Sunday, December 8, 2024
Oops! I forgot to water the shrubs today. They must be watered daily for several months until they're firmly rooted. I have to battle the chickens and the lack of rain. The chickens love digging up loose soil for their dry baths. Besides watering each plant individually with a hose, I need to make sure the roots aren't exposed.
The charger I used yesterday, the one Kia provided when I bought the car, to charge it didn't work. Was it the car or the charger? Since I had a second charger, it was worth trying. It worked. Bingo!
At church, I saw a familiar child's face. She smiled at me, and I nodded hello. Confused at first, I thought I knew her from when I volunteered at Kealakehe, but she was too young to be one of those kids. I realized I knew her from Ulu Wini when I saw a handicapped child in a stroller.
After Mass, I walked over to say hello. Instead of greeting me, the girl avoided my gaze and turned grey. She looked like she was in agony when I went over to greet her. I asked her if she was okay. She said fine. I walked away. I realized afterward that she was probably embarrassed about her parents, who didn't speak English. I couldn't remember her name. I would have to ask Shauntel when I saw her on Tuesday. If I identified the girl by the handicapped child in the stroller, she would know who I was talking about.
Paulette sat down to talk to me. Courtney came over to speak to me briefly. This was a first on both counts. I guess when I'm feeling lousy and would prefer to be left alone, others see me as approachable. Will someone please explain this to me. I have learned I don't have to put out maximum energy with every connection. I can remain quiet and mumble something.
I arrived at the Unity church before 11 am for the noon crystal healing event. Getting there early assures me of a parking space. I pushed my car seat back to relax while I listened to Hidden Brain on HPR. Today's talk was about the Milgram and Zimbardo studies, which asked why people blindly follow the directions of authority figures. I was familiar with both studies. It's not only the results of these studies that are horrifying; it's the cruelty needed to put the experiment's subjects through those exercises in the first place. The Uni Bomber was one of Milgram's subjects. Milgram systematically humiliated him.
When the Zimbardo prison study rapidly degenerated to brutality, Zimbardo stopped it only because his girlfriend came to observe, was appropriately horrified, and told him he had to stop it. A priest had already observed the subjects' behavior and said nothing. Holy cow!
I ran the car and the air conditioning while I sat in the parking lot, listening to the radio. I was shocked to see I had lost 8 miles of battery in the half hour I had spent there. That's more energy than I need to get up, Kaimiani.
It was a heavy grief day. That's what impacted my subdued demeanor at church. I felt the same at Unity. I wanted little contact. Clyde called me earlier and asked if I was coming. He was going to tell me why he canceled the Monday morning Chi Qigong sessions. It was usually just the two of us. I enjoyed our conversations after we completed the routine. As I left today, he asked for a hug. I told him I wasn't up for contact today, and he walked away. He's an insecure man, needy. He's told me his wife complains about it. I never experienced it. I'm concerned about the repercussions of my 'rejection.' I'll deal with it directly.
I had my usual Sunday session with fourth-grade MH. We continued working on E.B. White's The Trumpet of the Swan. Working with this material has taught me how much unfamiliar syntax and vocabulary can throw a reader. I continued with the procedure I set up last time: I read a paragraph, ensuring she understood all the vocabulary and the relationship of one sentence to the others before she read it aloud. The difference in her reading fluency was substantial. I learned the prereading approach from a Whole Language workshop.
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