Right/Left

I am most definitely a right side of the brain user..however I can see where I utilize the left side frequently throughout the day. I am a very logical person which often interrupts my ability to tap into my intuition. As soon as my intuition speaks I begin to analyze it which automatically cancels out anything your intuition is telling you.

*Thanks ego*

 My ability to organize and budget is naturally good at this point in my life because let's face it..raising 6 kids on my own requires these two abilities. I have purpofuselly chosen to focus more on the right side of my brain as I get older. Immersion into music and art is soothing. Meditation and intuition are my best friends. I have been apprenticing with a few different psychics/mediums over the last several years and learning that aspect of life has really opened up a whole new world for me. I prefer to live my life from a higher vibration which means not relying on the brain..but instead going outside of it to live the best possible life..

Putting a name to my obstacles...

When it comes to writing I really don't feel like I have too many obstacles preventing me from saying what I need to say. In my own little reality I have 6 distinct obstacles that tend to draw my attention away from whatever I may be doing. I lose my train of thought so quickly with these 6 distinct obstacles. But, hey, who doesn't get distracted by sweet lil kids?!

 I do believe in being non-confrontational and empathetic. I think being judgmental and negative just leads to more of the same. Being mindful of what say, especially in a public posting, is important because anything we say may influence others in someway and my goal is to only positively inspire others.

My biggest obstacle is privacy. I do have to keep aspects of my life private and especially as I delve into the world of Social Work the need for privacy increases. I hope that I will be able to continue writing publicly while maintaining my own sense of self in the process.

Free Writing

Writing for 5-10 minutes immediately reminds me that I prefer typing over writing. This may have to do with not being in the flow of writing with my hand any longer, like those long ago days in school when there were no computers and everything was handwritten. All those callouses and our fingers bent just so to hold a pencil at any given moment. Hand cramps. Yes, typing I prefer.

Free flowing typing allows for my all the emotions and thoughts that are floating around my head to flow out. It feels like a release in a way. I've been stressed out this past week, more then usual so this assignment was therapeutic. I always feel like one of those people that falls through the cracks of the system.

Some of my kids were sick this week which always makes for an interesting juggling game of figuring out how to care for them, get them to the doctors, getting myself to class, staying on top of homework, etc....

This week has been a good lesson for me in remembering to stay in the present moment. I have been working hard on remembering to meditate daily. The practice of meditation is really helping me to stay focused and calm no matter what storm I find myself in.

Sounds of Silence

Silence is a rare treat in my life. Sometimes, when I'm experiencing a moment of silence, I actually have to work at feeling comfortable with the absence of noise. Noise to me is important. The important sounds of my children playing, fighting, laughing..that chaotic noise always brings me great comfort because I know everyone is alive and well. Without the chaos I feel alone and wondering where are they? Are they ok? For me, in my life, noise is important. Yet I am in love with meditation. Meditation is the act of bringing myself to center and is the space in which I find clarity. I can quite easily block out the noise and meditate within the midst of the chaos. There is something to be said in tuning things out in order to find some balance. This may be why I always appear calm and serene even when I am at the grocery store with all of my lil ones! When a person can find their center, can find calm in the middle of chaos, this brings them the ability to more readily handle stressful situations. I think this will be my saving grace as a person working in the field of social work...finding my own silence in the midst of the chaos.

Week 4

Mainstream Americans are reluctant to speak out in writing, even when it can make a real difference. How can we shift that reluctance by setting aside self-judgment, releasing fear and tapping our common heritage as powerful thinkers as a means of turning our writing into action?

 

I personally love to write and I feel like it is my favorite form of communication. Writing papers comes easily for me and when I get the chance to write from the heart it feels really uplifting and empowering for me. I think that when some people gain a large audience and speak from a strong point of view that there may be a lot of backlash involved and that is something I may shy away from. I also have a very powerful reason to keep a lot of things about my life private which means that I am unable to just blog away about my life in public. I can't share pictures of my children and daily life because of this reasoning. I actually believe that maintaining a sense of privacy is inherent in our society nowadays. Media outlets have really created a sense that nothing is sacred anymore. I will say that I have a favorite blog that I follow daily and I really admire this woman's ability to share her family and life so openly. It is also her main source of employment and income and she has managed to gracely open her life up to the world. Check it out

I tend to get overwhelmed with trying to figure out what I need to do for every class and keeping it all organized. Every class has a different due date for forums, the amount of reading per week is huge and it's difficult to retain all of the information, and I have a few different group projects and keeping track of all of that is a lot for my brain as well. Have I mentioned that i'm a single mama to 6 lil kids? Yep. I have sole custody of all of them so there is no shared custody, no dividing up the responsibility of them, no finanical help...nothing. Just lil ol me taking on the task of raising all of these kids on my own while also attempting to get my degree in social work. So on top of all  my class work I have to make sure my kids get to and from school, take care of the house, feed them, go to their class meetings and potlucks..it's pretty neverending. But i'm still standing. This semester I am taking 6 classes so if I get through this semester I will feel really grateful and more empowered.

I try to take things one day at a time. I sit down every day and check into each of my classes to make sure I have my assignments caught up. When it comes to essays and group projects I always try to get a head start in my spare time (whatever that is!). If I even think too long term I get stressed out, so one day at a time for me.

My entire education is in my own hands. I need this degree because I was a stay at home mom for many years before finding myself single with the entire responsiblity of raising all the kids on my own. I need the education and the job skills. Plus I survive off of student loans. I do not get any finanical help from anywhere or anyone so it's all we have. Plus getting this degree will be a huge accomplishment for me!
I do my best to participate in online forums and ask questions. I'm fairly involved with my groups on our projects, emailing back and forth and using elluminate. I am also taking 2 classes on campus so i'm running all around between online work, on campus work, and my kids!

My name is Rebecca and I have been living in Humboldt County for five years now. I've taken classes through College of the Redwoods, Santa Barbra Community College, and i've been at Humboldt State for a year now. I'm really excited to be apart of the Social Work Program. I have been on the other side of things and have gained a lot of experience from that alone. My hope is to use my own personal experiences in combination with what I learn from the Social Work program to help others. I see a lot of areas that could use change and I would love to help be that change.

I don't often go into detail about my background because I have found that I get a lot of judgement from others and I truly prefer to stay empowered and keep moving so that I can be succesful. I do know that I will use my background to help others in the same situation because I've lived it.

I have a special needs child who is turning 15 tomorrow and I spend a lot of time advocating for her needs and I love working with other children who are as amazing as her. That would be the something I would want you all to know about me :)