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Tuesday, 05 September 2006 17:50 |
| | Janese Johnson |
If I felt deprived from being able to take business trips or travel for fun over the past years due to raising kids or being back in school, I certainly have made up for it this past summer.
Over the course of two months I traveled to Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Virginia and finally Chicago, either with my work or for my kids.
I
am feeling a bit like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," when she clicks
her heels three times and says, "There is no place like home," and she
is there in her home never to have really left at all ÇƒÓ or did she?
My summer was missing the wicked witch and munchkins but definitely had a variety of cultural experiences all its own.
Arizona was a bit of a shock for me because I used to live there for 11 years and now it has changed quite a bit.
The highway
between Sedona and Cottonwood is now four lanes instead of two, and
there are about 10 stoplights instead of two through the small town. It
has only been eight years since I left. One of the things that I really
wanted to do while I was there is get a good hike in. By the time my
friends and I were able to get out and do this hike, it was already
midday and over 105 degrees.
I figured I did this often when I lived there before, I could do it still, right?
Wrong, I almost
fainted while my two friends who are quite a bit older than me waited
with lots of patience while I was trying to make this hike. Ugh. I
guess I am no longer as acclimated to the heat as I use to be. Sedona
is still a beautiful place to visit even with the hot temperatures and
population growth.
A couple days
before going to the Northwest, I was told that the area was having a
heat wave. So I repacked my suitcase for very hot weather, and by the
time I arrived there, the heatwave was over and the chilly weather was
setting in, but it was still a great experience. The flowers and
mountains are quite a sight to see. I went to see family, give a talk,
and do lots of sessions. I also froze, but what do I expect when I
donët follow my intuition in the first place.
The Virginia
trip was only for business and was my first time there. I was scheduled
in two different locations. In the airport on the way there after my
two-hour wait to get into the gates, I saw a police officer with a
working dog. I love animals so I thought I would ask him if I could pet
his puppy.... Wrong question. I may as well have asked him if I could
put my hand in his lionës mouth. I guess that I should not have even
asked.
One of those
places that I visited was Staunton. Apparently Staunton was known for
its three mental institutions and when the Bush administration cut
mental health funding, the institutions released quite a few of their
patients out on the street.
I found this out
because one night at three in the morning I heard a man calling out for
Bootsie with a "kitty, kitty, kitty" after his call. When I brought
this up in the morning with my sponsor, she told me that this man was
in one of the institutions until the cuts. He is quite docile but is
very low functioning. He thinks his name is Bootsie and he walks the
streets calling out to all the cats using his name. I soon found out
after hearing him three nights in a row that he does this every night.
How sad that he cannot have the services that he needs to be a more functioning adult.
Richmond was a
wonderful place to visit. Everyone was really nice; the talk and
sessions went well; and the beauty was really sweet.
The biggest
cultural shock that I experienced was that of Chicago. I went there
because my son joined the Navy (didnët listen to me at all), and he was
graduating boot camp. I felt that I had entered another reality when I
went on base to see him.
The propaganda
that a video was spewing out on the large screen on the wall was quite
a surprise. But what I found was the most interesting was how wrong I
was to so harshly judge the families. I met many families who were as
shocked and upset that their sons and daughters joined as I was. I also
met a variety of different ideologies and political beliefs that didnët
match the current administrationës.
I was naively
expecting to see the typical military families and their children, but
the people that I did meet seemed even more varied than any other group
I have ever experienced.
I was quite
humbled by my judgments of them, and felt quite sad for the young naval
officers with their innocence, naivete and the way that they were
seeing their role in the U.S. Navy. I hope that they are safe in our
crazy and changing time.
Over all I feel
that I saw the world through a different lens, and even though I prefer
my lens, I hope that I may continue to remain compassionate for the
differences that we all have.
ï
Janese Johnson
has been doing intuitive counseling nationally for more than 20 years.
She may be contacted at janesej-at-buncombe.main.nc.us.
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