Listen, God is talking. . .

Listen
Originally uploaded by earl01.

An amazing photo by St. Louis artist Earl Justice. From chin to nose, and some delicate colours, too.

New procovery circle in maplewood

A procovery mixer is forming at the Maplewood Municipal Pool bldg [the maplewood community center]. We will be exploring procovery principles found in Kathleen Crowley's book: The Power of Procovery. The circle starts in July as follows:

First Wednesday 7-8pm July 6th

Second Wednesday 7-8pm July 13th

Third Monday 7-8pm July 18th

Fourth Wednesday 7-8pm July 27th


The Maplewood Community Center [municipal pool bldg] is found around the backside of the Maplewood library; through the parking lot; up the hill; on the north side of the pool. The MCC is a white stone Bldg located on the street Lohmeyer just north of the municipal pool. We will meet in Room 1A. Ample parking. Admission is free. Refreshments served or bring your own!

Come join our group to find your way to procovery!!

Dave :>)

Patrol

Patrol
Originally uploaded by aricee.

Do you ever feel like some things are fuzzy and out of focus? And that other things closer up are hard as iron? Have you felt unsure which way to go? I sure have, and I can relate to this ant.

Walking Meditation

On a weekday basis I walk and meditate on what is happening in my life. I may ponder what someone said or think about the people in my life. I may dream about future possibilities.

The people I pass on my walk are important to greet, even though I may not know them personally. I may stop and talk with familiar people or neighbors. Being open with new people is important to me.

The interactivity teaches me about the level of communication and the mood people are in. When you are feeling good you can talk more openly. If you are not feeling good you may be less interested to talk. Sometimes if I feel down I force myself to greet anyway. Sometimes I am feeling hurt and say nothing.

Interacting with everyday people has been wonderful therapy for me. If someone smiles back it can lift my whole day. A smile brings emotional endorphines and the walk results in physical endorphines. I reward myself with a diet coke when I return. It is great.

Dave :>)

The Criticality of Hope to Procovery - Page 78

Page 78 - 79 Hope is the answer to the question, "Why?"

...Why apply for a job where, even if you get it, you will be paid minimally, stigmatized maximally, and risk losing your benefits?

My procovery is no longer viewed by me to be unwanted in some position of employment that makes my family feel good when some child asks them what uncle David does. With jobs being exported and workers being illegally immigrated: my employment means taking the job opportunity from someone else!

My real procovery is social support with friends and fellow consumers. I can be a resource only to peers that may see me as such. Although I can point to a progressive christian leader for my family, they are free, as I am, to choose their own religious path. Almighty God will acknowledge that much!

My procovery is sharing my strengths, weaknesses, and my successes and failures with whatever peers are interested to know them. My procovery involves careful listening and feedback to those who are in need. Let God heal us through our huddling together like a good football team!

Dave :>)

The Procovery website

Here's the site that started the Procovery movement:
http://www.procovery.com/

Life starts out with such open, rich expectations

Nicole
Originally uploaded by dulcelife.

How is it that we become bruised, broken, afraid, and cynical? I see NONE of that in this child's trusting, open face. No wonder we've been told that we "must become like children again" to become God-like children.
Let's mend each other, support each other's becoming, trust that together we can conquer fear, and see the world as a place of possibility.

It's hard to maintain balance. . .even if you don't have a mental disorder.

Especially when I'm in an excited mode (hypomanic - meaning slightly less than manic) I have trouble with keeping my days balanced. Spring often tends to bring on excitement. Then there are those long, dry spells. . . (called depression) . With Depression, it's equally tough to maintain balance, because most activities complete loose their allure.
I console myself with the rationalization (or is it?) that there's more than one way to keep balance: (Try to picture the "blind justice" scales.)

1. Balance a pound of crackers with a pound of crackers -- The scale stays balanced, but not very exciting.
2. Balance a pound of feathers with a pound of lead. The scales are still balanced, but it's much more visually exciting. You just have to have a much bigger volume of feathers.
3. Tell me YOUR thoughts on balance. Click on the title for some excellent thoughts.
   See more progress on: Lead a balanced life

HUMOR - Ideal president?

bushkerry
Originally uploaded by Uncle Mikey.

