Sabbatical

A beautiful Thursday to each of you. 

Make time to connect with yourself and with others today.

I am a few weeks into a sabbatical journey. Six months to find the meaning of life. And the clock is ticking.

In university terms, a sabbatical is a chance to push back from the regular work and focus on scholarship. Not exactly the vacation that people think when they hear the word, but definitely a chance to lighten the load for a bit.

In my case, I am going to work on writing more around the importance of finding a strengths-based approach in our clinical work. Turning “What’s wrong with you?” into “What’s right with you?” Finding ways to pay as much attention to people’s strengths as we do their deficits, problems and health conditions.

When my patients asked what I was going to do on my sabbatical, I also added that I was hoping to slow down. In fact, more than anything I may produce while on sabbatical, I asked them to ask me how I did at slowing down when I see them next.

I live a life of perpetual motion, and while I think that has some positives to it, I also value the idea of slowing down. I think a slow-down would be healthy for me, and for most of us. How to put that into practice? I will get back to you on that. The clock is ticking.

Leading up to November 1^st, the beginning of the sabbatical, I walked into beautiful moments and conversations. Patients who shared wisdom. Friends who texted wise thoughts. I thought I would share three of those here today, expecting that they will be meaningful for you as well.

A text I received on 11/1:

Thrive with moments of nothingness. They are often filled with somethingness. 

                        – Jill Sanders

A conversation in which I shared my fear that things might implode when I am gone:

Trust that it will all work out.

                        – Peter Holter

And in a conversation around why it is so hard to put self-care as a priority:

It is a marathon. You have to stop at a feeding station every now and then. 

                        -Ted Rocafort

(Extra credit for using a running analogy with me - he knew this is a language I understand)

May each of these pieces of wisdom enhance your journey today. 

And thank you for being a part of my journey.

Snow has won!

This just in: APS has called the race.

Waiting for a few more precincts to report, Albuquerque Public Schools had delayed their decision until about 7am, but now they feel confident in announcing that Snow has secured the 270 electoral college votes needed to win.

There will be no school today.

“I was really feeling confident that we would be able to get kids into school. We made a last push with campaign stops that included me using my most gruff voice with our City of Albuquerque Snowplow Department to plead them to work faster,” remarked one school board member as he wept.

In the end, Snow just had more than what APS could handle. Attack ads and their campaign “Don’t let Snow ruin your child’s education” just didn’t seem to resonate enough with voters or Mother Earth this time around.

Snow, for her part, is excited to take over, even if only for a day.

In a press conference just moments ago, flanked by her allies – Wind, Rain, Hail, and Really Bad Wind – she spoke to an empty auditorium in downtown Albuquerque:

“I am so honored to stand before none of you today. You have been given a chance to breathe deep and sigh, as I have made the roads un-passable. Enjoy time being not here, not in school, and at home with one another.

It was a tough campaign. We had a few last-minute hiccups on the campaign trail that made me wonder if this day was going to be possible. The temps threatened to be above freezing and just yesterday my campaign staff huddled, wondering if we should concede the race to Rain and put our support behind her.

But you, the American People (and the Atmosphere and all the little kids who prayed for a snow day), have spoken and have spoken loudly. You wanted Snow and we delivered – in fact, that was our one and only campaign promise and I am not really sure where we go from here. Like, now that we defeated Albuquerque Public Schools, do we just melt away as past Snow victories have done, usually in a matter of hours?

And before I go, I do want to address our friends at the Snowplow Department. Just let us be for a moment, would ya? Let Snow have its moment!"

Lots more to come, and we will make sure to keep you all updated.

Signing out from a snowy wonderland,

Anthony.

Only in New Mexico

As New Mexicans, we have moments where we smile and say to ourselves, “only in New Mexico”. Whether you have lived here for a month or your entire life, there are just some things that you see here that would not happen elsewhere.

I had one of those moments this past week as I read a reputable news source (KKOB) story about a hot air balloon causing maybe the tallest man-made structure in our state, the KKOB radio tower, to come tumbling down.

For those reading out of state, yes, you read the previous sentence correctly. No need to adjust your glasses.

