Mrs. Volpe Yelled at Me in 1979 - Pay Attention
Do you meditate? Over the years, I’ve tried this a number of times by listening to meditation scripts available on the Calm App, or on YouTube. I’ve been told repeatedly that this is a practice I’d do well to adopt – even by Dr. Chris Willard, Clinical Psychologist and Mindfulness expert. Chris has written several books on the topic, and I’ve had him as a presenter for staff in the Everett Public Schools. Chris was introduced to me by famous Child Psychiatrist, Nancy Rappaport – who wrote The Behavior Code and a heart-wrenching memoir about her mom. Nancy thought that meditation and mindfulness would be good for me as well.
In one of Dr. Willard’s presentations, he shows participants how different parts of the brain become active through meditation – and they are all good. Given what I know from Chris, and after reading The Four Agreements – which are so simple and reasonable that even a child can understand them, I think it is time to give the Mindfulness thing another go. The Four Agreements are:
Be Impeccable With Your Word
Don’t Take Anything Personally
Don’t Make Assumptions
Always Do Your Best
One of Nancy’s Books
I know the tremendous value that will exist in the adoption of these four principles. But as I read some of the pages, two or three times in some cases, I concluded that this is not going to be easy. I have this thought that to imbed these principles in my mind and make them a part of my DNA, I will have to succumb to Chris’ and Nancy’s recommendation and start practicing mindfulness on these topics. The racing of my mind, jumping from thought to thought, is, and always has been the equivalent of watching several television shows at the same time – by constantly changing the channels and getting morsels of information, filling in the missing parts of one show while taking in information from another. At times, I think this has been a gift. And, at others, an obstruction.
As an adult, my doctor prescribed me Ritalin for this – and it worked. But I didn’t like the way it felt very much, so he told me to take it when I needed to tackle a big task – as needed – this is PRN in his business. I’ve found that I can get the same effect through exercise and that has had its health benefits. So rather than pop the pills, I pick things up and put them down. But…if I go a day or two without working out, I don’t like the way that I feel…at all. It is amazing how when we take care of our bodies, our minds follow suit.
Take One and Call Me in the Morning
Because I can fathom what this feels like for myself, I very often relate with the little ones who are likely experiencing the exact same symptoms. I can remember all the way back to kindergarten when we were making color wheels in Mrs. Volpe’s class. Whatever it was that was going on, I had other things on my mind. And when it came time to do the color wheel, I was as close to clueless about what to do. That was the only time that Mrs. Volpe lost her temper with me. That was the first school experience in which, “Pay Attention,” a quote that I’ve heard only about a million times in my life, happened. I still remember where I was sitting and what she was wearing when she yelled it – with a scowl. She wasn’t a regular yeller, either. I remember that, too.
Now, truth be told, Anna Bruno actually made my color wheel. I brought it home, and Marlene (my mom) could tell pretty quickly that it wasn’t my work. At an early age, we were all compared to Anna – her handwriting, and ability to stay within the lines. In 1979, Ritalin, Focalin, Methylphenidate, and any of the other pills our students are prescribed these days didn’t exist. So, with the assistance of many, I just had to figure it out. What do you think about our kids today? I am seeing a lot of prescriptions at a very early age, and it really concerns me. But…I am not that kind of doctor, so what do I know?