Long ago an old Lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain and had a vision. In his vision, Iktomi, the searcher of wisdom, appeared in the form of a spider. Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language. As he spoke, Iktomi the spider picked up the elder's willow hoop which had feathers, horsehair, beads and offerings on it, and began to spin a web. He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life, how we begin our lives as infants, move on through childhood and into adulthood. Finally we go to old age where we complete the cycle.
But, Iktomi said as he continued to spin his web, in each time of life there are many forces, some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces, they will steer you in the right direction. But, if you listen to the bad forces, they'll steer you in the wrong direction and may hurt you. So these forces can help, or can interfere with the harmony of Nature. While the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web.
When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the elder the web and said, this web is a perfect circle with a hole in the center. Use the web to help your people reach their goals, making good use of their ideas, dreams and visions. The web will filter your good ideas and the bad ones will be trapped and will not pass through.
The elder passed on his vision to his people and now many people have dream catchers above their beds or hanging in their windows to sift their dreams and visions, allowing the good to pass through and capturing the bad in the web, where they perish in the light of the sun.
The first symbol of the School from which you graduate today, was the dream catcher. At one time or another, for each of you, the dream catcher allowed the massage therapy dream to sift through …knowing that it was a good dream for you. Today, that dream is realized as you celebrate the completion of 1000 hours of hard work and dedication to your dream.
There are many things that we can represent with the number 1000. We know that 1000 hours is equal to 41.67 days. We know that 1000 heartbeats carry us through almost 15 minutes of life. 1000 steps average just under a half mile. 1000 massage strokes will carry you through a massage or two. 1000 smiles will light the world.
You came to school 1000 hours of education ago. You stepped foot in the classroom eyeing each other, wondering how you’d remember everyone’s name. I told you that day to look to your left and right. I asked you to look across the circle and take in all the faces. I promised you that these people that now sit next to you ready to graduate would become your friends, indeed, your extended family. You may not have believed me then, but now you realize the truth in those words.
We recognize the sacrifice that you make when you undertake 1000 hours of education and training. We also recognize the sacrifice made by your loved ones. We know that this program has not only given you knowledge and skills, but also a new way of looking at things. One cannot help but grow and change along the path to this ceremony today.
And yet…as commencement speakers have said millions of times over…today is just the beginning. The beginning of new adventures, new hopes, new dreams, and new careers. It has been said that the journey of 1000 miles begins with one step. As you set foot from this venue tonight, be reminded that it is the first step toward your new career.
You may also be familiar with the concept that we do not live and die alone…but with the help, companionship, and connection with one another. The new logo of our school is a modified yin yang – one with hands representing your profession. The concept of yin yang is that we complement each other – filling in each other’s weaknesses, supporting one another, helping one another, with a little bit of one another carried within ourselves. I bet that sounds familiar to you. You came to this school not knowing those who sat there with you – you leave as colleagues and friends, ready to take on the world one trigger point at a time.
There is a Japanese saying that one who has 1000 paper cranes will be granted a wish. With your diploma today you will receive one paper crane. One step toward your next dream. May you continue to collect cranes, and find your wishes and dreams fulfilled.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
June 2011 Graduation Speech: On Mandalas
Indulge me for a few moments, while I introduce you to something that today’s graduates learned about in Energy class with Paula Schank: the mandala.
There are many types of mandalas – presented in many ways – stained glass windows like the famed Notre Dame Rose Window, tattoos, coloring pages, and even a child’s kaleidoscope.
Mandalas occur in nature – snowflakes, whirlpools, hurricanes, and even a snail’s shell.
Mandalas are used for and representative of so many things.
Most mandalas are contained within a circle. A circle can symbolize many things. Circles have no beginnings and no ends. They are continual…cyclic. In this they represent life, nature, the earth, and more. So many things we use or see daily are circles…coins, the sun, the moon, wedding bands and other rings, even manhole covers. Circles are smooth. They can be carried in the palm of your hand or be as big as the sun itself.
Mandalas are colorful. The colors are used according to the meditational choice of its creator and may be selected based on what the artist wishes to convey – inner feelings, hopes, dreams, or based on the symbolisms, icons and graphics contained within.
