Wednesday, April 8, 2009

18 of the Best


Today - the day I was nervous about - turned around and surprised me. When I do my workshop Being Human in a Messed-Up World it is usually to a small group of between 8 and 12. the youths in it range from 16 to 24 and they usually have more than a passing acquaintance with the court system and not as court reporters. I have designed it so that we work from 9 til 3 with a ten minute break every 50 minutes. I get through as much material as I can and at the rate that it can be taken in which varies greatly from group to group. I always start by parsing the title of the workshop and then by doing a go-around where I ask some variation of the following questions: What makes your socks run up and down? What are your goals? What are your obstacles? Then I make an agenda from that with the help of the participants. Sometimes it's pretty good - with interest and insights happening; sometimes it's horrid - with kids who can't settle even for a minute and one golden time I had a hundred dollars stolen from me. But today - today was sublime. Instead of 8 I had 18. Instead of kids with a strong interest in drugs, sex and crime I had 18 kids who liked video games and Pokemon and one who wants to be a choclatier. They had gone through the school system as ghosts. Sure they probably had good teachers and a system that may care about them but they didn't fit into the 'regular' population and to teens there is nothing more important. Since September they've been with kids who get them and teachers who choose them and a big old community college that is full of glorious outsiders and misfits and earnest beavers of every sort.

And so dear readers, I did what I love to do. I taught and played and preached and cajoled and laughed and taught a bit more. We explored intention, balance, ego-states, finding purpose, EFT (energy therapy). We talked about chickens and driving and fire drills and breathing while crying and talking while afraid. And it was good.


I'm going back. I'm going to do one there in place of the one that got pooched yesterday - the one I don't have to make up. I'm going. I'm going to make it up with this wonderful gang of 18.

This is a pic of my Grandmother on my Dad's side and his sisters...
don't they all look so nice and dear?

7 comments:

Cindy said...

I'm glad you had a good day! so good you're giving your freebie back...yes that makes a person feel good when their job made a difference to someone else (18 someone elses) and it was appreciated!!

Anonymous said...

Good on you! The world needs you.

Liz in PA said...

PERSISTANCE<----a very good word!

And your devotion to
"18 of the Best"

Lucky for all!

Jude said...

Picked a card from my Compassion Box and it is"Practice the five strenghts, The condensed heart instruction."
Which is what you are doing.
Glad your experience was so inspiring!

Jude said...

Oops - strengtHs

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