key points:
- seeing Jake/shinseki monogamously, but happy to make new friends
(Jake is awesome, he is giving me a POTATO-THEMED engagement ring of sorts, i love potatoes and i love him more than potatoes).
- yay, practical philosophical discussion! particularly passionate about ("optimal") personal/interpersonal and childhood development
- very happily self-employed in private child care/education (mostly with 1-6 year olds, with some exposure to 7-10 range). considering becoming a child psychologist/family counsellor or taking some sort of advocacy role over the next 10-20 years.
^no really, the previous two points summarise my calling, and if i were left on my own, they would probably take up 70-85% of my life. other than these, i mostly enjoy argentine tango and all the games/movies/anime jake brings into my days
- pics are kinda outdated; i finally have long hair, woohoo!! :D
- i'm a fairly open book, as i believe this is necessary for forming any meaningful connection. while i may not always give the desired answer/response, i will always value curiosity, questioning and innovative thinking.
"you should message me if"
you enjoy sharing ideas, reflections and possibly amazingly delicious and/or addictive food. i like ice cream? and frozen yoghurt? and sushi. this list is not exhaustive.
if you have specific questions about children, i will most probably give as useful and thought-out a response as i can, possibly with relevant links.
that is all. :)
/key points
------remnants of old profile below----------
i have a particular appreciation for clear, consistent, insightful expressions of love/care/delight/personal growth/etc.
I am passionate, idealistic and steadfastly realistic about the nature and optimal development of humanity. I am also constantly in awe of the huge range of quality within human experience/perspective/interaction/existence (and how EVERY point on the spectrum can seem 'normal' or 'acceptable' - probably a testament to the malleability and resilience(?) of the human mind more than anything, imo. Not necessarily good or bad).
Such musings have been inspiration to work in (private) child care, carefully helping to build the foundation for people's social, emotional and psychological life. I enjoy interacting closely with parents as well! :D
I aim to nurture and protect resilience, curiosity, initiative, creativity, discernment, wholeness, personal wisdom and deep, genuine understanding/insight. I like seeing that spark in people's eyes, especially when working with children.
Regarding my favourite age group, well, what I do is basically all the same, but tailored to each stage of development (...including adulthood). I mean, it's great when kids can form coherent sentences and talk about things, but the challenging/engaging thing for me is picking up and responding appropriately to what's unsaid, figuring out which pieces of knowledge they need for things to actually make sense/'feel ok', and helping them to accept/work with reality. I mostly deal with 1-5 year olds atm. They are lovely :)
I have been gaining first hand experience and building up/testing out/modifying personal theories before deciding whether to move on from general child care. Probably won't go into teaching since I'd prefer a focus on fostering quality everyday experiences/perceptions rather than academics; Youth/Family counselling and Child Psychology seem to be the main alternatives.
in contemplative moods, i like seeing others' perspectives; when, why and how people change; what stays the same (when, why, how); what's truly vital and what's not. i like understanding underlying goals and motivations, how to meet all of them most efficiently (in terms of most happiness:least unhappiness), and how everything fits together. it satisfies me to dispel unnecessary mental shackles and negative self-fulfilling prophesies.
i used to be quite fascinated by social forces; people's perceptions; the creation, maintenance and evolution of real-life characters or personae; "genuineness" and moral fibre; and fairly universal laws. i'd say that for a while i was quite desperately -- almost hysterically -- looking for answers. while there's always more learning however, i seem to have integrated enough understanding into myself to just be happy and live :)
a few favourite quotes:
“Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure” -Henri Nouwen
“Your body needs to be held and to hold, to be touched and to touch. None of these needs is to be despised, denied, or repressed. But you have to keep searching for your body's deeper need, the need for genuine love. Every time you are able to go beyond the body's superficial desires for love, you are bringing your body home and moving toward integration and unity.” -Henri Nouwen
"History, as nearly no one seems to know, is not merely something to be read. And it does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do. It could scarcely be otherwise, since it is to history that we owe our frames of reference, our identities, and our aspirations. And it is with great pain and terror that one begins to realize this. In great pain and terror one begins to assess the history which has placed one where one is and formed one's point of view. In great pain and terror because, thereafter, one enters into battle with that historical creation, Oneself, and attempts to re-create oneself according to principles more humane and liberating: one begins the attempt to achieve a level of personal maturity and freedom which robs history of its tyrannical power, and also changes history." - someone easy enough to look up ;)
"Unfortunately, when you react against something that is "sinful", you will often go to the other extreme, and you can get into as much trouble as you were in before. You can jump from the frying pan into the fire, or as I often put it, throw out the baby with the bathwater.
...Since integrity is never painless, reformation is much more difficult than revolution. Whether the... movement is going to be saving or damning will come down to whether it is a movement of revolution or of reformation--whether it can motivate the people attracted to its new ideas to do the painful work and practice the discipline required not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, to integrate the best of the new with the best of the old." - M. Scott Peck
"Affirmation is a way to avoid looking at evil. It is saying, 'Well, yes, my stepfather molested me as a child, but that was just his human failing, part of his being damaged in childhood.' Forgiveness, on the other hand, requires facing evil squarely. It is saying to your stepfather: 'What you did was wrong, despite your reasons for it. You committed a crime against me. And I know that, but I still forgive you.' That is not easy by any stretch of the imagination... It requires briefs for the prosecution, and briefs for the defense, and then appeals and counterappeals, until a judgement is finally brought in... Only after a guilty verdict can there be a pardon." - Further Along the Road Less Travelled, M. Scott Peck
"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares." -Henri Nouwen
"Indeed, the quality of our life is determined precisely by the quality of our judgements."
"The world is not a battlefield, although occasionally it may feel like it. You are not a victim, even though it is so pleasurable to play into our neuroses."