Mandalas can be abstract…or can include any number of pictures, motifs or icons. Some mandalas contain Asian influences – dragons, lotus blossoms, and the yin and yang. Some include sacred symbols representing gods and ancestors. Some include symbols from nature – flowers, animals, butterflies, or the tree of life. A more recent direction that mandalas have traveled is to include Celtic symbolisms in the form of Celtic knots and crosses.
Tibetan monks create sand mandalas over days. Painstakingly using tubes, funnels and scrapers, holding their breath when close to the design, the monks build the layers of sand, creating beautiful and intricate designs. Silently working in a cordoned-off area, under the observation of passersby. People travel miles to see the creation of the masterpiece, in awe of the work being done.
Once complete – the mandala is on display for those who want to see it – as a source of inspiration, meditation, awe and wonder.
When a specified period of time has passed, the monks, in full regalia, begin the destruction ceremony. Using scrapers, paper and their hands, they ritualistically begin to move the sand from the outside of the circle inward. Once the sand has been pulled to the center of the table, it is removed by hand and placed into a jar. It is transported to the nearest moving water – a stream or river – where it is poured into the water – never to be used in the same creation.
The creation and destruction of a sand mandala is truly representational of life – it has a beginning, a birth. It has an end, a death. It reminds us that to everything there is a beginning and end…and that the time in between has the potential to be beautiful.
The students we celebrate this evening are like that mandala. From different backgrounds, geographic locations, ages, genders, and beliefs, they were drawn together into a journey – the journey of becoming massage therapists.
At orientation the beginning was scary. Looking around the circle, they wondered who they might connect with – how they might touch one another’s lives both literally and figuratively. The first layer of sand had been laid.
As the months went by other colors were introduced…deeper parts of themselves – their passions, strengths, weaknesses. Tragedies pulled them together in support – exciting happenings drew them together in celebration. Designs and patterns were introduced…routines were represented – clinic, studying, even 5-toed shoes!
But like the sand mandala – our student mandala, too, has an end. Also like the sand mandala, we have drawn them to the center – the culmination – graduation. After this evening, they will spread out into the stream, scattered in their own directions, beginning a new journey – having always been part of this something beautiful.
There are many types of mandalas – presented in many ways – stained glass windows like the famed Notre Dame Rose Window, tattoos, coloring pages, and even a child’s kaleidoscope.
Mandalas occur in nature – snowflakes, whirlpools, hurricanes, and even a snail’s shell.
Mandalas are used for and representative of so many things.
Most mandalas are contained within a circle. A circle can symbolize many things. Circles have no beginnings and no ends. They are continual…cyclic. In this they represent life, nature, the earth, and more. So many things we use or see daily are circles…coins, the sun, the moon, wedding bands and other rings, even manhole covers. Circles are smooth. They can be carried in the palm of your hand or be as big as the sun itself.
Mandalas are colorful. The colors are used according to the meditational choice of its creator and may be selected based on what the artist wishes to convey – inner feelings, hopes, dreams, or based on the symbolisms, icons and graphics contained within.
Mandalas can be abstract…or can include any number of pictures, motifs or icons. Some mandalas contain Asian influences – dragons, lotus blossoms, and the yin and yang. Some include sacred symbols representing gods and ancestors. Some include symbols from nature – flowers, animals, butterflies, or the tree of life. A more recent direction that mandalas have traveled is to include Celtic symbolisms in the form of Celtic knots and crosses.
Tibetan monks create sand mandalas over days. Painstakingly using tubes, funnels and scrapers, holding their breath when close to the design, the monks build the layers of sand, creating beautiful and intricate designs. Silently working in a cordoned-off area, under the observation of passersby. People travel miles to see the creation of the masterpiece, in awe of the work being done.
Once complete – the mandala is on display for those who want to see it – as a source of inspiration, meditation, awe and wonder.
When a specified period of time has passed, the monks, in full regalia, begin the destruction ceremony. Using scrapers, paper and their hands, they ritualistically begin to move the sand from the outside of the circle inward. Once the sand has been pulled to the center of the table, it is removed by hand and placed into a jar. It is transported to the nearest moving water – a stream or river – where it is poured into the water – never to be used in the same creation.
The creation and destruction of a sand mandala is truly representational of life – it has a beginning, a birth. It has an end, a death. It reminds us that to everything there is a beginning and end…and that the time in between has the potential to be beautiful.
The students we celebrate this evening are like that mandala. From different backgrounds, geographic locations, ages, genders, and beliefs, they were drawn together into a journey – the journey of becoming massage therapists.
