Wake Up and Dream Catalyst: Short inspirational thoughts for the day. Raising questions & hopefully opening a dialogue with people interested in learning how to turn their dreams into plans and start navigating their way towards them.
Thought for the Day: It's Friday & time for my fabulous finds. These are truly inspirational. This week I have been writing about how to recover from trauma following the Tornado in Oklahoma. Here are 3 finds related to resilience, a major goal of positive psychology in the face of traumatic events. Since Monday is Memorial Day, my first find is a wonderful video about a veteran's drive to beat the odds & continue to achieve his dreams. See how he is beating the odds & running marathons despite having lost not only his leg, but also his hip. The second find is an indigogo crowd fundraising campaign which will surely help others amputees. A Canadian group is using the youngest victim of the marathon bombing, Martin Richard's words "No More Hurting People," to raise funds for survivors of the Boston Marathon Bombing. You can view a video, buy a tee shirts or help their cause by sharing the site with others & keep Richard's dream alive. My third find is a miraculous new medical achievement. Doctors were able to a 3-D laser printer to create an airway splint to save the life of a baby boy who used to stop breathing nearly every day.
Thought for the Day: I love the internet. It exposes me to new things
every day. This week was no exception. My #FF Friday's Fabulous Finds
this week include: two videos about a Professor, I happen to know personally, from Tufts Medical School who uses Rap to teach students about stem cell research, a world wide Valentine's Day Dance with Jane Fonda
leading the way to stop violence against women, questions to facilitate communication with your children
& an article with questions a five year old might ask their
working mother about juggling work & motherhood.
1) My first Fabulous Find was a video, http://bcove.me/ip2g48yb, from The Boston Globe about Jonathan Garlick, A Tufts University professor who uses Rap music to teach students about stem cell research. I've met Jonathan socially several times while in Boston & never suspected his hidden talents. The 60 year old professor has earned a reputation with his students as the Stem Cell Rapper. I have included not only the Boston Globe article, but an earlier YouTube video (above) that went viral. He is an educator who is literally breaking down a difficult subject & communicating his message about the importance of stem cell research to young people in a way that they will remember.
2) My second Fabulous Find for the week brings together multiple areas of interest for me. I have been a fan of Jane Fonda for many years. Her acting skills, outspoken ability to speak her mind even when her beliefs are unpopular, candid sharing of her personal problems & support for feminine causes are some of my reasons for respecting her. I have heard her speak twice & spoke with her briefly each time. The first time, I learned about her early painful years in Connecticut. I had not known that Ms. Fonda spent years in therapy trying to make sense of her mother's suicide when Jane was just a toddler. I also heard how years after Jane had taken on the cause of helping women victimized by rape, that she learned that her mother had been raped. So I was hooked when I saw that Jane Fonda was sponsoring this massive event: V Day Until the Violence Stops, http://janefonda.com/one-billion-rising/#.URK3X2P3hF0.facebook. But my excitement did not stop there. The event involves another of my passions, dancing, to help promote the cause. They call it One Billion Rising / Strike / Dance / Rise! Events are happening around the world & anyone (including men who care about their mothers, daughters & wives) can join in the world wide flashmob experience. Take a look, find an event over Valentine's week near where you live & join the movement!
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3) I discovered my third find on Google+. This blog post by +Stefanie Mullen suggests 10 questions a week for Table Talk with your children: http://www.ooph.com/table-talk/table-talk-family-dinner-questions-week-37/#. This week's post is number 37, but you can check previous weeks. On the blog you will find great ideas for conversation starters with your kids like: 8. If I had to dance or sing in front of your friends, which would be less embarrassing for you? or 10. If I gave you one rule free day, which rule would you most be excited to be free of? It's never too early to start speaking with your kids about all kinds of topics so that they will feel comfortable speaking with you as they enter the tough teen years.
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