Support. This word means a lot of things to me. In my life it has meant a helping hand, a smile, encouragement...anything that helps "hold me together" or "lift me up" so that I can continue to meet my challenges head on and complete my goals.
My current challenge is completing this degree and finding a career in the field. At my age, I think I am too old for this but I know that is just the negative side of things trying to hold me back. My current supports as far as the people in my life go are my sister, my mother, and my friends.
There are also the supports in the community that I use often to help me along with this challenge. I currently use the food banks in my area to help supplement the food I cannot afford while working and going to school. The money I earn from my full-time job is enough to pay only part of the rent. The extra money I earn and get from financial aid goes to pay the rest of the rent and the utilities, gas for the car, maintenance for the car, and other medical and dental emergencies we are paying for. The food bank is a great support because there have been times when we were at a loss and the food banks really helped.
Another community support that really got me out of a bind was the Community Action Partnership. They helped pay my gas and electric bills when I was about to have them turned off for non-payment.
I also consider the support of my classmates and colleagues as a support in the terms of how they keep me motivated. I read discussions and discuss things with these people who all share a vision of reaching our goals with this degree. We support each other by helping each other see that what we are doing and saying and thinking is valid, valuable and necessary. Without this support I think I would just drop-out and find some simple 9 to 5 job as a cashier somewhere and be happy that way. But that is not my calling. Through this endeavor, I am seeing more and more that I belong here...doing what I am doing and that my work matters.
The people in my life help me with emotional support and monetary support when they can. They too struggle in this economy and we are all trying to "make ends meet." At this point in my life I feel like I should be doing better than I am and I am very hard on myself. I am embarrassed for not being able to provide for my son and for not being able to find a better-paying job (although I am looking and applying day and night everyday). When I get down on myself for all that I have not been able to do but should have been able to do, my friends and family are there to keep me feeling good and keeping my head up and focused on the goal. I do not take meds to help with my anxiety and stress, I turn to friends who make me laugh, listen to me cry, and have my best interests at heart. I love them for it and I am so fortunate that they love me too. They take me dancing, to live music concerts, the pose for portraits for me, and they hug me.
Without these supports...the impact on my life would be huge. I know there have been several times I was near a break-down and a friend or family member pulled me out. Supported me and that was huge. I do not think I would be as successful without these supports. I wouldn't be dead or homeless, but I would be sad, unmotivated, and I would give up.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
My Connections to Play
Two Quotes about Play:
"We don't stop playing because we grow older. We grow older because we stop playing."
~George Bernard Shaw
"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."
~Plato
Play in my Childhood and Adult Life: I loved being outdoors when I was a child. My grandmother and grandfather lived in Pasadena on a plot of land that was next to an empty field that later became a park. My grandpa built the house they lived in and he created a splendid cactus garden out front that I loved. I adore cactus to this day. I am still a big kid to this day. I love playing with the kids in my class and at summer camp. I still play jump rope. I love teaching the kids at camp jump rope and hand-clapping games. I love to be outdoors doing photography. That always keeps me in a good mood. I like to play board games and just sit under the sun on a nice day. I like to color in coloring books or create my own pictures and doodles.
Who Supported My Childhood Play: My grandparents always wanted us to play outside. They had us climbing the apple tree picking apples, playing in the sand box in the back yard, playing with the dogs, picking avocados, tending to the cactus garden, painting, drawing and writing about our days. My grandmother also taught us all how to sew and she would have us compete against each other to see who could make the silliest thing from her scraps. We took needle and thread and would sew for hours by hand.
Items for Ideal Play in my Fantasy Dream: I would definitely have to have some good old-fashioned outdoor fun in my ideal childhood play area/time:
binoculars, nets, bug boxes, sketch paper or field journal, markers, crayons, colored pencils, paint, easel, mountain or desert retreat space, camping supplies (tent etc), field guides for all manner of flora and fauna that live in the area, a tree house, gardening tools, telescope, and some friends of course!
How Play has Changed: Although times have changed, kids do still get out for the most part and play. I work for a summer day camp and we are outdoors all the time. The kids get a break from the electronic games and things and enjoy water fights, horse-back riding, caring for other farm animals, playing field games, telling jokes, swimming everyday, field trips everyday, planning a talent show, cooking, grilling, arts, crafts and more. It is a great opportunity to let kids run free and decompress from the confines of the classroom. I believe children still get out and play just not as much as they used to. My son still plays the old board games I used to play. He has introduced his friends to them. He also enjoys playing video and computer games too. He is a thinker and like to write. He also like to go on long walks. He swims and goes bike riding for fun as well.
"We don't stop playing because we grow older. We grow older because we stop playing."
~George Bernard Shaw
"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."
~Plato
Play in my Childhood and Adult Life: I loved being outdoors when I was a child. My grandmother and grandfather lived in Pasadena on a plot of land that was next to an empty field that later became a park. My grandpa built the house they lived in and he created a splendid cactus garden out front that I loved. I adore cactus to this day. I am still a big kid to this day. I love playing with the kids in my class and at summer camp. I still play jump rope. I love teaching the kids at camp jump rope and hand-clapping games. I love to be outdoors doing photography. That always keeps me in a good mood. I like to play board games and just sit under the sun on a nice day. I like to color in coloring books or create my own pictures and doodles.
Who Supported My Childhood Play: My grandparents always wanted us to play outside. They had us climbing the apple tree picking apples, playing in the sand box in the back yard, playing with the dogs, picking avocados, tending to the cactus garden, painting, drawing and writing about our days. My grandmother also taught us all how to sew and she would have us compete against each other to see who could make the silliest thing from her scraps. We took needle and thread and would sew for hours by hand.
Items for Ideal Play in my Fantasy Dream: I would definitely have to have some good old-fashioned outdoor fun in my ideal childhood play area/time:
binoculars, nets, bug boxes, sketch paper or field journal, markers, crayons, colored pencils, paint, easel, mountain or desert retreat space, camping supplies (tent etc), field guides for all manner of flora and fauna that live in the area, a tree house, gardening tools, telescope, and some friends of course!
How Play has Changed: Although times have changed, kids do still get out for the most part and play. I work for a summer day camp and we are outdoors all the time. The kids get a break from the electronic games and things and enjoy water fights, horse-back riding, caring for other farm animals, playing field games, telling jokes, swimming everyday, field trips everyday, planning a talent show, cooking, grilling, arts, crafts and more. It is a great opportunity to let kids run free and decompress from the confines of the classroom. I believe children still get out and play just not as much as they used to. My son still plays the old board games I used to play. He has introduced his friends to them. He also enjoys playing video and computer games too. He is a thinker and like to write. He also like to go on long walks. He swims and goes bike riding for fun as well.
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