Insights – Melannie Thomas

Archive for July, 2013

It was not my intention to follow ‘Burnout’ with ‘Work’ until the flowers came.

I am very blessed.  I love what I do!  When I stop and think about ‘Insights’, how it has grown, the many people that have been guided and supported;  finding their center, their truth, their authentic selves, I am in awe.

I am in awe of the power of the Holy Spirit.  I am in awe of the heart and courage of my clients.  I am in awe of the resilience of the human spirit.  I am in awe of the process of transformation.

Like all work it has difficult and sometimes very challenging moments.  Yet the rewards, tangible and intangible, are profound.

Saturday I received the biggest bouquet of flowers ever.  Five gorgeous sunflowers, lots of fresh greenery, the most beautiful dark purple straw flowers and little purple lavender orbs ( a flower I am unfamiliar with);  fresh and crisp and colorfully stunning.  Created by an artist, wrapped in purple and lavender floral paper and tied with bright yellow ribbon.

The flowers were from a client.   Her message humbled me greatly.  It put me squarely in the presence of  everything noted above.

I love my work.  But it would be a vacuous effort without the sentient beings that are my clients.  From the depths of my soul, I thank you  all.

I know better than to work seven days a week.  I know better than to ignore the behaviors and boundaries that prevent me from experiencing burnout.  I also know that it is an easy thing for me to slip into a rut.  And slip I did.

I know better.  I did a research project in college on burnout in the helping professions.  Presented before a large group that included educators,  counselors, care-givers, nurses and students,  the impact was far more than I expected.  People crowded around me post-presentation;  some asking questions, most just wanting more…more understanding of what they were experiencing.

Fortunately,  I knew what was happening to me.  I also recognized how big a part my computer, email, phone and cell phone were playing in fostering my burnout.   So, I planned a three day respite.  Three days off from work, from email, from the computer, from my phone and cell phone.  However, I also made a list of all the around-the-house work and cleaning projects I was going to do during my mini-vacation.

I know better!  The morning of my first free day,  I did not want to move.  I was unwilling to even look at the ‘to do’ list I had created.   I was just as unwilling to entertain my inner critic taunting my inactivity.  I breathed.  I prayed.  I meditated.  I rested.

I spent the rest of my time out, doing things that I wanted to do.  Doing things that refreshed and invigorated me; that engaged my verve.  It was wonderful!

Of course, the task ahead of me is staying true to time outs that energize and connect me to vigorous, abundant  living and ward off burnout.

A friend who loves  jewelry and works in the industry recently remarked, “Everyone should adorn themselves with beauty.”   Her statement got me to thinking about adornment.

Defined, adornment is something that beautifies, enhances status, symbolizes affiliation and displays wealth.  I easily imagine early humans adorning themselves with colored mud, plant juices, bones and feathers.

With the ability to smelt metals, cut and polish gemstones,  came a new era of adorning.  Many cultures kept their great wealth in the form of jewelry,  and  resplendent collections survive today.  However, until mass production,  wearing jewelry was reserved for those who could afford such indulgences.

Clever marketing  created a demand for wedding and engagement rings.    Jackie O.  legitimized wearing costume jewelry and it’s popularity quickly became a major feature in making bejeweled  adornment available to the masses.

Modern human’s wear adornments reflecting a range of social, religious, cultural and economic situations.  From medals of victory and honor to the accoutrement of punk and bling, most of us put our adornments on for personal enjoyment and public display.

I am inspired to get out of my rut, dig into my Jewelry Box and adorn myself with some lovely pieces that have not seen the light of day for  some time.  Won’t you join me?

Flarmies, bat wings, arm charms, chicken flaps, and bingo wings are all descriptive terms for saggy upper arms.  I was born with them.  You may have been too.

In an age of svelte, trim, toned,  lasered and tucked everything,  flarmies aren’t a desirable body part.  Neither are saddle-bags, muffin tops, thunder thighs, love handles, middle-aged spread, spare tires and turkey necks.

American’s earnestly pursue staying young, being thin and getting rich.  But alas, aging,  diets loaded with sugar and fat, and a rapidly disappearing middle-class, all put challenging blockades in the path of such dreams.  But back to flarmies.

I kinda knew all along that they were in my future because my wonderful Grandmother had them.  She was a very active woman and never allowed her weight to exceed 120 lbs.  And she had awesome flarmies!  Mom had them too,  in spite of regular workouts with hand-held weights.

I actually prefer  bat wings to flarmies.  I can envision myself base jumping or hang-gliding with no need for special equipment ’cause I have built in bat wings.  I confess I have never tried them out.  (Perhaps mine are  really  chicken flaps.).

There are a plethora of remedies for this condition including  surgical procedures; I assume as a last resort.  However, I find acceptance as good a solution as any.  It does not cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars and it is painless.

Now I am not one to flaunt my flarmies,  and like Batman, I prefer to be discrete about my bat wings.  But I have them and they are part of  my arm charm.

I am SO sorry to bother those of you who have already received this once – but it turns out that I spoke too soon yesterday. We are hopful this is the last test of our e-mail system and that all the technical glitches are now resolved. Again I thank you for your patience and support.

With Parades, Picnics, BBQ’s, Flag-waving, Naturalization ceremonies at Monticello,  Concerts, Baseball, Eating contests, and Fireworks from coast to coast America celebrates Independence Day.

I know I take many of my personal freedoms for granted.  I have always been able to move where I want, do what I want, be what I want, say what I want, practice my beliefs when and where I want, and raise my family how I want.

Beyond customs and celebrations I invite you to take a few moments to give thanks for these precious  freedoms.

Re: last week Blog post:  I am happy to announce that, thanks to my amazing Webmaster, everyone should now receive The Word of the Week on a regular basis.  Thank you all for your support!  And a special ‘thank you for your patience’  to all of you who were receiving  my Blog sporadically.

With Parades, Picnics, BBQ’s, Flag-waving, Naturalization ceremonies at Monticello,  Concerts, Baseball, Eating contests, and Fireworks from coast to coast America celebrates Independence Day.

I know I take many of my personal freedoms for granted.  I have always been able to move where I want, do what I want, be what I want, say what I want, practice my beliefs when and where I want, and raise my family how I want.

Beyond customs and celebrations I invite you to take a few moments to give thanks for these precious  freedoms.

Re: last week Blog post:  I am happy to announce that, thanks to my amazing Webmaster, everyone should now receive The Word of the Week on a regular basis.  Thank you all for your support!  And a special ‘thank you for your patience’  to all of you who were receiving  my Blog sporadically.