Serendipity: July 2011

7/28/11

WELL, DUH

THEME: WELL, DUH

To spell out the obvious is often to call it in question. ~Eric Hoffer

Positive Psychology and Me
Carolyn B Healy

I rented the office, then scoured used furniture stores and garage sales to furnish and decorate it. I even splurged on a painting of a rainy Paris street from TJ Maxx. I was ready. I was in private practice.

My very first client showed up on a Tuesday. I handed him the client questionnaire I had crafted, on a tasteful Lucite clip board. After the demographic info, I hit him with the big question: What do you hope to gain from counseling? I left three lines for the reply, but he only needed one.

He wrote: Peace of mind, and introduced me to the answer I would see far more than any other in the next 20-plus years of my practice. It wasn’t happiness, or get my spouse off my back, or make my depression go away. It was a much bigger order, peace of mind. MORE . . .

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A Social Call
Ellie Searl

She shouted from across the street. “Hey! Do you people believe in Jesus Christ?”

I stopped raking and looked up.
She stood in her doorway, hands on hips, feet planted—square—like a drill sergeant, as if my answer could knock her over. A full-length, flour-dusted apron covered her dress.

“Of course we do,” I said. “He was a great leader . . . and teacher. Everyone should follow his example.”

Quick thinking. Can’t argue with that. I continue raking.

“But do you-all believe that the Bible is the word of God?” MORE . . .

About Carolyn and Ellie

Carolyn B Healy is a therapist-turned-writer who has invested hundreds of hours listening to people as they rewrite their life stories. While her interests include serious things like grief, resilience and transformative change, her vantage point allows her to address them with insight and a certain dark humor. A lifelong Chicagoan, she grew up the only child of a single mom, which fueled her curiosity about how other people live, and strengthened her backbone. She has been a columnist for her local newspaper and is writing a book on finding the hidden gifts in grieving.

Ellie Searl writes of human nature - the ordinary and the eccentric - getting to the heart of life’s yearnings, idiosyncrasies, and ambiguities. The splendor of the Adirondack Mountains and Lake Champlain seeped into her being, as did the rhythms of small-town life. Her slice-of-life storytelling draws inspiration from rich experiences with diverse cultures, quirky personalities, and unusual encounters while living, working, and raising a family in New York, Delaware, Vermont, Ontario, Quebec, Ohio, and Illinois. Ellie’s stories reflect her passion for justice, equality, and freedom of the spirit. She taught the art of writing to Chicagoland middle-schoolers, whose curiosity, energy, and enthusiasm for life gave her insight into the dreams of the sometimes disregarded. When not writing, Ellie designs and formats books. She also creates and manages websites and blogs.