. Let's face it, if I had a "night out," it wouldn't look like that, but most of my "nights out," which admittedly feel very few and far between, start around 6 or 7pm and end by midnight... probably earlier...
When I was in undergrad, I recall a time where 11pm was when the parties started. I didn't realize that carried over into real life... It certainly did not carry over into my life. The only thing I need to complete this picture is a cat.
My thought, as I stood in line thumbing through a Cooking Light magazine and feeling slightly annoyed that they didn't all just pay together was, "Oh, they must be having a BBQ or going to the beach tomorrow."
The first girl to check-out pulled out her cell phone, while waiting for the others, and her end of the conversation went something like this:
"Hey babe. Yeah, we're getting the beer now. I think the plan is to go over to B's house, drink the beer and then hit up the bars."
This startled me, and I looked from my magazine to my watch. What startles me more is my thought process that followed:
"Good grief! It's almost 11 o'clock! Who starts drinking this late? Who even goes out this late? Are these college kids? No, they look my age. Do they not realize how late is it? What day is it? Isn't it... Oh, I guess it's Friday... Hmm, do people my age go out this late on the weekends? Don't they have other things to do like studying or sleeping? Wait, is this what normal people who have normal jobs and aren't grad students look like?"
I realize that I'm awake at 2am, but I have been in my PJs since about 11:15 and I've been reading about treatments for various psychological disorders and drinking Diet Dr. Pepper. Let's face it, if I had a "night out," it wouldn't look like that, but most of my "nights out," which admittedly feel very few and far between, start around 6 or 7pm and end by midnight... probably earlier...
When I was in undergrad, I recall a time where 11pm was when the parties started. I didn't realize that carried over into real life... It certainly did not carry over into my life. The only thing I need to complete this picture is a cat.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Stuff and Things
Clearly, I was distraught when writing my last post. I'm better now, don't worry. I needed a couple days of crying and feeling terrible and watching and reading Harry Potter. Harry Potter seriously gets me through everything - breakups, school stress, the quarterlife crisis and now failing the comp. I'm not sure what it is; possibly a combination some DBT coping skills (distraction, imagery, mini-vacation, mindfully attending to one thing) and simply the fact that when all's said and done, failing my comp (or getting broken up with or constant stress and lack of sleep) are really nothing compared to being hunted by the most evil and powerful wizard of all time and his gang of Death Eaters. I'm just sayin...
Anywho, it also helped to get feedback and discover that my failure of the test was little more than differences in style between a couple of the graders (mine went to a tie-breaking 3rd grader) and myself. I'm not incompetent, and in fact performed quite well on almost all domains of the test. People from all around have come out of the woodwork (colleagues, professors, my own therapist) to tell me that they failed their comp and most importantly that it's just another flaming hoop one has to jump through to get through the punishment that is grad school.
At this very moment, I'm procrastinating from my re-study for the next comp administration on Wednesday. (I'm about to complain, feel free to stop reading). I know it's important to study, and I certainly don't want to fail again, but UGH it sucks so much! It's not even the studying, it's the fact that I have to go sit in a room for another 4.5-6 hours (there was a lot of waiting around during the last administration that lengthened the time I expected to be there by about 2 hours) and go through the anxiety and pain of it all again. I'm getting a knot in my stomach just thinking about it.
In other news, I think I'm doing some good work with my clients, and that is always positive, as well as helpful for me to remember in times like these. I love it when clients surprise me in a good way, especially if it's parents of clients, as they are the ones who will ultimately help their children the most!
I wish you could see my bed right now, there are books everywhere - I feel a little bit like Hermione (sorry, I'm on an HP kick, as mentioned before.) with my bookishness. I've never figured out how to upload photos to this thing (to my credit, I have also never tried), but if I had a picture, you would see the following partially-read books strewn around my bed/nightstand and floor:
Parenting Your Out-of-Control Teenager - Scott P. Sells, Ph.D.
Staying Connected to Your Teenager: How to Keep them Talking to You and How to Hear What They're Really Saying - Michael Riera, Ph.D.
Positive Discipline for Teenagers: Empowering Your Teen and Yourself through Kind and Firm Parenting - Jane Nelsen, Ed.D., Lynn Lott, M.A., M.F.T.
