Category Archives: consciousness

Dancing off on a tangent…

I’ve waxed ecstatic about Swing Dancing, but there are aspects of dancing which I don’t care for.  One is the learning part.   If I had it to do over again, I would only go to the occasional workshop rather than … Continue reading

Posted in consciousness, dancing, Feelings, imperfection, modern life, reflections, values | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“A Hard Name” – the documentary

The other night, for the second time in a week, I watched the TV Ontario  documentary A Hard Name.*  No doubt I’ll watch it again.  This is unusual behavior for me, but I know I’ll realize something new yet again, … Continue reading

Posted in child abuse, consciousness, convicts, criminal, parenting, pedophile, reflections, social justice | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Gay’ as I’ve known it…

I must have been 14, when my friend June informed me that there were boys who preferred boys instead of girls. “They’re called ‘queer’”, she said.   I still remember some of my mixed reactions: weird; interesting; and concern that this … Continue reading

Posted in awareness, causes, consciousness, education, friendship, gay, history, homosexuality, ignorance, Inclusion, love, modern life, personal growth, Reflection, reflections, values | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hearing….

The point of acknowledging a ‘disability’, in my opinion, is to raise an alert, for a need for consideration and accommodation.   So just as someone in a wheelchair needs a ramp in order to participate in certain events so does … Continue reading

Posted in awareness, compassion, consciousness, deafness, ignorance, Inclusion, Reflection, reflections, values | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Personal power: Food, etc.

Back in 2006, I mused as follows: “Just when I think I’m in charge of my life, I discover myself eating that extra two hundred calories, or not bothering to get any exercise.   Just when I think I’m feeling … Continue reading

Posted in awareness, consciousness, diet, Feelings, food, personal growth, personal power, Power, psychology, reflections | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

There but for luck…#2

I’ll call him Mr. Suburbia because he had to move a long way out of the city to find an affordable room.   At some point he developed brain damage – he believes caused by Paxil, though the frontal part of … Continue reading

Posted in communication, compassion, consciousness, Feelings, ignorance, Inclusion, psychology, Reflection, schizophrenia, suicide, values | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There but for luck… #1

Not everyone has the good fortune to talk with people who “live the life” in the street or at a level of extreme poverty.  I’ve had that opportunity on many occasions for reasons not relevant here. But every time I … Continue reading

Posted in causes, compassion, consciousness, education, Inclusion, personal growth, personal power, poverty, Reflection, schizophrenia, suicide, values | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lost friends #2

Seems to me there’s a lesson learned with each lost friend – as with all of life’s significant experiences. When the friendship is lost through death, there are perhaps different types of lessons, but they are there for the plucking … Continue reading

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Attack of stigma…

I have asked what changes we might be willing to make, as neighbours, as friends, as relatives, as a society, that would contribute to eliminating stigma*.  I didn’t ask the question because I had an answer, but because I wanted … Continue reading

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Lost potential…

“R” and I sat glued to our conversation, astonished and excited that, by some amazing coincidence, we both had a passionate interest in what we were talking about: how mental distress tends to be handled  by the psychiatric or medical … Continue reading

Posted in causes, compassion, consciousness, education, ignorance, Inclusion, personal growth, Poetry, psychology, reflections, schizophrenia, suicide | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment