Dharma Wheel again?

Trauma, memories! You think they are gone, but no they don’t go away. Hidden in the recesseses of your mind, until one day another incident happens. Wham! They reappear and you see them as clearly as when they first happened, like a big screen movie. There was the day Trevor had a seizure in my classroom and quit breathing, the awful day Andy died, and then last week finding Ross passed out by the coy pond, head hit, bloody lip and not breathing. Why? Why me? Why am I the one in these situations? What is God trying to say to me? Life is just one foot in and one foot out, fragile like a fine imported crystal wine glass, drop it, the shattering pieces go everywhere. My life is like glass, it shatters over and over, pieces here and there. Why in one instance our lives seem fine and the next there is a dreadful rush of adrenaline, quick decisions to make and frenzy to save a life? It just spins all around and suddenly I find I am in the middle again.

Life replays, different actors but same story. It seems to me incidences are repeatedly happening again, the drama, the trauma, the unbelievable exhaustion. The running, yes the running, I am running away from it all mentally and physically. Dharma? Karma? Double dipped dose of doing it over and over!

Barbara Myss wrote a book on “Contracts” — something I partially read years ago. But one thing did stick and that is we are here for a reason, a lesson so to speak with people we already knew before we incarnated. All of us intermingle with each other teaching lessons to one another. Each lesson is one step to further our soul’s enlightenment. So what is the lesson, why do it again and again? Haven’t I got it right, can I move on or am I on the constant dharma wheel?

The Path of “Boring”

When you start a new relationship everything is fresh and wonderful, you are all “gaga.” As the novelty wears off you have to face the real you, your inner personality and the issues or demons that you hide. I think not only with new romantic relationships but with with all people you meet, you set boundaries and begin dialogue.

In each relationship we can revert back to old stereotypical roles we may have played in childhood, with boyfriends, girlfriends, or with past husbands or wives. I am breaking out of these old roles with toxic dialogues into a healthy role of an adult with a nice calm dialogue. I recall my attractions were to troubled, distant, moody men, usually emotionally unavailable and addicted to alcohol. Roles we played were rescuer “trying to help”; or persecutor “trying to blame”; or role of victim “the one who is helpless and blameless.” This becomes a game and you can act out any of these roles at any time you please. To step away from this and work in a healthy role is challenging for some one who has had a dysfunctional life.

Working on a healthy relationship is what I call “different, virgin territory and sometimes boring.” You would wonder why boring, because there is no drama or chaos. I have loved that “high” in my relationships but no more. I am finding when there is no action, I honestly don’t know what to do with myself. I am not sure how to act, how to cultivate a continually nice relationship, where someone actually cares about me, and my welfare. Having found someone who loves me, just the way I am and is there for me is so amazingly different. Finding mutual interests is more fun than commiserating endlessly over obsessed and unhealthy conversation.

As I walk a path to a new way of living I am hoping to be joined by new friends in a more peaceful world. I sometimes catch myself looking for or about to step into a toxic dilemma. I have a fear that the calm life is not working. I am curious has anyone else noticed once you have changed into a healthy lifestyle what do you do with yourself when you seem to want to fall back into the stimulation of chaotic drama instead of enjoying the “boring” life? Any helpful ideas would be appreciated.

What is a healthy relationship?

As many of you know, a healthy relationship is something I have really never had with a mate. A co-dependent to alcoholics, a person always trying to fix the other is my M.O. My wonderful friend Ann in Colorado sent me a book entitled “Women Who Love Too Much.” I put off reading the book until last week, and have found it to be amazingly like a case study of my life. Growing up in a dysfunctional family is your first clue. My mom was a cleanaholic, among a few other things. These obsessive tendencies are what causes us to be unhealthy. I too have been a workaholic and a clean freak, just ask my friends and family. On top of that I can fix anything.

The move last year to China was the best thing I could do to get out of my co-dependent behaviors and start living a life of just caring for me. One of the steps in the book to recovery is learning to be “selfish.” A word I could never describe as me, I saw myself as never selfish always giving. That is unhealthy according to my book. Learning to honestly say how you feel is a lesson my wise Texan friend Judy taught me this summer. She is a workshop leader of “BePeace.” BePeace® is a practice that combines a scientifically proven method for “feeling peace” with a clear path for “speaking peace” that creates an authentic, compassionate connection. As we learn this practice, we are empowered to pass it on, to “teach peace”. Basically she teaches children and adults how to say what you feel, what you need and how to empathize. A great lesson for me, something we practiced this summer.

Having been isolated for a year in China, than a quick summer back to dysfunctional America I realize how sick I had been. Sorry America but you are dysfunctional! I learned quickly that my family had expectations for me that I no longer cared to fill or be. I had changed and it was difficult for others to accept the new me. I may have less family members speaking to me due to standing up for myself.