Scream Free Parenting - Hal Edward Runkel, L.M.F.T.
Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder - Marsha M. Linehan, Ph.D.
Women, Food and God - Geneen Roth
Marley and Me - John Grogan
Finished:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling (I think this was my 7th time? Eek, I'm such a freakazoid!)
The Triple Bind - Stephen Hinshaw, Ph.D.
I Am an Emotional Creature - Eve Ensler
Now, I always recommend Harry Potter to anyone, but aside from that, I have to say that The Triple Bind literally changed the way I view... life. It's about adolescent girls and what our culture has done to them, but I think people from my generation can also relate. I HIGHLY recommend this book to any woman, anyone who has daughters (regardless of age), plans on having children in the future, has family/friends/coworkers with daughters or little sisters, works with children or teenagers in any way (Amy, you should read this), etc., etc. It's changed the way I think about myself, my younger cousins, people I grew up with, and especially my clients.
I Am an Emotional Creature was recommended to me by a colleague at practicum - it's also for and about adolescent girls all over the world, written by the same author as the Vagina Monologues. It's a collection of poems and stories, well written, but depressing. I posted my favorite excerpt a few blogs ago, and I feel like that's the one most worth reading unless you are in a depressed kind of mood.
All the parenting books on my list are really so that I can help my clients' parents, and I imagine they will help me to be a better therapist to my clients, as well.
I'll let you know what I think of Women, Food and God when I finish. Right now I think I'm resistant to it, but that's mostly because I know I use food as a means of comfort. It came highly recommended by my best friend.
I'm reading Marley and Me because I loved the movie and also because I read another book by John Grogan called The Longest Trip Home, which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone looking for a book that will make you laugh (a lot) and cry (a little) and think about family, God, life, death and life-after-death.
Anyway, it's nice to be surrounded by books that I'm interested in reading, even if some of them are for work. Now, if I could just pass the comp so that I don't feel guilty about reading them... well, except that then they will serve as procrastination from my dissertation.
Ohhhh procrastination, I suppose I have done enough of that by now, so I leave you with this - totally hilarious and describes my life perfectly!
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/06/this-is-why-ill-never-be-adult.html
Anywho, it also helped to get feedback and discover that my failure of the test was little more than differences in style between a couple of the graders (mine went to a tie-breaking 3rd grader) and myself. I'm not incompetent, and in fact performed quite well on almost all domains of the test. People from all around have come out of the woodwork (colleagues, professors, my own therapist) to tell me that they failed their comp and most importantly that it's just another flaming hoop one has to jump through to get through the punishment that is grad school.
At this very moment, I'm procrastinating from my re-study for the next comp administration on Wednesday. (I'm about to complain, feel free to stop reading). I know it's important to study, and I certainly don't want to fail again, but UGH it sucks so much! It's not even the studying, it's the fact that I have to go sit in a room for another 4.5-6 hours (there was a lot of waiting around during the last administration that lengthened the time I expected to be there by about 2 hours) and go through the anxiety and pain of it all again. I'm getting a knot in my stomach just thinking about it.
In other news, I think I'm doing some good work with my clients, and that is always positive, as well as helpful for me to remember in times like these. I love it when clients surprise me in a good way, especially if it's parents of clients, as they are the ones who will ultimately help their children the most!
I wish you could see my bed right now, there are books everywhere - I feel a little bit like Hermione (sorry, I'm on an HP kick, as mentioned before.) with my bookishness. I've never figured out how to upload photos to this thing (to my credit, I have also never tried), but if I had a picture, you would see the following partially-read books strewn around my bed/nightstand and floor:
Parenting Your Out-of-Control Teenager - Scott P. Sells, Ph.D.
Staying Connected to Your Teenager: How to Keep them Talking to You and How to Hear What They're Really Saying - Michael Riera, Ph.D.
Positive Discipline for Teenagers: Empowering Your Teen and Yourself through Kind and Firm Parenting - Jane Nelsen, Ed.D., Lynn Lott, M.A., M.F.T.
Scream Free Parenting - Hal Edward Runkel, L.M.F.T.
Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder - Marsha M. Linehan, Ph.D.
Women, Food and God - Geneen Roth
Marley and Me - John Grogan
Finished:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling (I think this was my 7th time? Eek, I'm such a freakazoid!)
The Triple Bind - Stephen Hinshaw, Ph.D.
I Am an Emotional Creature - Eve Ensler
Now, I always recommend Harry Potter to anyone, but aside from that, I have to say that The Triple Bind literally changed the way I view... life. It's about adolescent girls and what our culture has done to them, but I think people from my generation can also relate. I HIGHLY recommend this book to any woman, anyone who has daughters (regardless of age), plans on having children in the future, has family/friends/coworkers with daughters or little sisters, works with children or teenagers in any way (Amy, you should read this), etc., etc. It's changed the way I think about myself, my younger cousins, people I grew up with, and especially my clients.
I Am an Emotional Creature was recommended to me by a colleague at practicum - it's also for and about adolescent girls all over the world, written by the same author as the Vagina Monologues. It's a collection of poems and stories, well written, but depressing. I posted my favorite excerpt a few blogs ago, and I feel like that's the one most worth reading unless you are in a depressed kind of mood.
All the parenting books on my list are really so that I can help my clients' parents, and I imagine they will help me to be a better therapist to my clients, as well.
I'll let you know what I think of Women, Food and God when I finish. Right now I think I'm resistant to it, but that's mostly because I know I use food as a means of comfort. It came highly recommended by my best friend.
I'm reading Marley and Me because I loved the movie and also because I read another book by John Grogan called The Longest Trip Home, which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone looking for a book that will make you laugh (a lot) and cry (a little) and think about family, God, life, death and life-after-death.
Anyway, it's nice to be surrounded by books that I'm interested in reading, even if some of them are for work. Now, if I could just pass the comp so that I don't feel guilty about reading them... well, except that then they will serve as procrastination from my dissertation.
Ohhhh procrastination, I suppose I have done enough of that by now, so I leave you with this - totally hilarious and describes my life perfectly!
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/06/this-is-why-ill-never-be-adult.html
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Epic Fail is an Understatement
I failed my comp exam.
I found out at about 11:15 last night, which is another story in and of itself (we were supposed to find out by 5pm on Wednesday).
I was already feeling overwhelmed with how much work I have to get done this summer on my dissertation and internship applications, and now I have to set all that aside and re-study for the retake of this exam.
What if I fail again? I seriously could get kicked out of grad school, not even earning a Master's after 3 years. Then what the heck would I do with my life?
The crazy part is that there have been many times in my life that I have left exams feeling like I failed, and then I did okay, but this time around I actually felt okay about it. I mean, I was unsure, but after going over my notes and diagnoses in the DSM, I felt like I did okay- maybe I got a marginal on a couple sections, but not enough to fail the whole exam.
I have failed things before - a couple of stats tests come to mind, a biopsych test, and an astronomy test... The first paper I turned in at Exeter just had a big red X across it and my teacher made me rewrite it... And I definitely failed some math tests at Exeter... But never before have I felt so... well, for lack of a better word, worthless. I always knew I could bounce back from those failures, but suddenly with this one, my whole future seems to be slipping through my fingers.
I know that sounds dramatic, but seriously, what if I fail it again? What if I actually can't continue in grad school?
There's also the fact that this exam is supposed to be for me to prove to the executive committee that I am a competent clinician. I don't always feel 100% confident in myself as a therapist, but it is something that, up until this point, I feel like I excel at. This failure feels like someone saying, "Actually, you suck at what you do. In fact, maybe you should just pick another career, preferably where people's lives aren't in your hands." And that's my whole... being. I mean, there's not a lot else that I like about myself. Grad school has made me fat and haggard, so I don't feel attractive. I am always busy, so I don't feel particularly fun. I'm good at singing, but I'm not good enough to make it as a musician. So being good at what I do is essentially where I derive my self worth from, and now I'm being told by the school, "Oh forgot all those kids who you helped get off drugs, it doesn't matter that you helped teenagers stop feeling suicidal, you aren't a competent clinician and this exam proves it." It feels like everything I've worked for up to now was just pointless.
