What I Learned in June

I have been writing “What I Learned” for several years. For next week’s Dr. Rob, I’d like to hear from you what you have learned so far in 2023 (please let me know if you would like to stay anonymous or not). I’m looking forward to your thoughts.

Global warming should be called global heating.
Compassion fuels all good things.
Sadly, most men lack close friendships.
Therapy for men is best accomplished in men’s groups.
It’s appropriate to cut off contact with toxic family members.
Our body is the only one we will ever have. We need compassion toward it, even if we suffer from pain or disability.
It’s okay to ask for help.
The way to understand disability is to imagine that the disability is yours.
As the smoke from Canada demonstrates, no part of the country is immune from the effects of climate change.
Most people do all they can to support their children and grandchildren.
We get by with a little help from our friends … And family.
An excellent way to wake up for me is to hum the tune, It’s Going to Be a Great Day.
Keeping creative makes me feel young.
We need more automatic doors to help the disabled.
People go out of their way to help one another.
May and June are the most beautiful and pleasant months of the year.
I have gained a deep understanding of trauma and PTSD from reading The Body Has a Mind of Its Own.
Trauma is more common than we think. It doesn’t have to be one tragic event; it can be a series of incidents arising from being raised in a highly dysfunctional family, including alcoholism.
Mindfulness is not the same as meditation. Mindfulness is about paying attention to what you are doing and not multitasking.
Men, don’t wait before consulting a doctor. Asking for help does not make you a wimp.
In our culture, the difference between how men and women think is still vast.
I do well each month by starting out by writing down my goals for the month.
Every day, I like to record my abundances for the day: what I love, what I appreciate, what I’ve learned, and any compliments I have received.
As we have watched our grandson, Bodie, for one day a week, from the time he was five months old until now, when he is 19 months old, I am totally amazed by how fast an infant develops into a walking, talking, playing, and reading (to himself) full-fledged toddler.
Ferris Bueller is still a hilarious movie, especially when watched with my seven- and nine-year-old granddaughters.
My granddaughter, Ada, proves that a girl can pitch as fast as a boy and swing the bat even better. I am proud that she made the All-Star team.
The moon is spectacular this month.
Be careful what you say and to whom.
I love participating in our book club and movie club.
I love watching two versions of the same movie: the old classic and the remake. We recently watched Rebecca, which is considered the best Hitchcock film of all time. It’s from 1939.
There’s nothing grander than an old hotel. It was wonderful celebrating our 53rd wedding anniversary at the Perry Hotel in Petoskey.
It’s so much more fun to people- watch rather than stare at my cell phone.
The beaches along Lake Michigan are among the most beautiful in the world. Amazingly, most of them are not crowded, even in the summer.