The Art of Possibilities 4-8 Wk 3
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Chapter 5: Leading from Any Chair- this chapter is a reminder that everyone is a participant. You contribute from where you are and empower others to contribute is an important lesson. It reminds me of a friend who counseled youth drug offenders in a program in San Francisco. His clients were tough street-smart criminals who would have their records cleaned if they completed the program. His technique for dealing with them was to put the “badest” one in charge. That was the one person he could count on to keep the others in line and it gave him a stake in the performance of the group. Other counselors in the program relied heavily on medicating their clients into submission. He had a much smoother approach, giving them self efficacy and using the courts to back up the consequences.
Chapter 6: Don’t take yourself so seriously. Nearly every student I have worked with comments on my laughter. I have worked with a many students with serious emotional difficulties cause mostly by chaotic and violent environment. I would like to cry but laughing works much better. I take the reality seriously but try to make the moments working together as light and happy as possible. I take life this way in general. When my dog ate my wallet and credits cards, I laughed at how silly I was for not being able to outsmart her.
Chapter 7: The Way Things Are: It is true that the one thing we have in common is suffering and circumstances are often less than ideal, but that is okay. We can look at the way things are and use it to see other possibilities. I felt especially moved by the description of Jane Goodall’s speaking engagement because I actually do avoid wildlife programing due to the bleak outcomes. Often I have had to advocate for children living under duress by telling the truth about the situations but also pointing out how a teacher can help in the classroom by providing an escape. It is not always easy sticking to the reality and people want to tell the story either in the worst possible or best possible way. Being realistic changes the possibilities.
Chapter 8: Giving Way to Passion: Life is hard and trying to avoid difficulty by not trying new things will not lesson pain. I always try new things. If I don’t know it or can’t do it, it is a challenge to figure it out. True, trying to use cross terrain skates at my age led to falling on my backside, I still laughed. And I will try again on a less slick surface next time. Change is hard but we have to fight the urge to hide. I agree with the authors. Usually, if you have a strong conviction you can bring others around. If not, enjoying the experience on your own can be good too.
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