183.2 It's Simple But It's Not Easy

You know how on some days, disparate things come together? On Friday I attended a discussion at Paradise Valley Community College on using non-judgmental language in the classroom, and then I had a great phone conversation with Jennifer Scott. I hadn't expected the two events to have anything to do with each other, but they surely did.

During the non-judgmental discussion, the leader, a math prof and former therapist, talked about how she never tells her students that something is easy, because if they don't get it and she's said it is easy, it invites them to think that they are stupid. (The community college population is very different from that of a traditional four year institution. Often the students were not on a college track in high school, or they may be older and are trying to enter a college setting after being out of school for a while. In other words, confidence is usually not a strong suit for these students.) So she tells them that a concept is simple but it is not easy. She had many more great things to share with us, but this is the one that struck me as I was talking to Jennifer later that afternoon.

We were talking about the challenge that I'm facing in terms of maintenance and what she responded with is very simple, but for me it has not been easy. Exercise and consciousness...she repeated those two words several times during our conversation and the big click occurred when I realized that it is simple, but it is not easy. I love it when things like that occur because it is validation that I get it.

I wish I had had this insight when I was raising my children, this knowledge about how important language is on the listener's view of him or herself. Another example the discussion leader gave was to never tell someone that he or she isn't stupid. Research has shown that the person hears stupid (forget that you said not stupid) and the damage is done. One more thing she said that struck me is how special you can make a person feel if you simply say that you were thinking about them and wondered....

As you can see, I did get a lot out of this opportunity at the college. I'm so glad I went.

Feeling Much Better... About Everything!

Today was a great day. My weight dropped somewhat, but not enough to post. I walked yesterday and today first thing in the morning and so I felt good all day long because I was taking charge instead of feeling helpless.

I returned to Paradise Valley Community College today to teach ESL after being away since the spring semester ended in early May. It just feels great to be appreciated. There were hugs from students I had last year, and there were many new students that I look forward to getting to know. I had more students today than I've ever had. There were students from China, Iraq, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Mexico, Palestine, and Peru. The students include a 20 year old from China, who had arrived in the U.S. last month. I also have a Russian chemistry professor, who wants to improve his English so that he can work as a scientist here. Each student has a story to tell and I applaud their courage and initiative, and their desire to improve their lives as evidenced by their hard work to improve their English.

I'll be gone for the next few days as I mentioned in yesterday's post. I'll connect at the beginning of next week.

175.6 So, Today I'm Tired

I'm tired of being good around food I told Jeff. I'm tired of wanting to drink wine and eat and eat and at the same time not really wanting to do that. I think I am in a serious state of conflict, and, I'm tired.

I woke up a lot during the night, and stayed awake after waking up at around 5 AM. And I had to have a fasting blood draw at 8:30 this morning and then I had to teach at PVCC and then go back down to tutor the Japanese businessman late this afternoon. There's a lot of driving involved when you live a half hour from everything, especially when you are tired.

So tonight, I'll have a healthy dinner cooked by dear Jeff and be in a much better frame of mind in the morning. I'm never at my best when I'm tired.

172.4 One More Thing, Bob

I forgot to mention the exercise piece and so I sent him a second email about it. I recommended a book to him that my dear friend Loretta told me about called Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You're 80 and Beyond by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge. There are actually two books. This title is for men, and there is a second edition written for women, Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You're 80 and Beyond For Women, by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge. These books stress the importance of exercise and are very motivating and make a lot of sense. Actually, the message is very exciting, that you can help your body become younger through exercise.

I just had another great morning with my ESL group and thought I'd show off the Paradise Valley Community College campus. It is a lovely oasis in the desert.

171.8 Standing For and Standing Up Straighter

Today I started back at PVCC teaching English as a Second Language. It's funny what you take for granted. I was teaching them the meaning of the phrase "stands for" which means "means" :), and learned that most of the students hadn't known that ESL stood for English as a Second Language. (PVCC stands for Paradise Valley Community College.)

And speaking of standing, when I walked in the area where I teach, I was told that I was standing much straighter! At first I couldn't imagine why that would be or that I hadn't been standing up straight in the past, but then I got it! I've been doing a lot of core work with my physical therapist as we've been trying to get my pelvis into better alignment. So, yes!, with all that work I've been doing to strengthen my abs, I bet I do stand straighter. For me it's always been hard to envision what I really look like on the outside. I thought I'd been standing ramrod straight for quite a while now. Hmmmm.