I’m back from an active weekend full of so many good experiences, I want to reflect on them and make sure and not take any of them for granted.

Most I’ll save for private savoring, but these I share with you:

The Wooden Boat Show in Mystic, CT. The glorious day and the perfect company (you know who you are) made appreciating these lovely boats that much more special. What do I know about boats?

• Next-to-zero, though I now can tell a cat boat from a schooner. The boats at this show were floating pieces of art. The satisfyingly rounded shapes and the bright, clean colors captivated me. I took photos of curves and glowing wood, and the coil of white rope against blue paint.
• Conversations with my son, Matt. How lucky am I, to have a child who is also a colleague? Matt is also a private tutor, and now that this school is over he and I have had the time to compare some notes and pick each others’ brains a bit. Tutoring is generally a solitary business, so getting Matt’s take on things and sharing mine has been so fulfilling.
• The extraordinary intellect and sensitivity of my readers. All of your comments make an impact on me; some of them blow me away. I especially enjoyed and appreciate some of the comments on my posts about empathy:

From Cheryl: …i do think there is empathy, and that with it comes those moments when we are really connected to another person. Not in totally becoming the other, or knowing them completely [ how could you know me when I am myself changing and experiencing contradictory thoughts and feelings] -but in residing in a common space for at least a moment.

From Bonnie: Maybe it’s empathy when we tell people what they want to hear and it’s projection when we don’t.

From PsychReader: Both empathy and altruism are illusions. But they’re the best illusions we have.

• And this quote from Forrest Church, the pastor of All Souls Unitarian Church in NYC until his death in Sept. of last year. I love so many pieces of wisdom from his book Life Lines:

Think of how often in our closest relationships surface irritations create a climate of anger or distance. One and then both partners or loved ones hold onto their sense of grievance long after the cause is forgotten. And then consider, if I may be perverse for a moment, how convenient this is. It permits us to close our hearts. Why is that convenient? Because a closed heart locks in both directions. Grudges or any well-practiced pattern of avoidance or confrontation not only keep one another out, they also keep us from having to encounter the source of our own fears. (p 90)

What little or big things do you notice and appreciate?

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From Psych Central's website:
PsychCentral (June 28, 2010)

From Psych Central's website:
PsychCentral (June 29, 2010)

    Last reviewed: 27 Jun 2010