my list of wishes that are going to unfold:
to visit animal sanctuaries and help care for the animals.
to be open to learning, creating, and loving in all their many forms.
to adopt a couple of rescue pigs and take care of them in our home (if they're smaller) or in our yard (if they're gigantic).
to adopt some additional animals...dogs, hens, whatever else may need a home at the time.
to live on a good-sized space of land (for all the animals to roam freely in nature) in a small-sized home (cozy and quaint, solar and/or wind powered, minimally furnished, with open space to play.... i've been creating a design for it and changing it a bit with new ideas) with a garden (like we have now: enough to feed our bellies, with some to share with others), and good friends nearby to share tea and conversation and laughter.
to become certified as a psychiatric nurse and/or holistic nurse
to travel with josh to planned (east and west coast of canada, japan, india, new zealand, italy, st. john's island...) and unplanned places and appreciate relationships everywhere.
ooooo, i can't wait for our pooches to make friends with some pigs!
the list may grow or change with time. that's one of the surprises of life!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
human and animal beings
on september 25, 2006, josh and i met dr. jane goodall at the caboto club in windsor, ontario.
she is inspiring. she spoke, we listened.
one of the stories that she shared is also told in her book, the ten trusts: what we must do to care for the animals we love. here is the story for you to read:
it is about a chimpanzee called jojo, who was born in africa. when he was about two ears old, his mother was shot and he was taken from her bleeding body and shipped to america. for many years he lived alone in a small, barren cage. eventually money was raised to build a large enclosure surrounded by a moat (since chimps cannot swim). nineteen other chimpanzees were purchased, introduced to each other, then released into the enclosure.
one day one of the other males challenged jojo, who ran into the water. he managed to scramble over the fence intended to stop the chimps from drowning in the deep water beyond. three times jojo surfaced, gasping for air, then he was gone. on the other side of the moat was a small group of people. a keeper ran to get a long pole. lucky for jojo, a zoo visitor named rick swope was there with his family. he takes them one day each year. rick jumped in and swam, feeling under the water, until he touched jojo's inert body. heaving the dead weight over his shoulder, he scrambled over the fence, pushed jojo onto the shore of the exhibit, and started back toward his family.
suddenly the human onlookers began screaming at rick to hurry. from their elevated position they could see three big males, hair bristling, moving toward the scene. at the same time jojo was sliding back into the water--the bank was too steep. a woman happened to capture the scene on video. we see rick standing by the fence. he looks up toward his family, then to where three males are approaching, then down at jojo who is just vanishing into the water again. for a moment, rick is motionless. then he goes back, again pushes jojo up onto the land, and waits there, ignoring his frantic family, until-- just in time-- jojo manages to seize a clump of grass and pull himself up to where the ground is level. and --just in time-- rick gets back over the fence.
that evening the video was beamed across north american television channels. the director of jgi saw it. he called rick. "that was a very brave thing you did. what made you do it?"
"well you see," replied rick, "i happened to look into his eyes, and it was like looking into the eyes of a man. and the message was 'won't anybody help me?'"
she is inspiring. she spoke, we listened.
one of the stories that she shared is also told in her book, the ten trusts: what we must do to care for the animals we love. here is the story for you to read:
it is about a chimpanzee called jojo, who was born in africa. when he was about two ears old, his mother was shot and he was taken from her bleeding body and shipped to america. for many years he lived alone in a small, barren cage. eventually money was raised to build a large enclosure surrounded by a moat (since chimps cannot swim). nineteen other chimpanzees were purchased, introduced to each other, then released into the enclosure.
one day one of the other males challenged jojo, who ran into the water. he managed to scramble over the fence intended to stop the chimps from drowning in the deep water beyond. three times jojo surfaced, gasping for air, then he was gone. on the other side of the moat was a small group of people. a keeper ran to get a long pole. lucky for jojo, a zoo visitor named rick swope was there with his family. he takes them one day each year. rick jumped in and swam, feeling under the water, until he touched jojo's inert body. heaving the dead weight over his shoulder, he scrambled over the fence, pushed jojo onto the shore of the exhibit, and started back toward his family.