I feel empty, and I'm going to go ahead and take back what I have previously said about a broken heart being the worst feeling in the world. Empty is definitely worse. At least with a broken heart, you are hurting over something that seems worthwhile - you feel worthwhile yourself, like you have something to offer someone, otherwise it wouldn't hurt so bad. Emptiness just feels like I really have nothing to offer.
I found out at about 11:15 last night, which is another story in and of itself (we were supposed to find out by 5pm on Wednesday).
I was already feeling overwhelmed with how much work I have to get done this summer on my dissertation and internship applications, and now I have to set all that aside and re-study for the retake of this exam.
What if I fail again? I seriously could get kicked out of grad school, not even earning a Master's after 3 years. Then what the heck would I do with my life?
The crazy part is that there have been many times in my life that I have left exams feeling like I failed, and then I did okay, but this time around I actually felt okay about it. I mean, I was unsure, but after going over my notes and diagnoses in the DSM, I felt like I did okay- maybe I got a marginal on a couple sections, but not enough to fail the whole exam.
I have failed things before - a couple of stats tests come to mind, a biopsych test, and an astronomy test... The first paper I turned in at Exeter just had a big red X across it and my teacher made me rewrite it... And I definitely failed some math tests at Exeter... But never before have I felt so... well, for lack of a better word, worthless. I always knew I could bounce back from those failures, but suddenly with this one, my whole future seems to be slipping through my fingers.
I know that sounds dramatic, but seriously, what if I fail it again? What if I actually can't continue in grad school?
There's also the fact that this exam is supposed to be for me to prove to the executive committee that I am a competent clinician. I don't always feel 100% confident in myself as a therapist, but it is something that, up until this point, I feel like I excel at. This failure feels like someone saying, "Actually, you suck at what you do. In fact, maybe you should just pick another career, preferably where people's lives aren't in your hands." And that's my whole... being. I mean, there's not a lot else that I like about myself. Grad school has made me fat and haggard, so I don't feel attractive. I am always busy, so I don't feel particularly fun. I'm good at singing, but I'm not good enough to make it as a musician. So being good at what I do is essentially where I derive my self worth from, and now I'm being told by the school, "Oh forgot all those kids who you helped get off drugs, it doesn't matter that you helped teenagers stop feeling suicidal, you aren't a competent clinician and this exam proves it." It feels like everything I've worked for up to now was just pointless.
I feel empty, and I'm going to go ahead and take back what I have previously said about a broken heart being the worst feeling in the world. Empty is definitely worse. At least with a broken heart, you are hurting over something that seems worthwhile - you feel worthwhile yourself, like you have something to offer someone, otherwise it wouldn't hurt so bad. Emptiness just feels like I really have nothing to offer.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Hey, I'm back!
Hello avid followers - all 2 of you!
I have emerged from the black hole known as grad school, and I am alive and somewhat well.
In the last month, I have:
-celebrated the marriages of two of my closest friends in the world
--cried many tears in the process of letting those friends go
-written approximately 100 pages of school-related nonsense
-given several presentations
-pulled many all-nighters
-taken two of the hardest exams of my life
-terminated with kid clients, most of whom cried, and one where I couldn't hold back the tears myself because my heart is perhaps a little too big, and sometimes I love too much
-been infuriated with people's parenting, or lack thereof
-attended an 8th grade graduation and felt what can only be described as a "Proud Momma" feeling
-been told by a 14 year old that s/he would have committed suicide if it weren't for me
-been told by a 12 year old that s/he said no to marijuana because of me, even though his/her friends all succumbed
-been told by a 14 year old that I was the only person s/he had, the only person who really knows him/her
-cried a lot
-read The Triple Bind and recommend it to anyone who works with girls, has a child, or ever intends to be a parent
-begun my own therapy, and learned a lot about myself in the process
-achieved a 3.73 final GPA for my classes in grad school
-procrastinated from my dissertation proposal (which is what i'm doing right now)
-found a roommate
--lost that found roommate due to parents who can't let go
-worried
-worried some more
-posted 6 ads on craigslist, as well as roommates.com, roomster.com, facebook, twitter, stanford community housing, google and microsoft lists
-held hands with someone who makes all of those troubles melt away and genuinely makes me feel happy
-been confused by that someone and what exactly holding hands means to him
-seen my friend from Ethiopia for the first time in 3 years, and taken her to the airport to start her new adventures in south africa
-watched 1 world cup game - we lost
-played with tara's girls
-had my first beach trip of 2010
-gotten sunburned
-read "I am an Emotional Creature," which was actually really depressing
-run through the gammut of emotions
-loved my friends
-survived.