The president who would please everyone. Democans and Republicrats alike!! 1/2 Bush, 1/2 Kerry. A New Hampshire Cowboy. Both a libertive and a a conserviral.

Blogging: a way of practicing hope !

"Keep hope alive...There is always a reason to hope, and it is a central factor in successful procovery -- both as a broadly underlying condition and as an active strategy." Page 13 of the Power of Procovery by Kathleen Crowley.

What is my hope resource?

I hope in healing. I hope my family and friends will have successful healing for all the quirks and damage from the past. Although the past can't be changed there is potential for forgiveness resulting in healing. The water has gone under the bridge. We must turn towards the hope of the future. The future as well as the present is where healing and procovery will take place. I hope in my procovery.

I hope in the advancement of lagging western religion, namely through progressive christianity. The Jesus Seminar scholars and their 'groupies', including me, have some informative teaching and religious educating to do. The emerging paradigm involves much spiritual transformation and holds the promise of living fully, loving wastefully, and being all one can be. I hope in a christianity having one foot in scholarly awareness of the history and tradition of the church, with the other foot in the current river of 21st century understanding of the scientific knowledge we hold.

I hope in a world without discrimination of minorities including racial, religious, gender, and sexual preference. I hope in the spread of humanity and allowance of vulnerability for the entire planetary population. I hope for people believing in other people. I hope in multi-culturalism and a fair world of economic equities for all human beings.

What is your hope resource?

Dave :>)

sweet hearts

heart v2.0
Originally uploaded by The Norwegian.

Sometimes the strangest things remind you that even though you may not feel like it at times, you are very loved. The universe is wonderful, and life is a gift.

The deeper stigmas are self - internalized

I have an approach - avoidance relationship within my procovery. I want to help less fortunate people with increasing their own self-esteem. Yet I sense the stigma of avoiding people [consumers] with mental disorders. The stigma I sense, as Kathleen says, is part of the deeply self - internalized stigma I feel from my own misconstrued messages from culture and society. I fear the threat of isolation and abandonment from family or friends and need the cottling and pablum of the helping professions. My family will not cottle me and the help from professionals expects very little change. Now it is up to me to accept this and be true to my OWN definitions and interpretations of life and change and become my true self.

Now about the stigma I sometimes feel:

First of all, we ALL have quirks and I feel threatened when a fellow citizen or consumer says or does something of a quirk and I must rationalize to help that quirk be relieved or disarmed - all the while I feel threatened: guilt by association..

Secondly, when I, as a consumer, say or do a quirk and others feel threatened that they are associated with me, I also must rationalize to apologize or relieve and disarm the quirk with social skills and diplomacy.

Third, family and acquaintances with no experience with our quirks, when one happens, often avoid our contact socially. They regroup with more functional people [non-consumers] when they feel threatened to be ostracized from their functional friends. This happens as they feel too associated with the stigma of a mental disorder. THEY don't want to be ostracized or stigmatized along with the result of OUR quirks.

Finally, I cannot surgically remove the internalized stigma that someone ELSE feels and tries to avoid. But I must begin to rationalize and dissolve my OWN internalized stigmas. I must act to relieve the fear and the threatening ostracization. I must identify who expressed their stigmatic thoughts and understand, without fear, what thoughts are happening to drive me away from consumers. I must counter those thoughts with affirmations and rationalizations why I should remain calmly nearby until the quirk is disarmed or events move on to other "unloaded" topics.

We all need the security deep within ourselves not to be afraid of the social quirks of anyone!!

Involvement builds self-esteem. Vulnerabilty flourishes with trust. Inner security is a rational exercise. Peace begins with acceptance.

Hence, I want to address self internalized stigma, and counter feeble expression of the internalized stigma of family, culture and society. I want to be like Tim H and flash the light of a healthy inner security that does not back down from a threat of a social quirk, regardless who says or does it.

More later..

Dave :>)