Sunday, February 28, 2010

Studies on Autism and PTSD

I'm writing a short paper today about an event I went to that gave me helpful outside information for both my Intro to Sociolinguistics and my Human Exceptionality classes. Dr. Gilbert W. Kliman came and spoke to a group of students and faculty at the University of Utah last Thursday, about his ongoing research and methodology working with children with Autism-spectrum disorders, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders. The presentation was wonderful, and I look forward to learning more about his revolutionary Reflective Network Therapy method of working with traumatized and autistic children.

I also recently picked up an impressive magazine called The Autism File U.S.A. - Covering Autism, Asperger's, ADHD, ADD and Other Related Disorders. This magazine has taught me a lot as well and I've been most inspired by the articles written by parents of children diagnosed with Autism-spectrum disorders. Everything I am learning in my Human Exceptionality class and from my brother and sister-in-law, with whom I am working to learn more about their diagnoses, is opening my eyes so much to the human condition and what so many people experience daily that we all to often ignore or do not know enough about.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Cascadian Farm and Kashi Organics

Over the past several months my (would-be) wife and I have discovered the goodness of Organic foods ... and other goods, but mainly foods.

This news story from Layton, UT was an absolutely heartbreaking testament to why we DO NOT need synthetic pesticides and toxins around us ~ not to kill rats, and CERTAINLY not in or on our food. After the many documentaries we have watched, we have re-vamped our kitchen to reflect how we feel about only allowing the most basic, close-to-the-earth products into our home and bodies. We are FAR FROM our home 100% reflecting this desire, I'll be the first to admit, however we are conscious of it and are always moving closer to that goal.

This morning I was lucky enough to have naturally woken at 5:00am, giving me ample time to stretch, breathe deeply and think. I then enjoyed the small remainder of my Cascadian Farm Raisin Bran, and a new cereal I had not tried before ... Kashi Cinnamon Harvest, which has 47g of Whole Grain (48g are recommended daily), I was surprised to learn!

When I was growing up, I never liked Raisin Bran, because it was one cereal that ALWAYS tended toward sogginess WELL before I could finish a bowl (did I ever think to pour less?). When I first saw this product on the shelves, I must admit I fell good and hard for it! Luckily I couldn't well afford a $5 box of sugar very often, so I only had it a couple of times. Years later, though, when I realized I COULD very well afford $5 boxes of pure, natural, organic goodness, I jumped at Cascadian Farm Raisin Bran with gusto ... I still eat it on a regular basis, and somehow don't have the soggy cereal problem at all these days.

What I absolutely want to share in today's blog, however, is the redemption of Kashi in my mind. My mother and step-father have been buying Kashi products for years now, and sometimes they've been alright, but I've never been amazed. On the other hand, everything from Cascadian Farm amazes me, it ALL tastes better than any other cereal I've tried ~ yes, even better than my two past favorites, Cheerios and Lucky Charms! Plus, Cascadian Farm cereals have Box Tops for Education the same as does General Mills, which just excites me. My younger siblings save the Tops, and I just think it's great they can participate with their classmates even though they don't eat Cocoa Puffs or Disney’s® Princess Fairytale Flakes. (Side note: have YOU ever eaten Disney’s® Princess Fairytale Flakes? They are NASTY!)

So, the redemption of Kashi, whose food products I've heard compared to tree bark? Today, I learned where cinnamon comes from, by reading the Kashi box as I slowly savoured every biscuit of this Cinnamon Harvest cereal ... it's the bark of a certain type of Laurel tree, and people harvest it by peeling off the bark when it's softest, between the months of May and October. When the peelings dry, they curl into cinnamon sticks! I first cooked with a cinnamon stick a couple of months ago when I tried a recipe for coconut rice, and I'm hooked ... these sticks are now a mandatory pantry item, and, now I know where they come from!

Beautiful. And the cereal? I was about to say it was so delicious it was as far from "tree bark" as you could get ... but, given how cinnamon is harvested, I suppose Kashi Cinnamon Harvest tastes like tree bark after all!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

The Places That Scare You

A dear friend of mine recently gave me this book, The Places That Scare You ~ A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön, author of When Things Fall Apart (which I am very interested in reading as well).

Initially when I heard the title of this book, I thought, "I do NOT want to read that right now." Which is about as good a sign as any that I needed this book in my life right now. The following week when I met this friend for lunch and she bought me the book, I was significantly warmed to the idea, and have thus far enjoyed the first 10 chapters.

I highly recommend this book because it is simple, and honest. It isn't materialistic, or unrealistically optimistic. It gives hope in the truth it brings to light regarding "both our clarity and our confusion." Here are a few quotes I love thus far:

From Chapter Four, Learning To Stay

"It gives us a way to move closer to our thoughts and emotions and to get in touch with our bodies."

"Meditation takes us just as we are, with our confusion and our sanity."

"Trying to fix ourselves is not helpful. It implies struggle and self-denigration."

". . . training with kindness results in someone who is flexible and confident, who doesn't become upset when situations are unpredictable and insecure."

"We need self-compassion to stabilize our minds."

"We want to dissolve the barriers between ourselves and others."

"The energy of passion when it's free of grasping is wisdom that sees all the angles."

From Chapter Five, Warrior Slogans

". . . self-compassion and courage are vital."

"When we are denigrating ourselves, do we know it? . . . Do we realize that the suffering we feel is shared by all beings?"

From Chapter Seven, Loving-Kindness

"Rather than nurturing self-denigration, we begin to cultivate a clear-seeing kindness."

From Chapter Eight, Compassion

"Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others."

From Chapter Ten, Finding the Ability to Rejoice

"The key is to be here, fully connected with the moment, paying attention to the details of ordinary life."

Saturday, February 6, 2010

National Geographic Society

I was right, I forgot one organization to which I belong! I am the proud owner of a membership in The National Geographic Society. I receive their monthly magazines, and find something absolutely worth sharing/repeating in each and every issue. They amaze me with their attention to detail and honesty - National Geographic does not report what is sensational, and they don't report in meaningless "news-bites." Periodically, while sitting at Barns and Nobles, I read magazine articles in periodicals such as People and US Weekly, because, I admit, I get curious about John Edwards' wife finally leaving him, or big families like that of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt potentially splitting up. I wouldn't say I'm star-struck by any stretch of the imagination, because I tend to read the articles in US Weekly and be extremely annoyed at their lack of substance. I do however enjoy some People articles.

Anyway, National Geographic is an entirely different story. I would never subscribe to People Magazine. I like to read it in doctors' offices and bookstores, I admit. But even when I for a time subscribed to Time Magazine I was annoyed at times by their reporting. National Geographic Magazine has never once annoyed or disappointed me. The reporting is not only honest and fair and open-minded, it is refreshing in how well-written it is, and the photography is, justifiably, world-renowned. Every month I open this magazine and peruse each, and every, single page. I give these articles and photograph captions as much attention to detail as I believe the editors and writers put into writing and compiling their art. These issues are, truly, works of art.

I await the day eagerly when I can afford their $70 - $100 world globes, atlases and maps. I plan to fill my home with the knowledge and expertise that comes from this wonderful organization. They are dedicated to saving our world for our children. I hope to always join them in reaching this worthy goal.