This morning brought heavy wet snow that turned my black coat white on my walk into work. This spring snow has that wet texture that has been termed snowman snow or heart attack snow depending on your perspective. Accumulations of 10-15 cm were forecast with a bit of rain to top things off. Temperatures were above freezing while the snow fell, so rain didn't seem out of the question. By mid-afternoon the snow had stopped and the bit of rain was finishing. The sun came out with that great spring sun warmth. When I left the office, most of the new snow had melted away in the sun, leaving a wonderful bright late afternoon.
Last week, I challenged people to live in the moment and roll with the snow that will come as part of spring transitioning into summer. I found that I wasn't really disturbed by the snow today, something that did surprise me. Maybe I've managed to let it go. It was so quiet on the walk to work. Snow is an amazing sound damper. As I walked up the road where the snow wasn't as deep, I kept checking behind me to ensure no cars were coming up the hill. The silence was relaxing, though, allowing me to be alone with my thoughts. Even with the heavier snow, there was no wind howling through the trees. That was my gift today -- a few moments in silence alone. <smile>
I will admit to giggling a bit as I pondered the latest snow fall. A song came to mind that came back to me several times during the day. I will share it with you all so it can stick in your heads, too <smile>. Enjoy!
Do you want to build a snowman -- Kristen Bell, Agatha Lee Monn and Katie Lopez
We had a wonderful visiting speaker in department seminar today -- a retired CBC radio journalist who currently sells spice mixtures at the Halifax weekend market. He spoke about talking with people and really communicating. As experts in a science field, there is a need to speak to people at a level that they understand. This led me to reflect on difficulties inherent in translating knowledge as health professionals. To succeed at communicating, we need to listen to people and their concerns. Only then can we hope to be of any help as health professionals. Only providing our message -- that is, what we think they need to hear -- can often totally miss the mark. If we ignore their knowledge level and talk down to them or over their understanding, the needed information will not be communicated. As George Bernard Shaw stated, "The only problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
I've encountered many stories and personal experiences of miscommunication. One of my first presentations went less well than I'd hoped. I planned to do all the talking and soon realized that my assumptions of the group I was speaking to were incorrect. I also learned quickly that speaking 'to' rather than speaking 'with' made all the difference in the world. It is a hard lesson to learn. Sadly I've encountered health professionals who have not gained this insight and miscommunicate for much of their careers. I will admit that I have let some professionals know that I understand more than they may think. I generally try to do this quietly at first, by asking a specific question using their language. As a patient this can be a challenge, but it generally throws the professional off a bit and then we can finally converse in a manner that gets my questions answered and their major points communicated. Not everyone feels comfortable doing this, so they sit politely and nod and then walk away never to return.
The speaker today reminded me of a wonderful song that so fits the topic of communicating. The singer and this version are classics. Enjoy!
It is March -- the end of March, but it is still March. Why then do I hear broadcasters and meteorologists talking about the weather as if it didn't belong to a spring season? I'll admit that expectations of it being summer right away bring on my inner rant <smile>. Spring and Autumn are transition seasons which move weather from the two extremes of summer and winter. The gradual changes seem only to bring frustration to many people. Snow is not solely a winter phenomenon, but occurs in autumn, winter and spring (and occasionally shows up in summer). I've reflected on the comments of people to try to understand why this irritates me so much.
The failure, or refusal, to understand the transitions of the seasons bothers me since it is a fact and it happens every year. Yet, the frustrations that I hear and read seem to be wishing for summer to appear NOW and not in a couple more months. I'll admit that the 20 cm of wet spring snow that I shovelled today was not a hit, but it is not unheard of and shouldn't be unexpected. Perhaps the desire inherent in the complaints I've encountered feels problematic to me as they are wishing to bypass chunks of the year -- in effect bypassing great swaths of life. My 99 year old friend told me long ago to never wish my life away. I took that to heart. If we are always waiting for something down the road to appear quickly, we will be missing what is right in front of us now and feel unhappy about where we are now. Spring brings wonderful changes. Today, for example, while shovelling snow, the sun was bright and very warm. That solar-loading has increased. Birds will return in the next few weeks. That great muddy smell of spring will arrive once we melt through the piles of snow. Rivers will flood if this occurs too quickly, so folks should be aware of things they wish for -- they are not always wonderful. Warmer breezes from the south will predominate with time, trees will bud and srping bulbs will bloom. Patience will pay off with the arrival of summer, but I'd wish for people that they find the joys in the change of seasons. Stop and take notice of the changes in the size of snow piles -- mine changed significantly last week <smile>. Be present in the moment.
The song that came to mind today is another from the '60s, but the title and chorus definitely fit the topic of the blog today. Enjoy!
Earth Hour -- a time when lights go off around the world as a gesture of commitment to making this a better world. For eight years now, people around the world have gone dark to challenge the notion that we may not care or be capable of pulling together to make a change. The slogans for this year, "Use your power to change climate change" and "Uniting people to protect the planet," show that the actions of a few can bring attention to the power that we use without thought. Turning off lights and electronic devices, even for an hour, can help us regain the skills of conversation, reading, and entertaining ourselves.
Many programs advocate for conservation of natural resources, spaces, flora and fauna. Without the work of such groups, far fewer spaces would be protected and policy would likely ignore environmental implications of profit. Greed seems to lead much of the loss in biodiversity. An understanding of longer and shorter term effects of human activity is needed by all.
The selection for today is a song by a fellow Canadian. The lyrics address the need for conservation well. Enjoy!
We celebrated at the year end banquet tonight. While we have 1-1/2 weeks left of term, we gathered to reflect on the accomplishments of the past academic year. There was a great turnout of students from across all four years. The program was fun and the meal delightful. Awards and scholarships were presented and professional rings distributed. Tributes to faculty members were heart-warming and also made us laugh.
This made me think back over all the academic endings throughout my career -- from elementary school to high school, from undergraduate to graduate degree programs. and of course, all of the year ends during my time teaching. Early in my school days, each year end meant that some students and teachers were moving on, a sad and happy event depending on perspective. When one of those departing students was me, there were feelings of sadness, excitement and fear as I moved on to something new and unknown. Those mixed emotions bring to mind the Chinese character for change, which actually consists of two characters -- danger and opportunity. That is what taking that leap into the unknown felt like to me. I also found it sad to be leaving favourite teachers and professors. As one of those educators now, I find it difficult to see students leave, but am excited for them to begin their careers and live their lives -- still feeling mixed emotions it seems <smile>.
The selection for today is a song that comes to me often near the end of the school year. It is performed by a British singer from the '60s and the lyrics say a lot to me about those special people who help us to grow and develop. Enjoy!
This week is one very full week for our honours thesis students. Celebrating accomplishments can be so rewarding. Seminar presentations occurred throughout the week. Today was Student Research Day on campus where 70+ undergraduate students presented a research poster or an oral paper. The quality of work is amazing. I contend that many are working at the level of a graduate student while in their last year of undergraduate work. The thesis will be submitted early next week and to top off this week, the year end banquet is tomorrow. A wonderful time to pause and enjoy the moment before moving on to the next end-of-term task.
When speaking with several of the students today, I asked how they felt about being at this point in the research projects. They found it exciting and rewarding to be able to share their findings with others. Some noted that last September, they were unsure that they would ever be able to get to this point; yet, they'd tackled the process one chunk at a time and here they are -- at the end of that road. My advice at this point is often to take time to enjoy the opportunity to speak to people about the work you are so passionate about. Such occasions do not present themselves too often throughout life, so savour it. <smile>.
The selection for today is one that speaks about future success, much like the dream the students held in September. With perseverance, courage and faith, those dreams became reality. Enjoy!
This evening brought a major surprise. No -- it wasn't an unexpected weather event <smile>. It was a good surprise. The phone rang with call display saying 'unknown name', which I generally just let go. In this case, the number was from my home town but wasn't a familiar number. I answered hesitantly only to hear the voice of a family friend and former teacher of mine. He is one of those favourite teachers. He'd called to thank me for a letter I wrote a while back that explained the major role he'd played in my life. There had been a health issue on his end and I wanted him to know how important he had been and still was to former students and -- dare I say -- friends. He admitted to reading the letter until it was pretty much worn out. That took me by surprise -- that I had been able to reciprocate in some small way.
There are many people who have helped me to be the person I am today. I know I haven't let them all know the parts they played. I should. Something as small as a letter helped someone to get through the rough days of recuperating. A short phone call helped me to see that my thoughts had helped, completing a circle -- that never-ending circle. This may be the basis of the pay it forward movement, where that circle actually becomes a spiral moving through the lives of many people. Interesting. We should all strive to share the importance of others with those others. We never know when some small message will provide needed strength. .
I'm still processing this one, but it was an amazing way to end the day. A number of songs came to mind, but I settled on one with amazing lyrics that stress that social support we can each provide for others. By definition though, social support should be reciprocal. So, let's not forget to share the caring we receive with others. Enjoy!
