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Markham Professional Building
2265 Pembina Highway
Winnipeg Manitoba

B100-143 Smith Street
Winnipeg Manitoba

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Growing

Growing A Few of my Favorite Things

Knowing that we can be loved

exactly as we are

gives us all the best opportunity for

growing into the healthiest of people.

Fred Rogers
The beloved "Mr. Rogers"
An amaryllis bud gets fuller reminding us of the potential each person has to grow, which can happen in psychotherapy.
An update every few days does not do this amaryllis justice.  The redness is clearly visible here...but before I had a chance to post this...it grew more and more...
The bloom of an amaryllis inspires us to love and be loved.
Fred Rogers reminds us in the above quote about how being loved "as is" helps us each to grow in healthy ways. If you're a parent, can you go over right now to your child and give him/her a hug and let them know that your are in love with the person they are right now?  Even if she has a zit on her forehead, or he has just knocked over your favorite vase.  If you're you, then can you give yourself a hug and be thrilled with who you are, right now and in this place?  Enjoy the creation of you, just for a bit...and if that is a struggle for you, think about it, talk about it, journal about it, work on it...find the truest you that is delightful and precious--and revel in it.

I'm revelling in this amaryllis.  We are coming up to the shortest day of the year, with only a few hours of daylight...and this plant is going to pop her blooms open right around that day.  She didn't get the memo that it is cold outside, and she is looking hot in her red outfit.  I was going through a long list of emails this morning that had been neglected during the week with her sitting on the table beside me keeping me company.  She's cheerful and friendly, and makes it easier for me to be positive while i work.

I was at Shelmerdine's nursery--while I did have a few things to pick up yesterday, it was a great excuse to wander around a greenhouse.  I don't do it often enough, because I find it restores my soul to be surrounded by growing...green is good, and there is lots of goodness all around at a greenhouse.  I'm loving this amaryllis so much, I'm feeling the need to keep growing happening at my house...and paperwhites were 40% off.  Don't you love it when a bargain scratches right where you itch?  So...here we go:
Paperwhite bulbs will grow during the dark and cold days of january, providing encouragement during hard days like psychotherapy can provide for a client during difficult times.
The little green tips on the top of these bulbs tell me that they're just itching to grow...and now that they are sitting by the window, they're all set up to take off.  These guys don't even need soil to grow, just put their ends in water and off they go.

These plants that are growing are inspiration at home for me.  I continue to be honored every day during the week by the inspirations clients are to me at work...how they invest in talking about the "tough stuff"; how they think about what we've talked about in between sessions and come in ready to work with it some more; how they find themselves able to make changes that they used to think were impossible; how they dare to look their spouse deep in the eye, and be dangerously and delightfully candid; how they dare to look at me and unload something they've carried alone for years.  I'm humbled and inspired by the growth happening with couples, and men and women at our office.  Amazing.

1 Comments

I try to be optimistic and hopeful when I read such blogs and messages, but often they are far from the realities or real life or from our limited realities we self create. I have been trying to find help for a long time now for a chronic agoraphobic mild anxiety disorder and refuse to take medications for it and I was seeking a community mentor program that would provide me assistance to get out and about with small things, e.g. shopping, walks, bank and other stuff. I have called everyone and every agency I know of and made enquiries to no avail. Everyone works nine to five and off weekends and all you get is policies, protocol and rhetoric back it seems. I searched the Internet and they have such programs in other countries but not here. If a person is in a certain category, i.e. a severe mental illness, disability, alcoholic or drug addict or other situations there's all kinds of help available if you want it. However if you are on the fringes, forget it. I am not bitter about it, just sad. I also suffer from seasonal disorder and insomnia so that doesn't help either. If you try calling Klinic the lines are always busy and no one answers the phone, it sucks! - if friends or family are not involved then it really sucks! or you can relent and give into the meds, either way it still sucks! I have my ways of coping and I don't smoke, drink or take drugs etc. I am in limbo. I meditate, do yoga, try and eat right, listen to tapes, find a hobby e.g. fixing things up around the house, or reading a book etc. or using the TV as a distraction. The bars are imaginary but if they were real would it matter? I doubt it, it's just that then no one would hear my screams or give a damn. Not the system that's for sure. I have taken to using the night as an ally instead of an enemy. My guide is the Owl and my beloved cat. In the old days, elders were available and you could go see them anytime or call them over, but no longer. They got scared off by the WRHA. The sweat lodges are locked at night, just like the churches. It's a strange time we live in. Take it or leave it seems to be the approach. The resources are limited and that's the way it is. So unless you find someone very special in your life or land some volunteers via some mysterious agency out there, or an angel of mercy appears, you are on your own, amen. No worries I am not desperate enough to harm myself and haven't entertained such ideas, just needed to rant and rave a bit. It actually helps!

Pat

December 20th, 2009 // By Pat

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