New Beginnings

So, my family has told me, in a very family way, that I am driving in the slow lane with the blog (you all know who you are). I need to catch up you up since the last post...2 weeks ago, so there will be a spurt of posts!

New beginnings are all around me: colleagues having babies (beginning of life cycle); a friend losing his mom (end of life cycle), and seeing people heal or working on healing from depression, broken relationships (of any kind), bad news, or not-so-great decisions (rejuvenating life). New beginnings also symbolize firsts or new. For example, a new semester began at school this past Monday. This course is called The Psych. of Organizations & Systems from a Global Perspective.What is that, you ask? A class on the fuctioning of orgs. in an international context (remember that this road leads to a degree in International Psychology). However, I have also been trying new things as well because.. well, I'm adventurous. Don't need an excuse. Here are a few firsts: hot yoga (intensely hot), attended Chicago Fashion Week (fab-u-lous!), went to Charming Charlies (an acessory store heaven), a few new restaurants/places, saw Goo-Goo Dolls (a male rock band) perform live, reading a new book (it is called Loving People by Dr. John Townsend), a new follower to my blog (welcome!), and even double dated with a new friend and her hubby.

New beginnings are also about restoration--of the Self (mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and any other word ending in "l-l-y" that you can think of) and in relationship to other humans. Hmm, what does that mean? OK, I'm learning that my parents are actually (have actually always been) right about something. I have been seeing how when we help someone, we are actually helping ourselves. Now that could even be the "someone" we may not want to be bothered with or even helping someone before they ask. That book I'm reading confirmed my parents' message by saying that we have to love others before we love ourselves; that love is relational and interactional; that we shouldn't be "fooled" by the myth of self-love first.

My psychology field, on the other hand, would likely say the exact opposite. In fact, I know it would;It would say that we have to love ourselves before we can someone else. At least some areas of psychology. I'm not saying that either view is right or wrong; they're just different perspectives, which is somehting new I learned about.

I didn't see this differentiation on the roadmap :). More to come..