At orientation the beginning was scary. Looking around the circle, they wondered who they might connect with – how they might touch one another’s lives both literally and figuratively. The first layer of sand had been laid.
As the months went by other colors were introduced…deeper parts of themselves – their passions, strengths, weaknesses. Tragedies pulled them together in support – exciting happenings drew them together in celebration. Designs and patterns were introduced…routines were represented – clinic, studying, even 5-toed shoes!
But like the sand mandala – our student mandala, too, has an end. Also like the sand mandala, we have drawn them to the center – the culmination – graduation. After this evening, they will spread out into the stream, scattered in their own directions, beginning a new journey – having always been part of this something beautiful.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
For Myles (1989)
Tonight as I gazed through my window
I saw the moon alight
Two clouds on either side of it
Carried it through the night
The moon so gracefully afloat
On cloud-wings of midnight blue
But only half the moon you see
As through the night it flew
It seemed in search of something
Perhaps its better part
I felt in perfect sympathy
It’s so much like my heart
The moon may search in vain all night
And never find its quest
The morning sun will rise again
And put the moon to rest
But I am luckier than the moon
Though I have only half my heart
I’m content within the knowledge
That you have the other part.
(Winner, Pegasus Award for Poetry, 1991, Roberts Wesleyan College)
I saw the moon alight
Two clouds on either side of it
Carried it through the night
The moon so gracefully afloat
On cloud-wings of midnight blue
But only half the moon you see
As through the night it flew
It seemed in search of something
Perhaps its better part
I felt in perfect sympathy
It’s so much like my heart
The moon may search in vain all night
And never find its quest
The morning sun will rise again
And put the moon to rest
But I am luckier than the moon
Though I have only half my heart
I’m content within the knowledge
That you have the other part.
(Winner, Pegasus Award for Poetry, 1991, Roberts Wesleyan College)
Friday, August 20, 2010
Seussian Graduation Speech
Some dreams are quite big and others quite small
Still others are medium-sized if at all
Some dreams can be easy, some dreams can be tough
And windfalls do happen, strangely enough.
Some dream to be doctors or teachers or vets
To captain a boat or pilot big jets
Some dream to be famous and work on the stage
Some even happy to make minimum wage
Some dreams may be fleeting, a whim if you will
And others take whole lives long to fulfill
Some dreams start in childhood for “when we grow up”
Some are never fulfilled by the time we’re “toe up”
Today is for dreamers – nineteen dreamers in all
From different backgrounds, and ages, some short and some tall
Their paths all so different, at school became one
The journey to be LMTS had begun
Now to learn what you have to, New York State has a rule
1000 hours in an approved school
In courses like Myology, Path, A&P
They’ve learned muscle and bone and diseases you see
They’ve learned lots of massage too, like Swedish and such
And treatments, shiatsu, and all kinds of touch
They’ve done hours in clinic and out at events
In schools and the airport, outside under tents
They’ve bonded with teachers and staff and each other
As sister to sister and brother to brother
In between classes –on breaks and at lunch
Laughter flows through the school – they’re a jovial bunch
Sharing shoulders to cry on – celebrating good grades
Listening to stories, and pranks that were played
Complaining at times – and studying hard
Lots of hugs, and hanging out in the courtyard
Though now family and friends, were strangers that first day
Not believing that they’d be so close in this way
So they cross the finish line as one – side by side
Receiving diplomas – beaming with pride
Without further ado – on the school’s behalf
From faculty, former students and staff
Remember in all your massage therapy plans
Use good body mechanics- save your back and hands!
Still others are medium-sized if at all
Some dreams can be easy, some dreams can be tough
And windfalls do happen, strangely enough.
