3 X 5's: Index Card Wisdom from Best of Books

GARDEN Juanita Havill (2008). Grow: A Novel in Verse A delightful novel about a growing a community garden set in a verse and illustrated. Meet Berneetha the adult woman, Darlene the girl narrator and her friend Harlan the boy...together they tend a garden on a city plot with permission of the owner until he dies and his son takes over...the new owner of the plot uses the law to oust the gardeners because he wants to build a parking lot (reminds me of the song by Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ratQlft_G5c...they paved paradise to put up a parking lot...don't it always seem to go, you don't know what you got till it's gone...)...fortunately an amiable firefighter offers them a little plot next to the fire station to use as their newly transplanted garden...there are many "life lessons" throughout the story including:  walking slow in the morning is when i do my best thinking let the doodle grow into a lightbulb idea the land belong...

MILTON Ronald Havens (2005). The Wisdom of Milton H. Erickson . Havens read most of the writings of Milton H. Erickson and then curated and organized what he found into themes supported by ample quotes from Erickson. Some of the themes are: the clinician needs careful, detailed, objective observation of the person they are working with--this is the bedrock for all that follows. the unconscious mind  is always LISTENING and LEARNING  (Erickson views the unconscious as separate from the conscious mind that knows more than we can consciously know, that is a creative force, and that is also fallible). to create change, one needs to be creative about breaking/disrupting rigid habitual patterns of behavior using an individual's language, metaphors, and stories as the medium for the change inducing messages. hypnosis is focusing on internal experience, suggesting simple things a person can easily do, and building on that. we need to learn to put the self into a trance and let the unc...

 MWe Daniel Siegel (2023). IntraConnected:                                             MWe (Me + We) as the Integration of                                             Self, Identity, and Belonging Siegel is a medical doctor and psychiatrist who writes about "interpersonal neurobiology." In this book he narrates his personal story, and provides research evidence for the consilence (identifying similarities among different ways of knowing-specifically, Western Science, Indigenous Wisdom, and Contemplative Traditions) of the MWe idea, namely, that we are individual "Me's" but we are also "We's"--relational beings connected to others, nature, and the universe. In MWe we differentiate among the domains of life and link them in...

HUMAN VOICE Carol Gilligan (2023). In a Human Voice. Professor Gilligan published an essay in 1972 called, "In a Different Voice" which subsequently became a published book in 1982. The thesis (oversimplified) is that boys and girls have different ethics that they live by, boys have the ethic of justice and girls the ethic of care. Over 40 years later Gilligan recognizes that the "ethic of care" belongs not just to girls and the feminine, but to all of humanity...caring is a "human voice" as opposed to the patriarchal voice of gender binaries and hierarchies.  To listen with a human voice Gilligan suggests we listen closer to the language choices of people, especially to phrases like, "really think," "actually feel," and "to be honest"--these are signals for us to pay attention...to listen with respect and curiosity rather than judgment.  

LIVING DEEPLY  Marilyn Sclitz, Cassandra Vieten, and Tina Amorok (2007). Living Deeply:  The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life The book is based on 900 surveys and interviews conducted between 1997 and 2008. The chart on page 7 summarizes 41 religious/spiritual themes from east, west, and indigenous/earth worldviews. There are in-depth ideas for journaling at the end of each chapter. The qualities of transformative life practices include: intention, attention, repetition, and guidance...and the challenge for all of us is to integrate meaningful life practices into everyday life such that ultimately, life becomes the practice. One practice that anyone can do is to make one's home and workplace a holy space...make it beautiful, simple, use images, add music, and include reminders to do your "practices" with objects, posters, jewelry, post it notes...

GOOD CHEMISTRY Julie Holland (2020). Good Chemistry:                                     The Science of Connection                                     from Soul to Psychedelics. Holland is a medical doctor and psychiatrist with experience working in mental hospitals, emergency rooms, and in private practice. She began experimenting with psychedelics early in life.  The book is filled with research and case studies. I appreciate the organizational structure of the book around self, partner, family, community, nature, and the cosmos. This parallels my  SONG of life structure of self, others, nature, and God-Goddess-the Divine.  Each chapter has practices for connecting. For example, the first chapter on connecting with self describes a breathing technique whereby one breathes in and out ...

SUMMER MEMORIES Mary Balogh (2002). A Summer to Remember . Balogh grew up in Wales and taught school in Canada before beginning her novel writing career. All her books are about love and have a happy ending.  This book is set in London and the English countryside during the Regency era. Kit Butler, a military man of honor, courage, and light heartedness, and Lauren Edgeworth, a proper lady, strike a bargain to pretend to become engaged for a summer (for reasons that you'll have to read in the book), and they end up falling in love. There are many nuggets of wisdom in this romance novel that include themes of freedom, family, responsibility, honor, and of course love. What do you think of the following bits of wisdom from this romance novel: 1. When given the choice of honor or love, always choose love. 2. Don't wait to tell someone you love them...do it today for you may not have the chance tomorrow! 3. It's okay to be a little silly, child-like, and have some fun.