And that's what you've missed...
On a somewhat unrelated note, I want to speak about 8th grade graduation at Egan.
There were several student speakers at graduation, all very impressive, but the last of whom I did not know. I was SHOCKED by her speech, not only because it was so advanced that I needed a dictionary, or at least a set of SAT prep vocabulary cards, but also by the message. I'm not going to lie, it was a great speech, and I don't want to take anything away from her. The teachers were whispering about how she was the most amazing student ever and how she's going somewhere.
I hope that's the case. I hope she doesn't end up on the train tracks, like so many other Palo Alto/Los Altos kids.
I can't remember the metaphor she used in the speech, which is funny because I remember thinking that the majority of the 8th graders likely didn't even get the metaphor because it was so abstract and advanced, but the basic gist was that the kids need to try harder, to be better, to strive for more. Normally, I'd say that's a great message. In Los Altos, however, I'm not sure. Yes, of course there are the spoiled brat kids who could use some work/discipline/community service in their lives. Everyone needs that, but there are also the kids whose parents went to Stanford/Harvard/Duke, etc., who feel that they will NEVER be good enough, smart enough, strong enough - who feel like they have to please everyone - their teachers, their parents, their coaches, their friends. They are kids who stay up until 2am doing their homework in 8th grade because they have to get a 4.0 - I wouldn't be surprised if this girl was one of them. They are 13 year olds who are doing extracurriculars, not because they love dancing or singing or sports, but because they "need those things to get into a good college." Yeah, you read that right - 13 and already not enjoying their lives because it's all geared towards being the best, getting into the best college, pleasing everyone. The first time I even thought to do an extracurricular that would beef up my resume was junior year of high school, not 7th or 8th grade. I was busy then, but I loved dancing and cheerleading and music lessons. For these kids, it's just something they have to do. So sad.
In her speech, she said something to the effect of, "It's 7am on Saturday morning. The birds are chirping outside and the whole day is ahead of you. Are you going to roll over and sleep in - waste precious hours that you could be dedicating to helping others or the environment - or are you going to wake up and say, "Today and every day I pledge to make a difference?" We are all busy during the week, attending school, playing sports, doing homework and practicing music - the five days of the week are generally dedicated to bettering ourselves. That means we cannot be wasteful of our weekends. We must choose to dedicate those hours to others - by doing this we will better ourselves and the world. So are you going to roll over and go back to sleep this Saturday morning when the sun appears over the horizon, or are you going to make a difference?"
She makes a valid point, but she is in 8th grade! These kids, who attend the #2 ranked middle school in the state, already work their butts off all week long, and do absurd amounts of extracurriculars, which they don't enjoy, to please other people. They are 13 and 14 years old - CHILDREN! Sure, community service is great, but so is self-care and being a kid! These kids DESERVE a break and to sleep in on Saturday morning, especially the ones who are only sleeping 4-5 hours a night because of their insane workload. 14 year olds need about 10-12 hours of sleep per night - their frontal cortexes are just being to develop important connections! Somehow the culture in this area has made parents insane: Wanting their kids to be the best, they sacrifice sleep and health and CHILDHOOD. And then they wonder why there is an epidemic of 13-17 year olds jumping in front of trains. They wonder why their kids are using drugs and cutting their wrists and sexually promiscuous. The answer is right in front of their faces - this "must-go-to-Stanford" culture has stolen the kids' individuality, their personalities, their freedom, their ability to make decisions for themselves, their last years of childhood, and ultimately, their happiness.
