Connection Comprehension

Corbyn Gregerson-age 5 "Creating his own world"

      Standing, arms by my side, eyes focused on the vibrant colours as they flap in the wind.  My legs stiff and strong, the music commands attention and the united voices vibrate against my skin.  Thousands of individuals seen as one for approximately 1 minute and 40 seconds.  A song that represents history, people, support and a celebration since the 1800’s. 

The buzzer starts the game and a sea of blue and green light up the stadium, smiles creating a ripple effect, high fives are exchanged and all of a sudden I’m swept up in a wave of bodies.  The energy that is created and seeing the giant that erupts from a single action is something to not dismiss.  Hundreds of people focusing on a moment, hundreds of people appearing as one and hundreds of people connecting in one movement.

Whether you are mindful of the connection or incognizant that you are a part of the whole connection doesn’t really matter or does it?   

The awareness that our actions coming together, sharing a moment, being present together in a moment holds tremendous power. 

So I ask you, how do you connect?  How do you know you have made a connection?

I feel we make connections everyday and everyday these connections affect us in different ways.  I feel our active interactions with others can hold different meaning to ourselves and the other.

Is a connection eye contact for 2 seconds? 5 seconds? 10 seconds? Is a connection embracing in a hug with another you care deeply for and never want to be let go? Is a connection for you exchanging kind words that are intimate on your screen with an emoji that appears with heart eyes?

Furthermore, why is it that there are brief moments of connection with strangers that somehow really impact and stay with us for a long time while larger life moments can be forgotten? These can even be very insignificant moments but for some reason they affect us.

Whatever the conection is do you realize you are making it?

I feel it is important for us to recognize and comprehend our connections; without this awareness I feel we are missing out on our own growth and development within ourselves and with everyone that steps into our lives. 

Ladner Dyke-BC
2016
Taken by: Renee Gregerson



A Moment of Being Cared For

Lying on top of the once white with blue stripes sheets, now smeared with blood and parts of my flesh; the growing unease is strong enough to cause my family members to step back into the corner.  I hear an unknown voice speak my name.  My eyes struggle to focus and I can barely make out the doctor sitting at the end of the bed between my bare legs, saying,  “Renee, you push 40% and I’ll pull 60%.”  I’m not sure how I can gather this 40% of energy that seems not to exist. The feeling of exhaustion, the voice beside me telling me I have to push for my baby as his heart rate is dropping quickly, I look over at my mom in the corner, her eyes troubled with worry for her daughter and the unborn baby, and I tuck in my chin and push with what little energy I have left. The doctor pulls the 9.9 lb. baby from my body and I feel lifeless on the bed. Twelve people fill the room as they make sure my son is taking his first breath and that his heart is beating as it should.  My body begins to shake uncontrollably while the placenta is expelled from my swollen and torn vulva.  As the doctor sews up the flesh that lies before him, I can feel the needle pierce my thin and battered skin, with each pull of the thread tightening up the perineum.  A gas mask placed on my face helps to relax the muscles in my body and slows the uncontrollable shivering. An ice pack is placed between my legs and a warm blanket is provided to cover my weak, pale body; I lie in the horror underneath the warm clean sheet.  A woman with blonde shiny hair, that brushes up against a colourful shirt, walks into the room and says that it's time to clean me up and have my bedding changed.  I am so pale that I fade into the sheets, my body deep below sea level, and I can barely lift my head let alone walk the 10 steps to the shower at the front of the maternity room.  The lovely woman picks up my left arm, my husband picks up my right arm; together they lean forward and my upper body begins to rise like the dead in a Halloween horror film.  Taking a moment to gather the oxygen needed by my exhausted muscles, we work together as if in a three legged race, a childhood activity that once brought pure joy and a smile to my face.  Slowly I begin to take steps while letting go of any pride I have left, and allow a stranger and the man I love to carry me across the room, supporting me every step of the way.  I stop to take another breath, almost melting into the white tiles below my feet, and in my mind I can hear the moans of the wicked witch of the west "I’m melting, melting…” One last push and we make it to a tiny stool, waiting in the shower that is covered in ocean blue tiles.  My hospital robe slides off my sagging shoulders and I slump forward gazing down at my bulging abdomen; a 9 month home for my son, now vacant.  The warm water begins to run down my back as I feel a soft and gentle hand sliding along my bare skin.  I can only see clean white sneakers moving around the stool I am now a part of.  Her calm, compassionate voice flows through my ears as I sway back and forth to her gentle commands.  Never have I felt so feeble and never have I felt so loved by a woman I met only moments before and may never see again, not even knowing her name; she now cleans away the remnants of a rite of passage.  My body begins to relax and awaken at the same time.  I close my eyes to thank the kindness of a stranger, embracing the moment of being cared for…

 

What if I asked you?

What if I asked you, "When you think of health, what do you think about?" What would you say?

Many responses I have heard in the past, and just recently in the HEAL program, are: physical, emotional, social, spiritual and psychological.  The list is much more extensive than this, but these are the common responses.  What I'm confused about, and a little concerned with is, why don't most people include, 'sexual health'?