suddenly the human onlookers began screaming at rick to hurry. from their elevated position they could see three big males, hair bristling, moving toward the scene. at the same time jojo was sliding back into the water--the bank was too steep. a woman happened to capture the scene on video. we see rick standing by the fence. he looks up toward his family, then to where three males are approaching, then down at jojo who is just vanishing into the water again. for a moment, rick is motionless. then he goes back, again pushes jojo up onto the land, and waits there, ignoring his frantic family, until-- just in time-- jojo manages to seize a clump of grass and pull himself up to where the ground is level. and --just in time-- rick gets back over the fence.
that evening the video was beamed across north american television channels. the director of jgi saw it. he called rick. "that was a very brave thing you did. what made you do it?"
"well you see," replied rick, "i happened to look into his eyes, and it was like looking into the eyes of a man. and the message was 'won't anybody help me?'"
Friday, January 11, 2008
simple delights
i am delighted by the senses.
delighted.
this is a compilation of just some of the many delights that i am grateful for at this moment.
the coolness of the wood floor on my bare feet in the morning. the open, unlimited feeling of a new day. the sound (and sight!) of josh laughing. his facial stubble on my cheek when his moist lips touch mine. the firmness of my yoga bolster supporting my back so that my heart can open up more freely. the heaviness of a mug balanced on my bottom lip, while hot tea greets my upper lip. the silkiness of a warm bath with a few drops of oil added in. the most delicious and decadent deodorant in the world that that i've been wearing for years and people actually comment that i smell good and ask "what is that scent you're wearing?" (all the credit goes to dr. hauschka's "floral" under my arms! hah!). the cozy softness of organic cotton and/or hemp clothing....amazing....once you feel it, you won't want any other fabric wrapped around your skin. the heat of the breath between the upper lip and the bottom of the nose on a lengthy exhalation. the smell, the sight, the taste of any one of josh's meals: spinach lasagna, potato leek soup, fresh avocado, onion, tomato and brussel sprout sandwich with parmesan grilled toast and dijon, etc. etc. (thank you, josh!) the creaminess of chocolate melting on my tongue for dessert. the sweetness of my nephew's voice saying "come. come look!". holding a hand-written (paper!) letter from a dear friend in my hand. the feel of my heart smiling when i see josh napping on his side with one dog sleeping behind the bend in his knees and the other dog sleeping in front of the bend in his hips. the orange-fuchsia sunset stretched across the sky. the joy in the voices of patients during karaoke night at the hospital. the cool, crisp air that numbs my cheeks when i step outside. the wood plus fire = crackles of the fireplace. the lovely, gritty, textured sound of music from the record player. the aliveness of each cell, awake, after dancing. the smoothness of fresh, clean cotton sheets to slide between at night. the contented sigh miles lets out as he plops down next to me. the warmth of my pooch's body, the softness of his coat, curled up against my belly. the earthy smell of my dogs' paws. the rush of excitement when josh returns home. the spaciousness of night and delight of anticipated sleep.
thanks be.
delighted.
this is a compilation of just some of the many delights that i am grateful for at this moment.