When I have kids, I know I will want them to go to Exeter, to go to good colleges, to succeed. But, more than anything else, I want them to be kids for as long as possible, to raise them to be good people and then step back and let them make choices for themselves, to let them find and pursue their passions, without worrying about whether those passions will get them into an Ivy League. I will show them the joy that service brings as children, but allow them to be egosyntonic in adolescence, with the hope that I have instilled important values, that will manifest more as they mature. I don't want to ever see the light in their eyes dim and eventually go out the way I have seen in so many kids' eyes in this area.
The culture here, in so many ways, is telling us that self-care is unnecessary and selfish, unless it's achievement oriented, but tell me, how is one to care for others and for the world, when s/he does not love him/herself?
***
I did not proof read this, so I apologize for typos or grammatical errors. I also appreciate anyone who actually read through this entire rant!
I have emerged from the black hole known as grad school, and I am alive and somewhat well.
In the last month, I have:
-celebrated the marriages of two of my closest friends in the world
--cried many tears in the process of letting those friends go
-written approximately 100 pages of school-related nonsense
-given several presentations
-pulled many all-nighters
-taken two of the hardest exams of my life
-terminated with kid clients, most of whom cried, and one where I couldn't hold back the tears myself because my heart is perhaps a little too big, and sometimes I love too much
-been infuriated with people's parenting, or lack thereof
-attended an 8th grade graduation and felt what can only be described as a "Proud Momma" feeling
-been told by a 14 year old that s/he would have committed suicide if it weren't for me
-been told by a 12 year old that s/he said no to marijuana because of me, even though his/her friends all succumbed
-been told by a 14 year old that I was the only person s/he had, the only person who really knows him/her
-cried a lot
-read The Triple Bind and recommend it to anyone who works with girls, has a child, or ever intends to be a parent
-begun my own therapy, and learned a lot about myself in the process
-achieved a 3.73 final GPA for my classes in grad school
-procrastinated from my dissertation proposal (which is what i'm doing right now)
-found a roommate
--lost that found roommate due to parents who can't let go
-worried
-worried some more
-posted 6 ads on craigslist, as well as roommates.com, roomster.com, facebook, twitter, stanford community housing, google and microsoft lists
-held hands with someone who makes all of those troubles melt away and genuinely makes me feel happy
-been confused by that someone and what exactly holding hands means to him
-seen my friend from Ethiopia for the first time in 3 years, and taken her to the airport to start her new adventures in south africa
-watched 1 world cup game - we lost
-played with tara's girls
-had my first beach trip of 2010
-gotten sunburned
-read "I am an Emotional Creature," which was actually really depressing
-run through the gammut of emotions
-loved my friends
-survived.
And that's what you've missed...
On a somewhat unrelated note, I want to speak about 8th grade graduation at Egan.
There were several student speakers at graduation, all very impressive, but the last of whom I did not know. I was SHOCKED by her speech, not only because it was so advanced that I needed a dictionary, or at least a set of SAT prep vocabulary cards, but also by the message. I'm not going to lie, it was a great speech, and I don't want to take anything away from her. The teachers were whispering about how she was the most amazing student ever and how she's going somewhere.
I hope that's the case. I hope she doesn't end up on the train tracks, like so many other Palo Alto/Los Altos kids.
I can't remember the metaphor she used in the speech, which is funny because I remember thinking that the majority of the 8th graders likely didn't even get the metaphor because it was so abstract and advanced, but the basic gist was that the kids need to try harder, to be better, to strive for more. Normally, I'd say that's a great message. In Los Altos, however, I'm not sure. Yes, of course there are the spoiled brat kids who could use some work/discipline/community service in their lives. Everyone needs that, but there are also the kids whose parents went to Stanford/Harvard/Duke, etc., who feel that they will NEVER be good enough, smart enough, strong enough - who feel like they have to please everyone - their teachers, their parents, their coaches, their friends. They are kids who stay up until 2am doing their homework in 8th grade because they have to get a 4.0 - I wouldn't be surprised if this girl was one of them. They are 13 year olds who are doing extracurriculars, not because they love dancing or singing or sports, but because they "need those things to get into a good college." Yeah, you read that right - 13 and already not enjoying their lives because it's all geared towards being the best, getting into the best college, pleasing everyone. The first time I even thought to do an extracurricular that would beef up my resume was junior year of high school, not 7th or 8th grade. I was busy then, but I loved dancing and cheerleading and music lessons. For these kids, it's just something they have to do. So sad.
