Taking A Break

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Looking back over the last several years, it has come to my attention that I am a Tasmanian devil of sorts in my methodology of life. There are several reasons for this and I will explain.

When I was a child, I was called ‘busy’ by anyone who knew me because I couldn’t sit still, talked a lot, and hated being locked inside the Catholic prison they like to gently call school because that sounds a lot better than prison, I suppose. I would get caught staring out the window quite a lot and would ALWAYS get in trouble. I preferred movement, conversation, and the great outdoors back then. If it had been 2018, I would have been diagnosed easily with ADHD and dyslexia. Two things I would later learn were a part of my being and why school was so stinkin’ hard and I sucked at taking that blasted devilish ACT, which is absolutely not in any way representative of who a person is and what they are capable of. I am the poster child of this fact.

I remained busy all through elementary, middle, and high school until I hit college and reality kicked my ass and said, “Uh, figure out your shit, how to study, and let’s get this done cuz you ain’t livin’ with ma and pa forever.”  So I did.

Back then, I studied only what OT school required or assigned as there was little time for anything else. So, no reading magazines, chic lit, or anything else for that matter. Just OT related stuff, which was fine because that is why I was at UAB . . . get in, get out!

Once out of school and starting my first job in a rehabilitation center, it became quite clear that I did not learn everything there was to learn in OT school and that pissed me off. Realistically though, they couldn’t possibly teach everything, no way. So began my obsession for knowledge and an ever-growing collection of books, late nights, and a lot of highlighting and notes. My husband at the time thought I was insane since I had just graduated and assumed a new graduate wouldn’t pick up another book after that.

Not this graduate.

Now, after the kids were born, this obsession for study and knowledge was put on the back burner as the kids required a great deal of my time and this was a study in and of itself and would be my future, though I didn’t know it at the time.

Fast forward . . .

Now that my kids are older, the Professor lets me be me, and my passion and obsession has grown 100 fold, it is not uncommon for me to read 3-4 books per week. I have become greatly familiar with quantum physics, vibrational healing/medicine, yoga, chakras, retained reflexes, cold lasers, color therapy, Solfeggio harmonics/sounds, acupoints/acupressure, Bach flower remedies, crystal therapy, essential oils, the Secret, electromagnetic resonance, water crystals, subtle energies, the power of the mind, heart, and gut, craniosacral therapy, Hippotherapy, Equine Assisted Therapy, Atlantis, etc. I’d go on but that would be boring.

Never in a million billion years would I have imagined that I could read that many books a week as I was in special education for math and reading for a few years in elementary school. They thought I was ‘slow’ but I was actually a raging ADHD with dyslexia. No one knew these things as well back in the 70’s.

Knowledge is power and not that crazy ass power that causes wars or makes you look like an arrogant son of a gun. For me, its the power of knowledge shaken down, sorted out, and used to benefit my OT kids, their families, as well as my own. I have a passion for children who struggle because I struggled and I would have damn well appreciated an OT or any other therapist for that matter who busted their ass to help me feel better about things, about me, about my struggles, and not just written me off as ‘slow.’

I tell my OT kids all the time that I wish that I had OT and a dyslexia helper when I was their age because it sure would have been a helluva lot easier. Now, my dad would say that struggle builds character and that’s true but, crap was it hard at times.

I am currently reading 3 books at the same time and there are some days I wish that I just had the whole day to read and study but that just isn’t possible as it would take me away from my precious OT kids and my family, but man, it would be so awesome. I cannot collect enough knowledge in my ole coconut and the stuff that I am learning is so stinkin’ cool it makes me crazy excited to share it but sometimes my family doesn’t get what I’m saying. I’ve learned so much and there are so many layers that I have built upon and upon and so on and so much to explain that sometimes they don’t get me or it and gently bow out when I get going.

When I’m not reading, I’m writing. Writing articles for a magazine that I just love, writing my 5th book, re-doing and updating my informational pages that I send to my families about various topics of interest or topics of treatment, and waiting hopefully that my 4th book, which is for families with or without kids with special needs, will be published. Please pray for this publication, y’all! This book will guide families in the right direction so they don’t lose time or ground!!

So, my methodology is very scattered right now . . . I have many books left to read, horses to work with, meetings to attend, an art class to set up, a possible support group to set up, continued writing of my 5th book, yoga videos to make and post, a satellite clinic to finish setting up, and several certifications that I am working on.

Each day I don’t blog on The Blog Blender, I feel guilty as it is a part of something else that I took on to get my heart, gut, and mind out and boy was it therapeutic. But, I think I have written and gotten everything out and now it is time to move on.

This will be my last post as I am done blogging for now. However, I invite any guest bloggers out there to contact me if they want to post something. Its free, of course, so just let me know.

Thank you for all of the many many people that take their precious moments to read these ‘rants’ as I am forever grateful and honored on so many levels.

To all of you out there, I hope life is nice and kind to you and you find happiness even when the shit is hitting the fan. It’s hard, I know, but after all, don’t you think it’s worth bettering your quality of life? Life does have an expiration date after all . . .

Love y’all!!