I recently asked a colleague of mine the same question, "When I say health, what do you think about?"  She said, "Physical, mental and social."  I replied, "What about sexual health?"  She said, "Oh, that's part of physical health."  So, using Google and Google scholar, I typed in, "What is physical health?" Topics such as strength, flexibility and endurance, nutritional diet, medical self care, rest and sleep, drugs and alcohol, and even, religion came up; but I have not yet seen sexual health considered as one of the main components of physical health.  So, if people are quick to respond by saying that sexual health is obviously part of physical health, then why isn't it clearly discussed in the information on physical health?  Is the topic of sexual health still considered taboo in the twenty first century?

I have recently completed the Sexual Health Educator Program, which is the only comprehensive sexual health education program offered in North America.  In this program, I learned an amazing amount of valuable information about the human biological reproductive system, relationships, orgasm, puberty, how our bodies are very different and that the differences are both normal and natural as well as learning to appreciate and accept the LGBT2Q community. 

I am currently reading the book, Come As You Are, by Emily Nagoski. "She is a Wellness Education Director and Lecturer at Smith College, and has a PhD in Health Behavior with a doctoral concentration in human sexuality and a master’s degree in counseling. She has taught graduate and undergraduate classes in human sexuality, relationships and communication, stress management, and sex education."( Simon and Schuster, 2016) I cannot better promote this book than by saying that everyone NEEDS to read this book.  It focuses and informs the reader on why and how women's sexuality works.  The author explains how our sexuality is like a finger print, no two people are the same, and that women vary more than men in our anatomy, our sexual response mechanisms, and the way our bodies respond to the sexual world. So, we never need to judge ourselves based on others’ experiences. 

 

As a public secondary school teacher, I have had the pleasure of educating students about sexual health in my Planning 10 classes. I hope that by educating the next generation, and empowering them on their own sexuality and what that means to them, they will be more successful in their future relationships and as an individual.  I feel we truly need to educate ourselves on sexual health and well being.  

So now I ask you, "What do you think?"

(Images taken from Google images)



Me Time

Self care is something that has to come within each individual; it’s not something that can be forced or persuaded. As for myself I usually don’t think of it as self-care but more of ‘Me Time’ which comes in many different forms. 

Certain ‘me time’ is just sitting on the kitchen floor; letting the tears trickle down my cheeks until my body relaxes and I take a deep breath.  In other circumstances I find that movement within the natural world eases the imbecility that floods my mind; running until I can’t feel my legs and it feels more like I am a passenger just along for the ride in my own body.

And then there are those times where my ‘me time’ requires an energetic motivational boost and I find myself listening, not watching, but listening to YouTube motivational clips.  One of my favorite videos is called Unbroken (see link to video below).  I choose to actively tune in to how the words are expressed, the passion that in undeniably true to the person that speaks them and the music that seems to dance with each cell of my body. 

‘Me time’ can help guide the understanding of who you are, where you want to be and how you are going to get there.  It’s not a simple task that can be completed within moments. At the same time, listening to your body and your mind; reflecting on how you embrace the world perhaps can help counsel you on your journey within this lifetime.  Self-care or ‘me time’ is important to my own growth and development; it’s like taking a step back or away for a moment, cleansing my thoughts and then re focusing. 

Unbroken-motivational video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26U_seo0a1g

A Reminder Of How Powerful and Important We All Are - Together We Are Stronger

Post Card

YOU WERE GIVEN THIS LIFE BECAUSE YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO LIVE IT

BE THE LIGHT FOR SOMEONE IN NEED AND DON'T FORGET THOSE THAT LIT THE WAY FOR YOU

A Little Bit About Me :)

Hello, my name is Renee Gregerson. I am an adventurous, energetic and inquisitive woman who enjoys being around people of all ages, genders, educational levels and experiences.  I’m an observer of human behaviour, and I am always trying to figure out people’s intentions and expectations, as well as their thoughts behind their actions.  I have a passion for connecting with others, intellectually, spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally, and I feel energized when I support others' connections with the people around them. 

 My educational background consists of a BHk, B.Ed., First Aid Instructor’s Certificate, Sexual Health Educator’s Certificate and I’m currently working on my M.Ed. HEAL.  I chose the Health Education and Active Living Master’s program because it supports many of my life's interests including, nutrition, fitness and mental wellbeing, along with my current passions, emotional and social health.  Working as a secondary teacher for the past 6 years, I have come to the realization that one of the most prominent factors missing from the classroom is the understanding of how important the connections with the people in our lives are on our growth and development.  How the smallest of interactions, and the understanding of how those interactions connect with who we feel we are, and who we want to be, is incredibly powerful.  I’m hoping that my fellow classmates and professors, who are all so very knowledgeable both from education and  their own life experiences, will be able to support my research and help guide my understanding within this field of health education.  Having this opportunity to dig deeper into research that supports what I have only just discovered through my own teaching and social interactions will enrich my understanding and capability, and I hope to design a program that will further guide new educators coming into the public school system. Imagine a facilitator that understands and creates a learning environment where everyone feels cared for, welcomed, valued, seen as a human being that deserves respect and understanding, yet also holds expectations that challenge who we are, that in turn promotes our own personal growth and development.  Envision a classroom where students are excited to learn, where they feel free to speak up without hesitation or fear of what others may think.  An environment that feels like a home away from home, where we all appreciate our similarities and embrace our differences.  This may seem euphoric but our children and students are worth the effort!