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The Support4Change Newsletter |
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July 9, 2007 |
Arlene Harder, Editor |
Volume 1, Number 4 |
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 Happy Summer to Paris Hilton—and Everyone Else
You may have noticed that I haven't put out a newsletter since the end of April, even though I said I would try to do one approximately once a month. But the nice thing about running my own websites and newsletter is that if I don't get one finished quite when planned, I'm not likely to be fired. You could cancel your free subscription, of course, but that's about it. So I hope you haven't been too disappointed by the delay. I've been up to my armpits in alligators, as we used to say, finishing the book, Questions to Ask Yourself When You Want Your Life to Change, and the workbook, Getting To, and Through, the Gate to Change, that will be ready the first week in September.
The big difference between printed material and the Internet, as everyone knows, is that with print you can't change your mind once it's gone to press. So there's a tremendous amount of rewriting and editing and rewriting and . . . so it will be ready to roll out the first week in September.
On the other hand, one of the wonderful things about Internet articles, newsletters and blogs is that one can change one's mind quite easily. Take out a few words you've decided are wrong. Add a few you like. Presto! You've got something entirely new (which can be changed, of course, when you once again change your mind).
Yesterday I did just that. I decided to make a small change in the way I present a picture each issue (like the one on the right) that I've taken somewhere in this wonderful and messy world. I'm calling this feature "Visual Viewpoints " because photographs always show different "viewpoints," based on where the photographer was standing and the subject he or she chose. And that's why you can tell something about a person by the pictures they share. Don't know what, exactly, my pictures say about me, but they offer you a glimpse into the kinds of things I am interested in capturing on film (well, on tiny digital memory cards anyway).
As to the title of this into piece, let me say that I truly wish Ms. Hilton all the best. I especially hope she will be able to follow through on the promises she made for doing good in the world after her horrific experience in our local jail. It sounds as though she was due for a real-life lesson. I wish I could say that only in the land of the free and home of bravodo could this happen, for then there would be hope for the world in other quarters. Unfortunately, there is something enticing about celebrities world-wide, especially the ones who screw up.
Arlene Harder, Founder and Editor of Support4Change
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 Q-and-A Club Questions:
To learn more about the Q-and-A Club read Community of the Curious and Courageous.
NOTE: See the introduction for each week's questions for comments and more questions.
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Category: Expanding Your Horizons, #3 |
Finding Superlatives
See introduction for more. |
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 From a set of United States stamps called "Wonders of America: Land of Superlatives" comes the challenge of answering questions about the deepest, fastest, highest, hottest, largest, longest, loudest, most active, rainiest, oldest, tallest, and windiest places and things in the U.S. [Go to the page that presents these Q-and-A Club questions and you'll find forty categories to explore.]
How many in the list can you identify correctly? (After you've done the best you can, you can go to the page of answers to see how well you did. You could go there without first trying, but that would defeat the purpose of stimulating your thinking.) |
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Category: Exploring Social and Political Issues, #3 |
Everyone Killed is Missed by Someone
See introduction for more. |
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 When you see a picture of a fallen soldier or civilian who has been killed in Afghanistan or Iraq, what would you say to the family they leave behind?
If you believe the death of every person who is killed leaves a hole in the fabric not only of a family but of a community, what can you do, personally, to help heal the quilt of humanity that has become frayed and torn?
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Category: Exploring Social and Political Issue, #4 |
On Fashion, Fame and Fortune
See introduction for more. |
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 If you were rich and famous, surrounded by all the things your wealth can buy and with your picture on the front page of the newspaper, would your ego be satisfied?
Against whose standards of dress do you evaluate whether you are adequately clothed to go out in public? Why? How do you make this determination?
What have you learned from the lives of the rich and famous that has benefited your life? |
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Category: Strengthening Friendships and Relationships, #3 |
Being "American" on the Fourth of July
See introduction for more. |
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 What is the most important characteristic of an American?
What holds America together?
Do you believe there would be a greater connection between people in the United States if we were all required to do some level of public service?
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Today's Gratitude
Tree Trimmers and Power Tools
Last November I created an entry in my blog called Gratitude in the Morning in which I shared thanks I give for specific things that enrich both my life and the life of others. You can read the gratitude pages since the last newsletter by going to Things for Which I am Grateful.
For example, here is what I gave thanks for today, July 7, 2007:
I give thanks for life,
I give thanks for the men trimming our trees so in the next big windstorm they won't fall on our house,
I give thanks for the power tools they use so it doesn't have to be sawed by hand, . . .