But, that wasn’t even the “only in New Mexico” part. In the KKOB story, here was the sentence that put this over the top:

“A woman who saw the balloon crash, said it was the blue balloon with the moon on it that had the accident.”

Yes, for those New Mexicans and out-of-staters, you read that sentence correctly. 

I am imagining the police officer called to the scene.

Officer: Ma’am, you say it was a blue balloon that caused this to happen, huh?

Lady: Yes, officer. It was so traumatic [sniffle]. I am struggling to remember anything else [sniffle, sips her pinon flavored coffee and takes a bite of her Golden Pride #1 burrito].

Officer: Ma’am, it’s going to be okay. There are other radio towers still left un-harmed. You will still be able to get your news. Now, please please…try to remember anything else about the “suspect”.

Lady: Well [sniffle]……..now that I think about it [sniffle], I think there was a…moon on the blue balloon [sniffle]. Yes, there was a moon on it.”

Officer: That really helps us ma’am. Would you be willing to come down to the station to identify this balloon in a line of potential suspects?

 

The next sentence in the article was an “only in New Mexico” sentence as well:

“It was the Smokey Bear balloon that crashed into that same tower array 20 years ago yesterday.”

I hope this makes you smile this morning, and makes you think of a few of your favorite “only in New Mexico” moments. Share those as comments to this blog!

 

Hot Air Balloon Strikes KKOB Tower

Posted on October 11, 2024

A hot air balloon knocked down one of KKOB’s AM radio towers this morning. No one was hurt when balloon caused the guy wires to fail, sending the structure crumbling to the ground around 8:45 AM. A woman who saw the balloon crash, said it was the blue balloon with the moon on it that had the accident. It was the Smokey Bear balloon that crashed into that same tower array 20 years ago yesterday, forcing a pilot and child to climb down the tower to safety.

Out of...Into...

As we transition to a new season, I look to the trees for wisdom and guidance.

They must now begin to transition out of their green-leafed stage and into the radiant colors of fall foliage, before losing their leaves altogether in the weeks ahead.

Like most drastic changes, I am sure the trees wish it could go just a bit slower, letting the transition happen over months, not weeks.

I imagine the grandmother tree, 90 years wise, trunk wrinkled with life wisdom in every crevice, begging Life to turn down the speed of the transition just a bit.

Life answers, gently and lovingly, “Dear, it is not your timeline on which things happen around here. Let go and let me guide you out of the summer and into your next chapter.”

Taking that in, let’s write together today.

First, imagine a tree or group of trees that you have shared Life with. Maybe an old oak that was your playground in your grandparents back yard. Maybe a Cottonwood on your street whose bright yellows have started to greet you in these last weeks.

Breathe in the energy, the essence of that tree as it shows us the way of transition. Out of the summer green. Into the fall colors and losing of leaves.

Now, it is your turn to write on your transition. Envision sitting at the tree’s base, your back resting on its trunk.

What are you transitioning out of at this moment?

What are you transitioning into?

 

A few lines that arise for me:

Out of…

Out of despair

Out of picking fruit before it has time to ripen, sweeten and mature.

Out of my own head

Out of forgetting gratitude as I rush out the door for the day

Out of holding onto yesterday + worrying about tomorrow

 

Into…

Into Love’s warmth and Life’s embrace

Into spaces that radiate the glow of Life’s Beauty

Into writing more and worrying less

Into slowing down and praying up

Into healing of others

Into receiving healing energy from Life, from others

 

Have fun writing your Out of/Into piece today! 

Share it with a few people and with your tree once finished.

Fall into Balance

Mornings crisper and darker

Evenings that come quicker

Pumpkins and apple cider

Fall is here!

 

This week is a moment of astronomical, celestial balance.

Fall equinox is one of two moments in the year when the sun illuminates northern and southern hemispheres equally.

On a global level, a moment of balance.

And on a local level, this is a moment where light and dark, day and night are also in balance.

Twelve hours for each.

I invite you to slow for a moment and take in the equinox on a deeper level.

Close eyes if you wish.

Feel the balancing of Mother Earth in her playful conversation with the sun.

