The author, Mark Edward Jabbour, age nineteen, crossing East Maroon Creek, fifty years ago today. It was August of 1969 and I was camped on the east fork, across the water from the paved road, via my 1946 Willy's Jeep. I was spear fishing wild trout. It was summer break between my freshman and sophomore … Continue reading Set yourself free
Mental Health
Mental health, what is it? I define it here. Briefly, it's only one element of your overall health. There are five other components. In short, mental health is how your brain functions. Or, how is your brain at problem solving? Dr. Melfi (Tony Soprano's psychiatrist) in the scene above, says out loud to her own, … Continue reading Mental Health
PROZAC diary
Lauren Slater has been on Prozac since it burst on the scene in 1988. PROZAC diary (1998) is her book recounting the first ten years of the drug and how it affected and saved her life. That's not an exaggeration. She was twenty-five and suffering debilitating OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). Slater had been hospitalized five times beginning … Continue reading PROZAC diary
Lying
Lying is a thing people do. It has been a subject and action, central to my understanding of communication, between and within persons nearly all my life. Because of reasons not pertinent to this review. Lying (2000) is a memoir by Lauren Slater published twenty years ago, when she was 37. It's a beautiful, fascinating story. … Continue reading Lying
The Territorial Imperative
The Territorial Imperative was a book I read back in the late 60's, as a freshman at Colorado State University. It has informed and influenced me ever since. Its "big ideas" predated Evolutionary Psychology, by some ten/twenty years. Sociobiology was a word coined by The Naturalist, E.O. Wilson, around 1975. Sociobiology, as defined by Wilson … Continue reading The Territorial Imperative
The Pursuit Of Happiness
At a recent session with my psych-girl, she closed with three "suggestions": Lower your expectations Reduce your drinking Censor yourself Is there a better prescription for unhappiness? Or is it one for happiness? Christopher Hitchens once said: It's not true that you shouldn't drink alone; these can be the happiest glasses you ever drain. I … Continue reading The Pursuit Of Happiness
The Magpie Cafe: Summer Update
I still haven't given names to my new friends - the magpie birds who I share this habitat with. There are at least a dozen nests, nestled in all manner of trees, that surround the apartment complex where I nest. The birds are more reliable and stable than my human neighbors. Friendlier, too. Despite having … Continue reading The Magpie Cafe: Summer Update
Election 2020: The Campaign Begins
I am a lonely visitor, I came too late to cause a stir, but I campaigned all my life toward that goal. Neil Young, 1969. "Campaigner" The 2020 campaign for POTUS began yesterday, at the summer solstice, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. President Donald J. Trump held an indoor, public rally, against the wishes and guidance … Continue reading Election 2020: The Campaign Begins
Talk Therapy
How do you know what it is? Do you know if you're getting it? Is it effective? Those questions illustrate the value of the Health & Well-being Inventory (HWBI). If you can accurately assess your score? Then maybe you can decide if you can/are benefiting from therapy? However, what kind? Because once you've determined you … Continue reading Talk Therapy
Health & Well-Being Inventory
The Health & Well-Being Inventory is an assessment tool to quantify the health and well-being of an individual in comparison to their nation. I break down "health" into six categories: physical, mental, psychological, emotional, social, and economic. An individual, or nation, is scored using a typical five-letter grading system - A to F. An A … Continue reading Health & Well-Being Inventory
I Love The Pandemic Panic
Where to begin? It could be a James Michener novel. I Love the Pandemic Panic. In other words - the craziness of 2020 has exposed humans for who they are. Humans (including myself) are self-serving, egotistical, and smug, whilst denying that ... . Well ... ? The biosphere is now so clear. In other words, … Continue reading I Love The Pandemic Panic