Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

School Day Memories, Best Way To Help & Breathe

30 Day Blogging Challenge

Fun Fact Friday!
On this day in 1773, the first schoolhouse to be located west of the Allegheny Mountains was built in Schoenbrunn, Ohio. What's one of your fondest memories from the early days of your schooling?

Fondest days of school... hummmm. I loved school. I loved the structure and the predictability. I loved the learning.... individual study, not group work - I hated having to work in a group. I was not a great student, but I got by. I was shy and quiet, so oral participation was limited for me. I preferred math as a child - one correct answer.
I enjoyed writing as a child, but not necessarily in school - there was too much structure and expectation in the language program then... but in my own stories I wrote at home.... I revelled.
My childhood was not stellar and I was not an overly social pumpkin. I preferred time to myself. I also preferred adult company to children my own age - I thought them silly and rather stupid. They thought me odd and I was often teased. Being an only child, I did not take that too well. I was also a serious child. I have gotten more child-like as I have grown. The troubles of my childhood have faded to memories - I no longer need to be surrounded by my parents separation or childhood teasing or inappropriate touching from a male babysitter. I am an adult now and can put those memories in their place.... my past, where stories can germinate. My past made me who I am....
My better school memories are from high school when I began hanging out with my friend Debbie. She and her family were kind and I was able to come out of my own shell. After my father's death, from cancer the year I moved to southern Ontario (1979), I pulled into myself even further. Debbie and my decision to take an acting class in grade ten were my turning points. Debbie was in my class. She was new to my school and for the first time I was not surrounded by honour role students - Debbie was fun, but in a way that didn't stress out my conservative side. She helped me find my confidence. She never asked me to do anything I didn't want to do and she was open to doing what I wanted.... I stayed at her house one weekday night and when she asked what we should do. I said, "our homework" she thought that was an okay thing to do. Debbie rarely did her homework and found the experience new... I helped her with her English essay which she would usually have written in the morning after the school bell rang - she would skip class to go write it. That was the only paper she got an A on.
We had a lot of adventures. Debbie and I have been friends since my grade 10 year.... and that was.... almost 35 years ago (September 1983, I think)!
I am one of those people that may not have a lot of close friends, but the ones I have, I have had for a long time. One girl, I jokingly say I have known her since her birth - she was my next door neighbour. Another I have known since kindergarten. My best friends... well, one is Debbie and the other I met when I was nine and she was seven - 40 years ago! That sounds scary, but it is a blessing. Another I met in a boring university economics class... an elective we took. We were also both studying Sociology so we did a lot of projects and studying together.
Of my close friends, three of us are teachers. Great minds think alike. We all want to make the world a better place and teaching is our vocation.

Blog City - Day 873

What's the best way to help someone when they are having a crisis? Your input matters. Is it more important to pitch right in, or better to offer solutions and let them resolve it their own way. Where do you draw the line at meddling.

Being there for the person is paramount. How you give them your support is dependent on your relationship and what they need. Sometimes just sitting with the person is enough to let them know they are not alone. Listening to them when they are ready to talk is also helpful. I don't think it is helpful to give advise unless they ask for it. I also think it is important to keep yourself out of the equation as far as telling them how you managed in a similar situation. This is about them, not you...
I recently read an article about this topic... I need to see if I can find it.

This might be it:
http://www.drchristinahibbert.com/the-dos-donts-of-helping-others-through-grief/...

Love Louder - Amplifying My Life

I have decided as part of my blog to comment on each of Preston Smiles's ways to Love Louder. He has written an intriguing little book or 33 Ways To Amplify Your Life. The full title is Love Louder: 33 Ways To Amplify Your Life.

Day 24 - Let It Flow: Harnessing The Power Of Breathing
"Our breath, when done properly, is incredibly restorative. It can rid us of worries and tensions and bring us back to our true nature, which is love. Conscious deep breathing is the key to amplifying physical, emotional and, spiritual well-being - softening, opening, and creating more space for love."

When we stress we forget to breath. We tense up and take shallow little gulps of air... barely enough to sustain us. According to Preston Smiles, "breathing fully is our birthright". Our hectic lives constrict our breathing and has us running on fumes, he writes.

We must consciously take the time to breathe. No matter how stressful the situation, we must remember to breathe deeply and consciously so that our system is not strained or "leaving us feeling exhausted and depleted."

"Breath is there to remind you to come back to your center, ground yourself, and take a moment to gain perspective on what's actually happening. It's like a reset button, ready to restore us back to our default setting."

#LOVELOUDERCHALLENGE
Place one hand on your lower belly and take a slow, deep breath through your mouth, noticing your abdomen expanding as you inhale.
Then as you exhale, blow out through your mouth again and feel your stomach contract.
Do this 3 to 5 times a day to get into the habit of conscious breathing.