Where do you need the equinox energy to restore balance in your life at this moment?

Imagine the gentle pull back from 

tilting, leaning, falling

                            …back into balance

Visualize the     

teeter

&

totter

tethered

to the center

until the sway

is gone altogether

until

you can let go

until

you can just be

until

you just are

until

love is all that is

until

all

is

still

Green Chile Wisdom

 

air crisp with a hint of fall

permeated

perfumed

with green chile’s aroma

flavor and spice mixing in a way that words cannot capture

the land and those who farmed it manifesting like apparitions, Field of Dreams style

how the nose can sense the spice level as if it were the tongue never ceases to amaze

 

Uniquely, green chile is a food delicious but also one that deserves a degree of caution. Not to be consumed blindly and endlessly like chocolate, but one that we sample first to get a sense of the “heat” that particular batch is going to bring.

Green chile demands that we enjoy without over-indulging.

And unlike chocolate, this centerpiece to our NM fall season is never the centerpiece in our dishes. It is added, again, with caution, to flavor the

enchilada, burrito, huevos, 

candy, chocolate, pizza,

salad dressing, peanut brittle, coffee,

popcorn, pistachios, ice cream,

burgers, bread, hummus

chips, paletas…yes, we do go a bit overboard!

Green chile teaches us that we can be great by adding flavor to others, supporting and centering them while we give a nice little spice kick on top.

In being roasted, the chile also reminds that while going through the fire is never pleasant, it does add some delicious flavor.

But here is my biggest takeaway from green chile season:

Giving our prized possessions away to others only enhances their flavor in our lives.

In giving bags of chile to my patients, family, friends (and occasionally to complete strangers), I can almost taste the chile upon my taste buds in return. I like imagining how good they are going to feel when that chile is put on their [see list above]. I enjoy seeing how people treat the gift as something precious, even sacred.

The joy in sharing with others what is most precious to us; Let us savor that flavor this green chile season.

Three Simple Rules for Speaking

My neighbor had a decision to make.

He had paid for a wall to be built and it wasn’t built correctly. In fact, it was leaning and looking ready to fall.

In talking with him, I asked what he was going to do. He mentioned that he could ask a state agency to come out and determine if the wall was constructed correctly, which would be a “no”.

“And then you could get your money back, right?” I asked.

“Not sure. What I am sure of is that it would cause a lot of trouble for the guy who did the wall who was falsely claiming to be licensed.”

Pause.

“But why would I do that? It would ruin him. And I would likely still have a wall that needs to be re-done.”

 

In the last weeks, I have thought a lot about his decision not to pursue retribution for being misled, for paying for wall that was now falling.

Moreover, I thought about his consideration of the harm it would cause another person in this moment where he was the victim.

 

A gentle reminder and an important teaching for all of us today.

Asking ourselves three questions before speaking:

Is it true?

Is it necessary?

Is it kind?

This sentiment is found in many of the world’s religions; a quick web search will result in Buddha, Rumi and others linked to such questioning.

These three specific questions were posed by a Victorian poet, Mary Ann Pietzker, who published a poem “It is True? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind?” in 1872. I will share that piece here, and get out of the way.

 

“Is It True? Is It Necessary? Is It Kind?

 

Oh! Stay, dear child, one moment stay,

Before a word you speak,

That can do harm in any way

To the poor, or to the weak;

And never say of any one

What you’d not have said of you,

Ere you ask yourself the question,

“Is the accusation true?”

And if ’tis true, for I suppose

You would not tell a lie;

Before the failings you expose

Of friend or enemy:

Yet even then be careful, very;

Pause and your words well weigh,

 

And ask if it be necessary,

What you’re about to say.

And should it necessary be,

At least you deem it so,

Yet speak not unadvisedly

Of friend or even foe,

Till in your secret soul you seek

For some excuse to find;

 

And ere the thoughtless word you speak,

Ask yourself, “Is it kind?”

 

When you have ask’d these questions three—

True,—Necessary,—Kind,—

Ask’d them in all sincerity,

I think that you will find,

It is not hardship to obey

The command of our Blessed Lord,—

No ill of any man to say;

No, not a single word.