Learning to say what you need is so important. I am healthy and on my road to recovery. I found a man that is healthy too and we can talk about these things. It is a work in progress, always tweaking to make it healthy. Nice thing is he will talk to me and say how he feels too. We allow each other to be who we are. It is a nice start in a good relationship. Yes, it is going slow. I am not going to dive in head first and get married again. I will probably do a “Carriage” relationship. (see http://www.susantadlock.com/2011/04/a-carriage-relationship/ ) It is a contract we write how we want to be treated.

Those of you that are married, have you ever done that? I would challenge you to sit with your partner and create a list of ways you want your relationship to be. Ross and I are in the process of that now. It is a give and take contract, each looking for different ways to be treated and treat the other. We will sign it when we feel ready to commit to one another. We will make it renewable in six months to be rewritten, or discarded. It is up to us. Healthy is nice and not chaotic.

The quest for the black shoes is over!

In my quest for the right Cinder(f)ellow my search took me home to America and then to Australia. Did the right guy appear, you ask? If you kept up with my story line concerning the dreams I had to find the right man you might find this story interestingly sweet.

“Finding a Soul Mate” was the blog about how to manifest your mate, it came to me in a dream. For thirty days I envisioned myself in what I called ‘like particles’ to the universe. “30 Days and do I have a Soul Mate” is the blog that explains the end of my quest with four men that contacted on the thirtieth day. I did not elaborate who these gentlemen where in hopes I would meet them and actually see what developed. I bought a couple fish that last day for my soul mate company. As you know the bright orange koi lovingly named President Hu died, and when I returned to China Oba-mao my black and white with a touch of socialist orange koi had moved on too. Sadly my fish tale ends, but my black shoes begins…

When I got to America I lined up my dates and checked out their intent as well as shoes. I had a date with a handsome Dallas photographer, like a Nikon and a Canon, no match. I meet up with a polite Vegan at Sumi Veggie in Richardson, still I am vegetarian he is vegan, not quite a match either. On to Houston and my promised enchilada dinner with a wonderfully great inventor. Friends forever I can say, but not the click I was hoping for. Where are my black shoes?

Two months in Texas, Colorado and California on to OZ! Yes Australia! To my surprise, Ross met me at the Brisbane airport with a stuffed kangaroo. I am a sap for gifts and he warmed my heart immediately. A long drive up the east coast to Bundaberg in Queensland, and me screaming, “we are on the wrong side of the road!” “Crikey!” Billboards of Steve Irvin, home of the crocodile hunter wiz past as we drive in lush tropical landscapes. It is winter, but more like a Texan spring. Ross and I spend ten wonderful days together on the beach checking out the turtle rookery and coral reefs. I meet his delightful neighbors Ian and Kathy, his Chinese friends and wonderful cooks David and Tobi, and have a treatment with his acupuncturist Dr. James.
We talk about metaphysics and beyond with his friend Jeff, the optometrist. Ross is an intellectual, pilot, engineer and a trading systems researcher. His Bundaberg home is a quaint Queenslander he is restoring. The property is covered in palms, ferns and tropical plants of all kinds, as a green thumb I am amazed at the amount of plants I can actually name. His tiger cat, Mr. Slick eventually takes an interest in me and I can feed Oprah his fat black chicken! Ross is a gentle man that opens car doors, cooks, makes reservations for the best table at a charming beach restaurant on my birthday and takes me to hold and pet a koala and kangaroos. I fell in love with the koalas and the man!

His shoes are Aussie boots, or white tennies not at all the black shoes I saw in my dream. He believes the shoes are a metaphor for my hopes, all the marbles are like tossing these hopes and dreams into an older culture China, represented by the pagoda. The chaos of the past, in the imagery of the marbles finds their way to a life of love and respect in the elegant worn black shoes.

Love

Love is a small word with a big meaning. Who we love, we choose. Therefore my advice is choose wisely. I feel inclined at this point to say “I like more than I love.” Don’t get me wrong, I do love and I love many. But love is reserved for those I respect. I like many people, things and places. I like most everything. But to move up to the word love, then you have my respect and reverent adoration.

Life teaches us the meaning of loving. In my life as a teacher, I find loving my young students easy. You want to know what I teach, it is not so much art, but more about loving one another, respecting one another and appreciating another. That is what I do and I do it well. Tomorrow I start teaching another year of high school art in China, and I sit here thinking about the fifty bright eyed sophomores starting our IB program. I can’t wait to see how many exciting things they embody that I will like and love. How will I teach them to love and respect? How will they respond to me? How will we get along? I am excited for the first moment my blues eyes encounter their brown ones.

Loving respect is wonderful, and now after a year in Nanjing and a wonderful summer with all my dear sweet friends in America I realize I want this loving respect for myself. Having been the teacher, I need to be the pupil and demand it in my life. Sharing this information I realize I have slowly changed my future. My astute son-in-law noted in a conversation the other day that I had rounded a corner and changed my path, no longer leading a co-dependent life. Maybe I have found true love this year.