the coolness of the wood floor on my bare feet in the morning. the open, unlimited feeling of a new day. the sound (and sight!) of josh laughing. his facial stubble on my cheek when his moist lips touch mine. the firmness of my yoga bolster supporting my back so that my heart can open up more freely. the heaviness of a mug balanced on my bottom lip, while hot tea greets my upper lip. the silkiness of a warm bath with a few drops of oil added in. the most delicious and decadent deodorant in the world that that i've been wearing for years and people actually comment that i smell good and ask "what is that scent you're wearing?" (all the credit goes to dr. hauschka's "floral" under my arms! hah!). the cozy softness of organic cotton and/or hemp clothing....amazing....once you feel it, you won't want any other fabric wrapped around your skin. the heat of the breath between the upper lip and the bottom of the nose on a lengthy exhalation. the smell, the sight, the taste of any one of josh's meals: spinach lasagna, potato leek soup, fresh avocado, onion, tomato and brussel sprout sandwich with parmesan grilled toast and dijon, etc. etc. (thank you, josh!) the creaminess of chocolate melting on my tongue for dessert. the sweetness of my nephew's voice saying "come. come look!". holding a hand-written (paper!) letter from a dear friend in my hand. the feel of my heart smiling when i see josh napping on his side with one dog sleeping behind the bend in his knees and the other dog sleeping in front of the bend in his hips. the orange-fuchsia sunset stretched across the sky. the joy in the voices of patients during karaoke night at the hospital. the cool, crisp air that numbs my cheeks when i step outside. the wood plus fire = crackles of the fireplace. the lovely, gritty, textured sound of music from the record player. the aliveness of each cell, awake, after dancing. the smoothness of fresh, clean cotton sheets to slide between at night. the contented sigh miles lets out as he plops down next to me. the warmth of my pooch's body, the softness of his coat, curled up against my belly. the earthy smell of my dogs' paws. the rush of excitement when josh returns home. the spaciousness of night and delight of anticipated sleep.
thanks be.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
slumber parties
i love my work.
i love where i work. i love the people i get to work with. i love the complexity of people. i love that i work with a group of patients who are highly acute (perhaps that's redundant). i love being a mental/behavioral health nurse (a.k.a. psych nurse). i love caring for people and doing my best, at my part, to provide a safe and therapeutic experience for each one. and i love that every day the experience is different......one never knows what the shift will bring.
usually, the unit i work on is quite intense. males and females ages 18 and older with a unique reason to be there. some are very psychotic (which presents in sooo many different ways. often delusional or experiencing hallucinations of some type), some are easily agitated and aggressive (and/or homicidal), some are very depressed and at high risk for suicide (which in that case are on 1:1 with staff always being one arm-length away), some abuse substances, some have sexual disorders, some have personality disorders, etc. etc. the list goes on. most of the folks who are on this unit are there to be closely monitored.
the last few weeks we had a bad mix of folks. there's no other way to say it. out of the 23 patients on our unit, at least 5 were highly aggressive, a few were extremely sexually inappropriate, one a very quick and challenging 1:1, and several highly psychotic. you can imagine what happens when all are mixed together. then, many were discharged.
there's a new mix now.
last night was the quietest evening since i've worked there. there were two people who became agitated and had a little outburst, but overall smooth and serene. one patient (who arrived acutely psychotic a couple of months ago and only recently has started to interact with staff) said last night, "this is like a slumber party for adults here". it made me smile, as that's a perspective i haven't heard before.
i love where i work. i love the people i get to work with. i love the complexity of people. i love that i work with a group of patients who are highly acute (perhaps that's redundant). i love being a mental/behavioral health nurse (a.k.a. psych nurse). i love caring for people and doing my best, at my part, to provide a safe and therapeutic experience for each one. and i love that every day the experience is different......one never knows what the shift will bring.
usually, the unit i work on is quite intense. males and females ages 18 and older with a unique reason to be there. some are very psychotic (which presents in sooo many different ways. often delusional or experiencing hallucinations of some type), some are easily agitated and aggressive (and/or homicidal), some are very depressed and at high risk for suicide (which in that case are on 1:1 with staff always being one arm-length away), some abuse substances, some have sexual disorders, some have personality disorders, etc. etc. the list goes on. most of the folks who are on this unit are there to be closely monitored.
the last few weeks we had a bad mix of folks. there's no other way to say it. out of the 23 patients on our unit, at least 5 were highly aggressive, a few were extremely sexually inappropriate, one a very quick and challenging 1:1, and several highly psychotic. you can imagine what happens when all are mixed together. then, many were discharged.
there's a new mix now.
last night was the quietest evening since i've worked there. there were two people who became agitated and had a little outburst, but overall smooth and serene. one patient (who arrived acutely psychotic a couple of months ago and only recently has started to interact with staff) said last night, "this is like a slumber party for adults here". it made me smile, as that's a perspective i haven't heard before.
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