Some dream to be doctors or teachers or vets
To captain a boat or pilot big jets
Some dream to be famous and work on the stage
Some even happy to make minimum wage
Some dreams may be fleeting, a whim if you will
And others take whole lives long to fulfill
Some dreams start in childhood for “when we grow up”
Some are never fulfilled by the time we’re “toe up”
Today is for dreamers – nineteen dreamers in all
From different backgrounds, and ages, some short and some tall
Their paths all so different, at school became one
The journey to be LMTS had begun
Now to learn what you have to, New York State has a rule
1000 hours in an approved school
In courses like Myology, Path, A&P
They’ve learned muscle and bone and diseases you see
They’ve learned lots of massage too, like Swedish and such
And treatments, shiatsu, and all kinds of touch
They’ve done hours in clinic and out at events
In schools and the airport, outside under tents
They’ve bonded with teachers and staff and each other
As sister to sister and brother to brother
In between classes –on breaks and at lunch
Laughter flows through the school – they’re a jovial bunch
Sharing shoulders to cry on – celebrating good grades
Listening to stories, and pranks that were played
Complaining at times – and studying hard
Lots of hugs, and hanging out in the courtyard
Though now family and friends, were strangers that first day
Not believing that they’d be so close in this way
So they cross the finish line as one – side by side
Receiving diplomas – beaming with pride
Without further ado – on the school’s behalf
From faculty, former students and staff
Remember in all your massage therapy plans
Use good body mechanics- save your back and hands!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Some fun Limericks
Schrödinger
My Schrödinger’s cat can’t be dead
There’s no truth to that – not a shred
I’m sure I heard purring
In the box there was stirring
Guess I’ll go buy a small dog instead
BF Skinner
Skinner’s box – bad idea from the first
Raising kids in a crate was the worst
Though his daughter’s all right
She hates places too tight
But with corners is rather well-versed
Perfection?
If I had a brain like Al Einstein
If Rockefeller’s riches could be mine
And had Marilyn’s beauty
And J-Lo’s booty
Why…I’d have one hell of a time!
Lost? Lenore...hmmm
Lenore wasn’t lost...no, she fled
With Poe? She was better off dead
His sick twisted mind
Was too grim for her kind
So she quit him while she was ahead
My Schrödinger’s cat can’t be dead
There’s no truth to that – not a shred
I’m sure I heard purring
In the box there was stirring
Guess I’ll go buy a small dog instead
BF Skinner
Skinner’s box – bad idea from the first
Raising kids in a crate was the worst
Though his daughter’s all right
She hates places too tight
But with corners is rather well-versed
Perfection?
If I had a brain like Al Einstein
If Rockefeller’s riches could be mine
And had Marilyn’s beauty
And J-Lo’s booty
Why…I’d have one hell of a time!
Lost? Lenore...hmmm
Lenore wasn’t lost...no, she fled
With Poe? She was better off dead
His sick twisted mind
Was too grim for her kind
So she quit him while she was ahead
Friday, August 13, 2010
Childhood Dreams
Little girls dream of getting married. Big white dresses. Tiaras. Bridesmaids. Flowers. We see it as our chance to be a princess, if only for a day.
Of course, when you’re a little girl, you imagine that day will come when you’re in your early 20’s, fresh out of college. You imagine a darling little house with a white picket fence. You see two children playing in the yard. Flowers and a tire swing. A dog named Rover and a cat named Fluffy. In this dream, you know the recipe for every delicious cookie and cake. You have the magic words to make boo-boos go away, and can calm hurt feelings with a brush of your hand through your child’s hair. Basically, you’re Donna Reed, Doris Day and Florence Nightingale all rolled into one. Oh, and you look like Marilyn Monroe.
But life happens, and it’s rarely just like your childhood dreams. Sometimes it’s better.
As a child you cannot imagine that joy can follow tragedy. You cannot fathom that from great sorrow, can come great joy. It is beyond comprehension that when life beats you down, you will ever soar at great heights again. Yet, that is exactly what happens. The soul is a resilient thing. We are multi-faceted. We have the ability to learn from the past, and even hold onto it, while we move forward to new and exciting things. We can smile again, laugh again, even love again.
As Psalm 30 says, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
As children we cannot see that our “perfect” dream is actually flawed. That without having been through tough times, we can never truly be grateful for the good ones. That without loss, we sometimes do not learn to appreciate what we have. We have been through tough times. We have been through excruciating times. We have been through times that we thought we could not survive. We are still here. We are smiling, laughing, loving again. The people and circumstances of our past are not forgotten, for they have formed us to be who we are today. They are part of the fabric of our being.
In Ecclesiastes we learn that…
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
God made everything to have balance, an opposite side. Through this we learn to recognize the value of all that we are given, all that we earn, and all that is done. We learn to be grateful for reality.
As a little girl, dreams may have been other than reality, but in reality there are dreams we could never have imagined. And sometimes our childhood dreams enmesh with our reality, allowing for big white dresses, tiaras, flowers, bridesmaids, and feeling like a princess. And in those intertwined dreams are happiness, laughter, and love.