Summer is over!

To my surprise, I am back in China! Surprised because the time flew by. What a summer! I enjoyed seeing friends, family, past Allen high art students, college roommate, Plano high school friends from the 70’s, watercolor art friends, past teacher friends, and it just goes on and on. So to all my loving friends, family and new friends…Thank you for a beautiful summer. Those of you that welcomed me in your home, thank you so much for a bed, sofa and meals. I love you all.

Sink or Swim

My friend Jennifer asked me about my year in China over a cup of latte and a pumpkin scone at Starbucks today. Her curiosity centered around how I managed after the death of a son and a divorce? She concluded I was catapulted out of a sad situation and into something entirely new, how did I succeed despite the difficulty? The change allowed me to remove myself out of my present life and recreate a new one. Basically I learned how to survive in a foreign land. Working on survival you forget your sadness. I recall a comment Norman told me about his mom upon her dying. (from “Norman’s Mom June” a recent blog) “Losing a child can destroy you or make you compassionate of others.”

Sadness is around us all, how we deal with it is what makes us stronger. I can choose to be sad or happy. It is like sinking or swimming, what are you going to do? Drown in misery, I think not. My answer is swim to the light. It is a metaphor for viewing my life. Is your cup half full or half empty? What is your life about? Down the road, when you recall your life what will you remember?

This month in America has allowed me to take what I learned last year and assess it here. I found who helped me “see the light” and those folks I want more of. I have also seen those who would like to drown me, and I don’t want to swim around them. I have learned who is my family and who is not. I may have been a “pleaser” like Jennifer, as she describes herself during our conversation about our personality types. The one thing I have learned is some people you can never please and some will never please you. Just dump them! Life is just to short to be miserable or all wrapped up in drama.

Dallas is a hard place to live if you are an authentic person. I grew up in Plano and finding real people who care and understand you is rare. A stereotypical place of wealth, trying to have more and being better than others is what this area of Texas alludes. I no longer want to live here and my adventures in China opened doors that I could have never imagined. I am looking forward to another year in China and deciding where I want to swim the following year!

Texas home of BIG culture

Texas is my home or was my place of residence. Now it is just a vacation place. I love seeing my friends and listening to what they have done over the past year. It’s a hot summer, sweaty and at least 100 degrees daily. Randy treated me to a baseball game at Ranger Stadium. It’s been years since I’ve seen a game. Last one, Houston Astros, when Nolan Ryan was pitcher. That will date me! Baseball is a typical American event, everyone sporting red, white and blue T-shirts with TEXAS printed on the front. Hot dogs are $1 and beer is expensive at $8. The stadium is packed with 36,000 hot sweaty fans. The Minnesota Twins win 7-2. Darn! Best part is the American patriotism and culture!

AMERICA – home at last!


AMERICA!
What a country, the land of abundance! I cannot tell you how happy I was to land in New York, get my feet on American soil, see a real western restroom with toilet paper and seat covers! Yea haw the land of plenty, not like the squatter toilets of China.

I was not expecting the culture shock and trying to settle back in. America is over-sized, mega-sized and revolves around the owning and hording of stuff! The amount of belongings seems to limit ones relationships. Homes are large enough, but the stuff is overflowing and no room for people, not like China. Relationships in China are cultivated in the tiniest of environments, with the littlest of stuff. My beliefs on how to treat people has been enhanced in China. Watching the Chinese grandparents care for their grandchildren and my colleagues care for me I came to value relationships more. Seeing my family and friends after ten months was the utmost on my mind. Being alone only made my heart grow fonder.

A week with my children on the lake rejuvenated my soul. A trip to Galveston, the beach, biking the canals, walking in the sand, swimming in the salt water, photographing the stormy clouds, and seeing art on the strand filled my face with smiles. Visiting with my friends, reminiscing over stories of life past and ideas for the future are filling this Texan girl with memories to savor during the next teaching year in China.

Here are just a few moments in time to remember and enjoy.

June in Nanjing

This last couple of weeks have been jam packed with activities. Here are photos commemorating these events.

My 10th grade students created an IB extravaganza performance to display their wonderful talents. One evening I had dinner with my Tai Chi friends and master. They gave me a RED tai chi uniform! I am a part of the group now and am the only one in bright red! Friends, Marty and Jim Hartman from America met me in Shanghai. We explored the Yunnan Gardens and chatted non-stop.

This weekend is Dragon Boat Festival. We celebrate with steaming rice dumplings, ‘Zong Zi’ in Chinese, and salty duck eggs, ‘Xian Ya Dan’ and green bean cakes, ‘Lv Dou Gao’. Our school gave us a box of duck eggs, which I thought I might like, but when I bit into one, it was very gritty with a red oily yoke. Not something this vegetarian really cares for. The rice dumplings are fun, as they are wrapped in bamboo leaves and tied with threads, very yummy.

Life in China is one adventure after another.