PLANET WORD

Details: Created on Friday, 31 July 2015 08:14; Written by Marian Moore

Marian @ Krysan

THE WELLBEING CONSULTANCY

Planting Golden Seeds in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and Durham

___________________________

The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected. Robert Frost

Welcome to Planet Word

WORDS CREATE WORLDS

Wordsmiths in Action

Letter 1 of 3

31 July 2015
My Dear Friends
Tomorrow is another day

THE GIFT ...

Today, I remind myself (and you) of this piece of writing by the author and scholar, E B White, who wrote the popular children's book, Charlotte's Web. As a gift to all humankind, reproduced below is E B White’s Beautiful Letter to a Man Who Had Lost Faith in Humanity ...

Dear Mr. Nadeau:

As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.

Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly.

It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbour seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.

Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day

Sincerely

E B White (A man of arts and letters)

To the many upright men and compassionate women I have conversed with over recent weeks, I say a heart-felt 'thank you'. I do this on behalf of myself and on behalf of a multitude of North Easterners whose happiness and wellbeing is especially close to all your hearts. As enablers of change, you go above and beyond the call of duty every day, in every way.

Welcome to Planet Word

Marian Moore
NTW Governor for Older People & ImROC

Letter 2 of 3

4 August 2015
Dear Friends
The sun has got its hat on

EMPOWERMENT ...

On my fact-finding mission re ImROC and its related Recovery College initiative, I have encountered many old friends working in Ashington (Northumberland) and in Sunderland (Tyne & Wear). At the outset, I would remind you that people in both communities still struggle with unemployment and severe mental distress caused by the loss of centuries-old staple industries and their traditional way of life. Gone forever are:

coal-mining (in Ashington), and
coal-mining and shipbuilding (in Sunderland).

The scars of post-industrialisation run deep throughout Northern England, but towns and cities (like people) are evolving entities. Nothing (and no one) remains static. That new Recovery Colleges are being planned (and are appearing in quick succession) on our doorsteps is something to be commended, celebrated and, above all, supported. Both the statutary and the voluntary sectors are involved up to the hilt in the design, implementation and evaluation of their respective curriculums.

Last Friday, I was made welcome at the Recovery College in St Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, where the dream has become a reality. It was the end of term and the usually busy facility was quiet. I was privileged to talk with the three members of staff, NTW Peer Support Workers, tasked with getting things ready for the next cohort of students who will appear in September 2015.

"Everyone needs to feel supported and understood. Often, the best-placed person to do that is someone who has experienced a similar journey to your own. The Ivy Centre for Recovery Knowledge is peer led and peer run. Our courses are developed and will be delivered by people who have themselves used services and have their own stories of hope and recovery." The Ivy Centre Prospectus, Autumn 2015, Newcastle upon Tyne.

I further learned that the Ivy Centre for Recovery Knowledge is a Recovery College hub. It has been established with the intention of providing a safe space where people can connect, learn knowledge and develop skills. As said and worth emphasising, The Ivy Centre for Recovery Knowledge is peer led and peer run. All courses have been developed and will be delivered by people who themselves have used services and have their own stories of hope and recovery.

To this end, next term's courses include:

Melody (New)
Mindfulness and how to practise it (New)
Chilli Studios
Understanding Medication workshop
Self awareness and personal growth (New)
Living with voices - skills for life
Film club and discussion
Peer support development programme
Recovery through strength and hope
Developing your emotional resilience workshop
Spirituality and recovery
Personal Development and Confidence Course
Moving forward - coping with impact of grief and bereavement
A picture of health - Photography and recovery
Animate recovery
Gardening (New)
Adult ADHD (New)

And, sadly, here I must leave the Ivy Centre for Recovery Knowledge with (as always) much left unsaid. Remember, peer support is about empowering you and me to unlock our potential. I will keep you informed as a brand new story unfolds in our midst.

Welcome to Planet Word

Marian Moore
Wordsmith in Action

Letter 3 of 3

5 August 2015
Dear Friends
It's all about communication

LANGUAGE ...

Without doubt, writer and broadcaster Stephen Fry is a great asset to the mental health community in this country and abroad. Leading by example, to me, he is an honorary 'peer support worker' of quality and courage (even genius) whose celebration of the joy and diversity of speech cannot fail to inspire. By some serendipitous coincidence that even I cannot fathom, I have just received into my hand (via the Royal Mail) a DVD of Fry's Planet Word.

The mouth-watering blurb promoting this DVD promises to take me on an extraordinary journey to other lands and through thousands of years of history - that is, from the time when man first mastered speech to the cyber world of today with its html, codes and texting. We don't need reminding that it's all about communication. Language is what defines humans from other species and, with our planet home to around 7,000 different languages, words have played a crucial role in our evolution.

Renowned wordsmith and good friend to the distressed, Stephen Fry is the perfect guide for a fascinating exploration of language in all its forms: from cutting edge linguistic research to the glories of world literature. Of particular significance to those (like me) joined at the hip to the local, national and international voice hearing community, Fry's Planet Word looks at whether we are any closer to understanding the complex activity of the human brain.

I am thus reminded that I grow restless at the rate of progress in relation to the safety of those living with mental health problems on the margins of society - especially the young. With safety in mind, I heed the following as being good advice re 'the privacy of it all' and of the necessity of maintaining clear boundaries with all who cross our paths:

O, WHAT A WORLD

of unseen visions and heard silences, this insubstantial country of the mind? What ineffable essences, these touchless rememberings and unshowable reveries? And the privacy of it all!

― JULIAN JAYNES, 1976 .

So, I end with a more than fitting conclusion to my latest trilogy of letters. Thank you for joining me. As a result of my meanderings over the last few days, I am wiser now about many things. And, hopefully, you are, too! 'This is a wonderful day. I've never seen this one before.' Maya Angelou

Welcome to Planet Word

Marian @ Krysan
Emotional Wellbeing Consultant

RESOURCES

*Quotable Quote

A grandfather was talking to his grandson, telling him, "I have two wolves barking inside of me. The first wolf is filled with anger, hatred, bitterness and mostly revenge. The second wolf inside of me is filled with love, kindness, compassion and mostly forgiveness." "Which wolf do you think will win?" the young boy inquired. The grandfather responded, "Whichever one I feed." (Anon)

*Book

Planet Word: the story of language from the earliest grunts to Twitter and beyond. Written by J P Davidson (2011) with a foreword by Stephen Fry. London. Pub. Penguin Books

*DVD

Fry's Planet Word, a BBC series presented by Stephen Fry. A Sprout Pictures Production.

*Newcastle Ivy Centre for Recovery Knowledge Prospectus - Autumn 2015 - Download PDF file below:

[PDF]Ivy Centre for Recovery Knowledge PROSPECTUS AUTUMN TERM ...

Ends

1,226 hits @ 2015-11-06

"This is a wonderful day. I've never seen this one before."

— Maya Angelou

Dear Marian

Reflection 268

Welcome!

Closed Eyes

Shut your eyes, drop memory and imagination, and notice whether you have any limits now, are in any kind of box.

Aren’t you more like room – silence for these sounds to happen in, space for these passing sensations of warmth, pressure, etc., this flow of feelings and thoughts?

Just room or capacity – but aware of itself now as that!

(Douglas Harding.)

Warm Regards

Richard Lang

http://krysan.org/index.php/the-headless-way