Wave of Consciousness, "A Voice of Sanity in a World of Conflict"

Random Associations

by Natalia J. Garland, M.S.W.

(1) Random: having no objective.

(2) Association: being joined together.

(3) When I was young, I desired brisk autumns and snowy winters; now I dare to grasp the hottest summer day.

(4) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (I Corinthians 15:55)

(5) There is never complete silence on earth, not even on a mountain top. A bird sings. A motor whines in the distance. I breathe.

(6) Rainbow, reading, reality, revelation, rhapsody: good things starting with the letter R.

(7) Racketeer, ramshackle, rat, rheumatism, robbery: bad things starting with the letter R.

(8) United We Stand. Divided We Fall. Et tu, Brutè?

(9) Self-expression requires bravery, politically and personally, because oppression and rejection devour like insatiable insects.

(10) The real stigma of mental health is just that--mental health. An individual who sees a therapist could get well, and that would upset someone else's status quo.

(11) If I had to choose one theorist with whom I presently feel the most aligned, it would be Alfred Adler.

(12) THERAPY could be an acronym for:

(13) My essays begin in spiral-bound notebooks, with scratchy notes, phrases, and outlines. Then I go to the computer to do the bulk of my writing and revision. But I still rely on paper and pen to get the process going.

(14) Cowboy boots are comfortable and beautiful footwear, serviceable beyond the original purpose.

(15) Wool scarves are practical apparel demanding a personal statement about cold and bitter days.

(16) Gratitude, humility, and common sense are characteristics which we need to practice, teach, and role-model.

(17) The essence of my elementary education was simply to learn to read, and then to journey through libraries.

(18) For children from unhappy homes, a good teacher becomes more important than mother and father. In loco parentis: the only foundation and affirmation which some children will ever experience.

(19) The brakes on the sanitation truck squeal, as though outraged by mankind's waste.

(20) Raison d' être, recovery, rejuvenation, renaissance, resolution: more good R words.

(21) What will the rock-n-roll music of 2056 be like? I predict the guitar will still be the major instrument.

(22) September 11th: I will never forget. Forgetfulness would be denial of present danger. Remembrance would be the promise of a future.

(23) There is so much to study. We can approach academics: (A) in a broad but brief manner, (B) by selecting a manageable number of topics and books, and omitting everything else, (C) by lengthening the school years from K-12 to K-13.

(24) I have never read War and Peace. Perhaps this would be the right moment to visit the mind of Leo Tolstoy.

(25) There must be moments to do nothing. That is, if listening to the chirping birds is nothing. (Written 09/04/06)