In her speech, she said something to the effect of, "It's 7am on Saturday morning. The birds are chirping outside and the whole day is ahead of you. Are you going to roll over and sleep in - waste precious hours that you could be dedicating to helping others or the environment - or are you going to wake up and say, "Today and every day I pledge to make a difference?" We are all busy during the week, attending school, playing sports, doing homework and practicing music - the five days of the week are generally dedicated to bettering ourselves. That means we cannot be wasteful of our weekends. We must choose to dedicate those hours to others - by doing this we will better ourselves and the world. So are you going to roll over and go back to sleep this Saturday morning when the sun appears over the horizon, or are you going to make a difference?"
She makes a valid point, but she is in 8th grade! These kids, who attend the #2 ranked middle school in the state, already work their butts off all week long, and do absurd amounts of extracurriculars, which they don't enjoy, to please other people. They are 13 and 14 years old - CHILDREN! Sure, community service is great, but so is self-care and being a kid! These kids DESERVE a break and to sleep in on Saturday morning, especially the ones who are only sleeping 4-5 hours a night because of their insane workload. 14 year olds need about 10-12 hours of sleep per night - their frontal cortexes are just being to develop important connections! Somehow the culture in this area has made parents insane: Wanting their kids to be the best, they sacrifice sleep and health and CHILDHOOD. And then they wonder why there is an epidemic of 13-17 year olds jumping in front of trains. They wonder why their kids are using drugs and cutting their wrists and sexually promiscuous. The answer is right in front of their faces - this "must-go-to-Stanford" culture has stolen the kids' individuality, their personalities, their freedom, their ability to make decisions for themselves, their last years of childhood, and ultimately, their happiness.
When I have kids, I know I will want them to go to Exeter, to go to good colleges, to succeed. But, more than anything else, I want them to be kids for as long as possible, to raise them to be good people and then step back and let them make choices for themselves, to let them find and pursue their passions, without worrying about whether those passions will get them into an Ivy League. I will show them the joy that service brings as children, but allow them to be egosyntonic in adolescence, with the hope that I have instilled important values, that will manifest more as they mature. I don't want to ever see the light in their eyes dim and eventually go out the way I have seen in so many kids' eyes in this area.
The culture here, in so many ways, is telling us that self-care is unnecessary and selfish, unless it's achievement oriented, but tell me, how is one to care for others and for the world, when s/he does not love him/herself?
***
I did not proof read this, so I apologize for typos or grammatical errors. I also appreciate anyone who actually read through this entire rant!
Excerpt from Eve Ensler's, "I Am an Emotional Creature"
I love being a girl.
I can feel what you're feeling
as you're feeling it inside
the feeling
before.
I am an emotional creature.
Things do not come to me
as intellectual theories or hard-shaped ideas.
They pulse through my organs and legs
and burn up my ears...
I am an emotional creature.
I love that I do not take things lightly.
Everything is intense to me...
I know that one kiss can take
away all my decision-making ability
and sometimes, you know, it should.
This is not extreme.
It's a girl thing...
I love that I can feel the inside
of the feelings in you,
even if it stops my life
even if it hurts too much
or takes me off track
even if it breaks my heart.
It makes me responsible.
I am an emotional
I am an emotional, devotional,
incandotional creature.
And I love, hear me,
love love love
being a girl. - Eve Ensler
I can feel what you're feeling
as you're feeling it inside
the feeling
before.
I am an emotional creature.
Things do not come to me
as intellectual theories or hard-shaped ideas.
They pulse through my organs and legs
and burn up my ears...
I am an emotional creature.
I love that I do not take things lightly.
Everything is intense to me...
I know that one kiss can take
away all my decision-making ability
and sometimes, you know, it should.
This is not extreme.
It's a girl thing...
I love that I can feel the inside
of the feelings in you,
even if it stops my life
even if it hurts too much
or takes me off track
even if it breaks my heart.
It makes me responsible.
I am an emotional
I am an emotional, devotional,
incandotional creature.
And I love, hear me,
love love love
being a girl. - Eve Ensler
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)