. . . and much more.
Use the contact us page to share your thanks with me and to let me know if I can share your gratitude with others.
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Books for Children and Grandchildren
Meet an Enchanting Team of Author and Illustrator
If you have not yet read anything by the team of Byrd Baylor (author) and Peter Parnall (illustrator), this summer is the time. Her radiant, concise and gentle prose-poems and Parnall's exquisite, charming line and bright color illustrations combine to create a joyous celebration of the human spirit. Even better, these uniquely beautiful books appeal to both children and adults.
For only $6.99 on Amazon.com, they are worth more than three times that amount, for they gently teach us about the essence of the natural world and our place in it. My favorite is the first one in the list below, but any would be a delight to own or give.
The Table Where Rich People Sit
Mountain Girl (nicknamed for her place of birth) wants her parents, who work outdoors, to earn more money so they can have nicer things. At a family meeting around their "...old, scratched-up, homemade kitchen table," her parents convince her that the enjoyment of their natural surroundings and the richness of one another's company are worth a fortune.
The Way to Start a Day
This books shows how different people and cultures greet the rising Sun with song and praise. Wouldn't it be neat if you and your children or grandchildren could create your own morning celebration?
The Other Way to Listen
Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could learn how to be in the world in such a way that you could hear a cactus blooming in the dark, the soul of a horned toad or a seed pod?
I'm in Charge of Celebrations
This is the story of a girl who shares her love for desert life and her treasured experiences like sleeping outside on a hot summer night during The Time of the Falling Stars or dancing in the wind on Dust Devil Day.
Everybody Needs a Rock
When you finish this book, you will know exactly what Baylor means when she says that she's, "sorry for kids who don't have a rock for a friend. I'm sorry for kids who only have tricycles, bicycles, horses, elephants, goldfish, three-room playhouses, fire engines, wind-up dragons, and things like that—if they don't have a rock for a friend."
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Books for Adults:
No Mea Culpa and a Little About a Lot |
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Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts
By Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson
The inside jacket of this book asks questions all of us have long wondered, such as, "why do people dodge responsibility when things fall apart? Why can we see hypocrisy in others, but not in ourselves?"
The short answer by these renowed social psychologists is that our brains are hard-wired for self-justification.
By the time you've reached the end of the book, filled with many studies and examples from public figures we all know, you may want to send the book to Washington. But it apparently won't make any difference. We humans seem compelled to view life from a narrow perspective (one's own perspective, that is).
At least you will be more aware of your own self-deception and how you can overcome it.
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The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
By A. J Jacobs
Ever wished you had a condensed version of the encyclopedia? Here you can get it in a delightfully light-hearted romp through the alphabet. Informative while also very funny.
The author, a contributer to National Public Radio, and editor of Esquire, shares his attempt to fill in the gaps from his Ivy League education with lots of reading, and I mean lots of reading. He lets us into his world and work, letting us know the difficulty of having a lot of knowledge, which he acknowledges he doesn't always share appropriately.
Humorous, with self-deprecating wit, it's possible that people reading this book will find themselves engrossed in facts they never knew, or didn't even care to know. That's what's great about the book. You learn something in spit of yourself and enjoy the ride.
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Blog Entries You May Have Missed:
On "The Secret" and Humor
I hope you will want to read my blog from time to time, but if you've not read it yet, here are some entries since the last newsletter, in addition to the Q-and-A questions above:
Where is the "Secret" in THE SECRET? -- If you haven't read the book "The Secret," which has sold millions of copies, and are planning to do so, first read this two-part commentary on the desire to "think" oneself rich and successful.
It Helps to Have a Sense of Humor -- This isn't a Q-and-A Club entry, but it does give an illustration of how humor can help defuse difficult situations and asks whether you've managed to get through sticky times with a bit of quick humor.
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Getting a Different Perspective:
Solving Problems Next to a Fishing Hole
 Once again I bring you a picture by my friend and masseuse Lynne Fearman. She has given me permission to use pictures from her gallery of pictures on the Segil Art Gallery website. This month we feature "Fish Wish'n II."
As I explain in Stepping Into Pictures, a special feature of Support4Change, you can step into one of her pictures and imagine a problem solved that was unsolved before. You'll be using a bit of both sides of your brain to get past a stuck point for any problem.
Click on the picture for an enlarged version.
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If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please go to the Contact Us page on Support4Change and send a note saying you'd like to be taken off the list.
© Copyright 2007, Arlene Harder, MFT |
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Q-and-A Club Questions: 
