“Mental health is the ability to meet our obligations and challenges; adapt to change and adversity; share, not hoard; give credit, not blame; relate well to others; lead by example.”

A strange-looking man. He is alone, he is lonely. He is big and strong and does things that seem to upset people. He feels misunderstand. He sounds melancholy.

Then one day, someone sees his potential, and everything changes.

I have to confess that I haven’t blogged much here on this site but when I got the challenge to “change something” I just had to come back!

There are many things in this world that need changing, and many that I feel quite strongly about.

However, one of the issues closest to my heart is mental health. Close to my heart, mind and spirit.

have you ever had difficulties reading, writing, or doing math? do you sometimes find it very challenging to organize your thoughts? have you ever had a hard time telling time, or telling left from right?

if so, maybe you're one of the 20% of north americans who are alternative learners.

they used to be called people with learning disabilities, or slow learners, or dyslexics.

okay, so here is my report from libby davies’ 100 mile breakfast.

it was a raging success! pondok indonesia restaurant seats maybe 35 people at best – but there was standing room only! at one point, there was so little room that this poor palm tree was put out into the freezing (but stunningly beautiful) morning air to make more room for humans. (hmmm … would that be a metaphor?)

yesterday, tina mcinerney and i did another presentation for the society for the immediate awareness of alternative learning.

quite the name, huh?

we raise awareness of the fact that people who are labeled "learning disabled", "dyslexic", "ADD", etc. are often simply people who learn differently.

like winston churchill, for example, or michelangelo, or walt disney.

on january 11, libby davies, MP for vancouver east, will hold a breakfast with food grown only within 100 miles of vancouver. (time, location - go here)

my involvement with the environmental movement has been spotty. but i've done a little bit (including working for greenpeace for a few years, and writing a column about environmental issues for a small independent newspaper years ago). on the other hand, it's been, what, over 10 years ago that i decided i wanted to eat only organically grown meat, coming from animals who had a relatively good existence before giving up their life for me - and i still haven't done that. so - yeah, spotty.

it was really rainy out today so i couldn't go out for my walk. instead, i put on my bellydancing CD and danced my heart out. it was such a wonderful experience that i thought, hey, let's get a whole bunch of women together and do that! so that's what i'm wanting to do some time this year. probably after i've finally defended and published my thesis.

in the meantime, i'll keep on with my practice and my blog.