- seeing Jake/shinseki monogamously, but happy to make new friends
(Jake is awesome, he is giving me a POTATO-THEMED engagement ring of sorts, i love potatoes and i love him more than potatoes).
- yay, practical philosophical discussion! particularly passionate about ("optimal") personal/interpersonal and childhood development
- very happily self-employed in private child care/education (mostly with 1-6 year olds, with some exposure to 7-10 range). considering becoming a child psychologist/family counsellor or taking some sort of advocacy role over the next 10-20 years.
^no really, the previous two points summarise my calling, and if i were left on my own, they would probably take up 70-85% of my life. other than these, i mostly enjoy argentine tango and all the games/movies/anime jake brings into my days
- pics are kinda outdated; i finally have long hair, woohoo!! :D
- i'm a fairly open book, as i believe this is necessary for forming any meaningful connection. while i may not always give the desired answer/response, i will always value curiosity, questioning and innovative thinking.
"you should message me if"
you enjoy sharing ideas, reflections and possibly amazingly delicious and/or addictive food. i like ice cream? and frozen yoghurt? and sushi. this list is not exhaustive.
if you have specific questions about children, i will most probably give as useful and thought-out a response as i can, possibly with relevant links.
that is all. :)
/key points
------remnants of old profile below----------
i have a particular appreciation for clear, consistent, insightful expressions of love/care/delight/personal growth/etc.
I am passionate, idealistic and steadfastly realistic about the nature and optimal development of humanity. I am also constantly in awe of the huge range of quality within human experience/perspective/interaction/existence (and how EVERY point on the spectrum can seem 'normal' or 'acceptable' - probably a testament to the malleability and resilience(?) of the human mind more than anything, imo. Not necessarily good or bad).
Such musings have been inspiration to work in (private) child care, carefully helping to build the foundation for people's social, emotional and psychological life. I enjoy interacting closely with parents as well! :D
I aim to nurture and protect resilience, curiosity, initiative, creativity, discernment, wholeness, personal wisdom and deep, genuine understanding/insight. I like seeing that spark in people's eyes, especially when working with children.
Regarding my favourite age group, well, what I do is basically all the same, but tailored to each stage of development (...including adulthood). I mean, it's great when kids can form coherent sentences and talk about things, but the challenging/engaging thing for me is picking up and responding appropriately to what's unsaid, figuring out which pieces of knowledge they need for things to actually make sense/'feel ok', and helping them to accept/work with reality. I mostly deal with 1-5 year olds atm. They are lovely :)
I have been gaining first hand experience and building up/testing out/modifying personal theories before deciding whether to move on from general child care. Probably won't go into teaching since I'd prefer a focus on fostering quality everyday experiences/perceptions rather than academics; Youth/Family counselling and Child Psychology seem to be the main alternatives.
in contemplative moods, i like seeing others' perspectives; when, why and how people change; what stays the same (when, why, how); what's truly vital and what's not. i like understanding underlying goals and motivations, how to meet all of them most efficiently (in terms of most happiness:least unhappiness), and how everything fits together. it satisfies me to dispel unnecessary mental shackles and negative self-fulfilling prophesies.
i used to be quite fascinated by social forces; people's perceptions; the creation, maintenance and evolution of real-life characters or personae; "genuineness" and moral fibre; and fairly universal laws. i'd say that for a while i was quite desperately -- almost hysterically -- looking for answers. while there's always more learning however, i seem to have integrated enough understanding into myself to just be happy and live :)
a few favourite quotes:
“Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure” -Henri Nouwen
“Your body needs to be held and to hold, to be touched and to touch. None of these needs is to be despised, denied, or repressed. But you have to keep searching for your body's deeper need, the need for genuine love. Every time you are able to go beyond the body's superficial desires for love, you are bringing your body home and moving toward integration and unity.” -Henri Nouwen
"History, as nearly no one seems to know, is not merely something to be read. And it does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do. It could scarcely be otherwise, since it is to history that we owe our frames of reference, our identities, and our aspirations. And it is with great pain and terror that one begins to realize this. In great pain and terror one begins to assess the history which has placed one where one is and formed one's point of view. In great pain and terror because, thereafter, one enters into battle with that historical creation, Oneself, and attempts to re-create oneself according to principles more humane and liberating: one begins the attempt to achieve a level of personal maturity and freedom which robs history of its tyrannical power, and also changes history." - someone easy enough to look up ;)
"Unfortunately, when you react against something that is "sinful", you will often go to the other extreme, and you can get into as much trouble as you were in before. You can jump from the frying pan into the fire, or as I often put it, throw out the baby with the bathwater.
...Since integrity is never painless, reformation is much more difficult than revolution. Whether the... movement is going to be saving or damning will come down to whether it is a movement of revolution or of reformation--whether it can motivate the people attracted to its new ideas to do the painful work and practice the discipline required not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, to integrate the best of the new with the best of the old." - M. Scott Peck
"Affirmation is a way to avoid looking at evil. It is saying, 'Well, yes, my stepfather molested me as a child, but that was just his human failing, part of his being damaged in childhood.' Forgiveness, on the other hand, requires facing evil squarely. It is saying to your stepfather: 'What you did was wrong, despite your reasons for it. You committed a crime against me. And I know that, but I still forgive you.' That is not easy by any stretch of the imagination... It requires briefs for the prosecution, and briefs for the defense, and then appeals and counterappeals, until a judgement is finally brought in... Only after a guilty verdict can there be a pardon." - Further Along the Road Less Travelled, M. Scott Peck
"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares." -Henri Nouwen
"Indeed, the quality of our life is determined precisely by the quality of our judgements."
"The world is not a battlefield, although occasionally it may feel like it. You are not a victim, even though it is so pleasurable to play into our neuroses."
