ARCHIVE - Sandy's blog

ARCHIVE - EMP and the Beautiful Day

Sandy — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:31:56 -0800

This adventure was so cool! I haven’t been on a field trip since my kids were in elementary school. I always enjoy traveling (curiosity and interest in the world is my second top strength), and I got to do it with a great bunch of people. The day was a beautiful one (awe at nature). Everyone was in a good mood and looking forward to the day (zest). Sue was a wonderful van hostess making sure we were all comfortable and showing us how we could each regulate the temperature for our spots (kindness). I expressed gratitude that she volunteered to drive; she was generous to do so. She made us laugh and egg her on when she raced the other van (playfulness). This brought back memories of the days I was a Girl Scout leader, and we would try to be the first one to make it to the campsite. I turned up the heat and was soon fast asleep (authenticity). I have the best naps in cars. We arrived at the Experience Music Project, and everyone was buzzing and giving direction on where to go (social support). Our tour guide, Victor, was bright, enthusiastic and good at welcoming us. He had an ease with the crowd, and it seemed to me he had the gift of leadership. I had been to the EMP before, and knew we would be surrounded by creativity. I was happy to be there even if it was a repeat (happiness set point). Since I had not seen the science fiction museum, that is where I spent most of my time. Most everyone else had gone to the music section, so it was nice to see Jacob when he came along. It was fun to be reminded of shows that I used to love as a kid, Lost in Space, My Favorite Martian, and Star Trek. I’m not a big movie watcher, but I saw a couple that looked interesting – The Matrix and Bladerunner. There were two things I really enjoyed. I love history, and there was a history timeline in the Sci Fi museum, though I’m not really sure how it related, except maybe to point out where we had come from and how long it took to get the technology we have nowadays, and how creative people have been (perspective). Science Fiction has always looked to the future, and many of the concepts and technologies shown in Sci Fi flicks have come to pass. Sci Fi has also embraced bravery in exploration and discovery. The best part was the film on the glassblower, and his glass spaceships displayed in their own private room. How creative is that? I have never seen glass molded in such a way.

ARCHIVE - A Beautiful Day

Sandy — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:51:28 -0800

Unfortunately due to time constraints, I was not able to fully live a beautiful day as I would really like. This would entail a hike in the forest with a couple of friends. We would go to someplace like Staircase, only I would choose a place to go that I haven’t been before. Anyone have any suggestions on a good place to go? We would take a picnic lunch and sit by the river and watch its currents. We would smell the fresh air and look at th

ARCHIVE - The Resilience Factor

Sandy — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:41:57 -0800

The book “The Resilience Factor presents nothing that I haven’t heard before. The terminology is just stated in some different descriptive labels such as ticker tape thoughts iceberg beliefs, and amygdala hijack. Even the term resilience in this book means nothing more than the ability to look at things with a positive viewpoint. The book is repetitive, and thorough. Being in the self-help genre, I can understand why it was written in this way. The terms are easy to remember, and the repetition helps with memory as well. I preferred the style of Introduction to Positive Psychology because I am used to that type of presentation as a university student, but I can see that this more folksy type of writing with lots of stories and examples is more of a fun read and helps immensely with clarity for the person who may not have had very much, or any kind, of introduction to psychological thinking and terminology. I even enjoyed it when the lead author used examples from his own or his co-author’s life. However, the book came across as a made-for-tv promise that will slice, dice and perfect your life in one easy read. Not everyone will be able to, or possibly should, apply this information on their own.

ARCHIVE - Three Blessings

Sandy — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:58:39 -0800

Counting my blessings is something that I regularly do throughout the day, and especially when I say my prayers before going to bed. I realize there is a therapeutic effect when writing down thoughts, so I thought this would be a different experience. It was, in a good way and a bad way.

Writing down my blessings and why each happened, made me think more about my role in what happens in my life. I already realize that the little everyday things in life are important, but actively pondering on the specifics help me to appreciate my friends even more. It also helps me to track my progress in becoming the person I want to be.

ARCHIVE - Gratitude Letter

Sandy — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:57:07 -0800

The gratitude letter exercise was absolutely the best! I realized that there were several people I could write to, and also know there’s nothing keeping me from doing so – no dilemma here. The professors I work with are incredibly nice and supportive people. I have also become close friends with many of the students in our program, and they have listened when I needed to be heard, and shared their stories with me. Many amazing people that are friends from my church showed their care and concern when I was going through my divorce.