Beware the Pure Spirit, Let the Flesh Instruct the Mind

Mental health. What a loaded word...so much implication, intent, and misunderstanding. Right now, I'd just settle for health care benefits that covered mental health services.

I'm slower than the rest of you. Everyone's already listed and discussed their New Year's resolutions. I hope that your dedication and resolve have not withered away. It is only day numbered three. Here's what I have been mulling over and have decided to address thus far. I may add to this listing if I am so inspired. So it goes like this: Complete my dissertation. At times it has felt like wrestling with the Kraken and other times the thoughts and words flow so easily. I'm close, really close to wrapping this up. I've been dissatisfied directionally at times. I am becoming more comfortable knowing that this is part of the process. Ebb and flow. My chair gave me a compliment in our last meeting, she said (in the context of our discussion about struggling with this) that I was approaching this from a creative perspective. I don't think she realized what a compliment that was. And she's correct, it would be easier to produce a product that is stamped ...

Johnny, I just finished viewing “How To Survive A Plague” the brand new documentary chronicling the work of ACT UP and TAG in the late 80’s and 90’s. I did not make it to the premiere showing in Asheville recently and this movie has been on my “watch” list ever since I learned of it. Watching this documentary  was an emotional rollercoaster. Brilliantly done and visceral. I cried multiple times and was angry just as many instances as well.  You came to mind so many times while I watched this; this was a painful reminder of how much I have missed you. It’s a stark marking of the passage of time, of good and bad memories, love and regret, and the possibilities that could have been had you survived and lived on. But of course that is not what happened. I mourned your loss for a very long time and the seeming unfairness of it all. One of the stars of the documentary remarked tearfully that “we all go off to war and some survive and others don’t. Those who come back often wo...

I teach for many reasons in the College of Public Health. It started out as a way to gain some experience and  to "test the waters", that is, to see if I wanted to use my degree to teach. It was originally tied to my graduate assistantship. It was my 20 hours or required work. Truth be told, I have never just put in 20 hours a week on any of the classes that I've taught. It's like a whole other job, and one that demands considerable time to make it work. I've had great teachers all of my life and I can only hope they know that they could tell that that "I got it." And usually it was because of their commitment and involvement in the subject material and also in the interest that they had for me as a student. You could always tell who wanted to teach and those who "just did their job." It's hard to be excited in learning about a topic when the instructor is operating on "auto pilot." My graduate assistantship ended some time ago, ...

My final entry to my class for the semester... I’m always reading. Whether for class or enjoyment, I bury myself in books. Maybe I don’t lead an interesting life. But I love big books and I cannot lie… Well anyways, I was reading through some HIV related material the other night when I found something that was in its own way related to our class, more specifically to our folks who presented on Santeria last week.  I’m fascinated by this belief system in how Africans who were sold into slavery brought their beliefs with them to the Americas and found a way to incorporate their beliefs alongside the beliefs of their masters / tormenters.  The symbolism changed but it was still very much their own and of their own making. It was something they could hold onto, something from their own heritage. Santeria lives on. I’ve seen some of their altars; specifically I have a good friend who at the time had a beautiful altar in his home.  Offerings of food and liquor, cigars and ca...

My weekly letter to my class. Last night's class was a full one, trying to tackle the topic of Christianity as a faith and health care related topics that HC folks might find useful in dealing with clients. On top of that we had several representatives from the local Seventh Day Adventist congregation here in Johnson City who shared with our class. "So did anyone go out of class last night finding some new found energy to go “vegan” or did you just make your way to the nearest carnivore outlet? I was a mix of the two, finding a spot to have a nice salad, with grilled chicken splayed out atop the salad like the centerfold of a nudie magazine. Adventists always give me room to pause and think about how I eat, what I eat, and ways to better myself because of their influence. If anything, this group helps me to be more mindful of what I am eating. Eating should be more than just shoveling in copious amounts of food; I know that I should be more conscious of what I am puttin...

I had my class do a creative exercise last week, as we had been talking extensively about the Jewish Decalogue, I wanted them to come up with 10 Commandments of their own. They could not do a rehashing of the Jewish law, and it was open to any and all things. Here are some of the better ones that they crafted, and one that I wish I could have shared with the class because I found it extremely funny and naughty: —   Political beliefs shall be kept to thyself (I’m guilty of not doing this, but it has gone crazy lately) —   Your life writes a story. Decide what story you want it to tell. —   Do not go to the grocery store with your huge buggy and spend 15 minutes trying to figure out which can of soup to get while blocking anyone else from passing. —   You must put 5% of every paycheck into a saving account. You can access your savings when you turn 65. —   Don’t be afraid to be who you truly are —   Thou shall not chew with your mouth open ...