Of course, when you’re a little girl, you imagine that day will come when you’re in your early 20’s, fresh out of college. You imagine a darling little house with a white picket fence. You see two children playing in the yard. Flowers and a tire swing. A dog named Rover and a cat named Fluffy. In this dream, you know the recipe for every delicious cookie and cake. You have the magic words to make boo-boos go away, and can calm hurt feelings with a brush of your hand through your child’s hair. Basically, you’re Donna Reed, Doris Day and Florence Nightingale all rolled into one. Oh, and you look like Marilyn Monroe.
But life happens, and it’s rarely just like your childhood dreams. Sometimes it’s better.
As a child you cannot imagine that joy can follow tragedy. You cannot fathom that from great sorrow, can come great joy. It is beyond comprehension that when life beats you down, you will ever soar at great heights again. Yet, that is exactly what happens. The soul is a resilient thing. We are multi-faceted. We have the ability to learn from the past, and even hold onto it, while we move forward to new and exciting things. We can smile again, laugh again, even love again.
As Psalm 30 says, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
As children we cannot see that our “perfect” dream is actually flawed. That without having been through tough times, we can never truly be grateful for the good ones. That without loss, we sometimes do not learn to appreciate what we have. We have been through tough times. We have been through excruciating times. We have been through times that we thought we could not survive. We are still here. We are smiling, laughing, loving again. The people and circumstances of our past are not forgotten, for they have formed us to be who we are today. They are part of the fabric of our being.
In Ecclesiastes we learn that…
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
God made everything to have balance, an opposite side. Through this we learn to recognize the value of all that we are given, all that we earn, and all that is done. We learn to be grateful for reality.
As a little girl, dreams may have been other than reality, but in reality there are dreams we could never have imagined. And sometimes our childhood dreams enmesh with our reality, allowing for big white dresses, tiaras, flowers, bridesmaids, and feeling like a princess. And in those intertwined dreams are happiness, laughter, and love.
Fireflies in a Jar
I was walking to my car after class last night, and there were thousands of fireflies on campus.
I got to thinking about them.
Remember when you were a kid, and it was so exciting to catch a firefly? We put them in mayonnaise jars with holes punched through the lids. We'd lay in bed and watch them in there as we fell asleep. There's something about fireflies that inspires dreaming.
Then I got to thinking about the flip side. Remember in the morning when you woke up and you had a jar full of black bugs? Somehow, overnight, the magic escaped through those nail-punched holes. Could these creepy crawly things TRULY be those magical floating lights from the night before?
Somehow little girls who cry "get it off me, get it off me" about gnats and houseflies and such don't mind catching fireflies at night. There's something magical about the idea of the floating glow. The yellow glow of now-it's-there-now-it's-gone. Trying to capture that little bit of wonder. The amazement of a living being emitting light.
We, as children, are sure that lightning bugs are created just for us - for our fascination. We are willing to hold an insect in order to imagine fairies and mystical, magical things.
Sometimes, as grown-ups, we forget the magic of that little insect. Just like hijacked mayonnaise jars, we let the magic escape through the little holes we punch in our lives.
But, just for a moment or two last evening, I was an enchanted little girl again.
I got to thinking about them.
Remember when you were a kid, and it was so exciting to catch a firefly? We put them in mayonnaise jars with holes punched through the lids. We'd lay in bed and watch them in there as we fell asleep. There's something about fireflies that inspires dreaming.
Then I got to thinking about the flip side. Remember in the morning when you woke up and you had a jar full of black bugs? Somehow, overnight, the magic escaped through those nail-punched holes. Could these creepy crawly things TRULY be those magical floating lights from the night before?
Somehow little girls who cry "get it off me, get it off me" about gnats and houseflies and such don't mind catching fireflies at night. There's something magical about the idea of the floating glow. The yellow glow of now-it's-there-now-it's-gone. Trying to capture that little bit of wonder. The amazement of a living being emitting light.
We, as children, are sure that lightning bugs are created just for us - for our fascination. We are willing to hold an insect in order to imagine fairies and mystical, magical things.
Sometimes, as grown-ups, we forget the magic of that little insect. Just like hijacked mayonnaise jars, we let the magic escape through the little holes we punch in our lives.
But, just for a moment or two last evening, I was an enchanted little girl again.
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