This is the card I drew during my morning meditation.  I was pondering last night and wondering, "What is the best thing about me?"  The first thought that came into my mind is that I always try to live authentically.  And now this.  Boom! Colette Baron-Reid Wisdom of the Oracle Divination Cards When you act in an authentic way, you command the world to reflect back to you exactly what is in your highest good.  Your business choices, the investments you make, and the creative projects you immerse yourself in are powerfully on-point.  Why?  Because when you are fully yourself, radically accepting everything in your journey to date - both successes and failures - you will see the divinity in all things.  Abundance is a natural progression when you experience this kind of authenticity. 

 This is an assignment for my online Ethics 430 class this semester.  We were to comment on our group project we just turned in. I have participated in many group projects both in school and professionally.  I know this process can be frustrating and I hear many students complain about it.  Sometimes I’m one of them. But honestly, these are skills we need in the workplace.  The biggest difficulty we had in our group was lack of communication. In a group project, communication is everything.  Especially when we are meeting online. Without the non verbal cues, it’s so easy to misunderstand something. That’s why I feel strongly that at least in the beginning, there needs to be real time voice interaction.  And preferably throughout the project as well. Voice interaction helps to cut down on the misunderstandings. And it’s much more time efficient when problem solving. Plus you get to know each other better which should be one of the perks. ...

Quick paper I just wrote. Not my best writing by far, but a fabulous subject. If you haven't heard of Restorative Justice (Humanistic Mediation), give it a Google. Susan Fullmer DISP 495: 15 October 2018 Humanistic Mediation:  A Transformative Journey of Peacemaking By Mark S. Umbreit, Ph.D. Reflection Humanistic Mediation is an unique style of mediation that includes spirituality, compassionate strength and a focus on our basic human needs and connection.  Not only is it an effective model of conflict resolution, it can bring a greater sense of community and social harmony. In all of the conflict resolution techniques that I have studied for my degree in Multidisciplinary Studies and a certificate in dispute resolution, I feel this style most fits my own.  It’s underlying values reflects many of my own beliefs such as connectedness of all things and our common humanity, belief in the desire of most people to live peacefully, and belief in the ...

I am in Applied Ethics 430 this semester. We just read a letter Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote when he was a prisoner in the Birmingham Jail. He was arrested for purposely breaking what he felt to be an unethical law, very interesting if you haven't had a chance to read it. Here is my first assignment: Suggest a current law you believe is unethical. Would you be willing to violate that law openly and willingly accept the punishment as Dr. King did, in order to change the law? Rather than speaking of a current law, I am going to relate a story that happened to me in 1995.  I was a brand new graduate of the Utah College of Massage Therapy. As a Licensed Massage Therapist, I leased an office on Main Street in Provo Utah, printed business cards, and decorated my office.  It was a dream come true to own my own business. As a nurse and massage therapist I was set to work under doctor’s orders as I specialized in injury recovery from motor vehicle accidents and worker’...

Asshole Island In my world vision we send all the assholes to Asshole Island.  I’m talking about the people who can’t or won’t treat others with respect while we attempt to do our human dance here on this planet.  They all must go, no questions asked. Then, they will have to deal exclusively with assholes. Will they end up killing each other off?  Most likely, but we won’t hear about it because it’s no longer our drama and we don’t care. Will those of us who are left behind live a conflict-free life?  Of course not. But we will manage our conflict with clear, consistent, truthful communication, and critical thinking skills.  We will rejoice in diversity and embrace helpful change. Treating each other with love and human decency will be so second nature that we will forget that there was ever a world when these things did not exist. This is the vision that I hold for my world.   I was talking to a wise friend of mine about this post. She s...

This is something I wrote in 1995.  I will remind you that it was a time before such things as Ellen and The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.  It was a time before internet for the masses.  No body was talking about this, unless you count the sensational talk shows.  And by the way, because I was considered a subject expert at the time, I was a guest on Opera, Sally Jessy Raphael, and Geraldo talk shows in the early 90s.  At the time I founded and facilitated local and national support groups for straight spouses and partners of homosexuals. Dan Reynolds on The Daily Show After watching Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons on the Daily Show, I have been thinking about this issue that used to saturate my life, my every moment.  I found this article that I wrote over 20 years ago.  It pains me that we are still stuck in this.  We are still losing our loved ones to depression and suicide for a situation that we create.  Enough!  I re...

I love Portland rain.  I’m sitting with tea looking out the window of my friend Shana’s house watching it happen.  I’m visiting Portland Oregon where I lived for 17 years before moving to Boise four years ago. It feels like home in so many ways.  And coupled with re-joining dear friends, it’s a delicious experience. Marigold tea Yesterday we went to a tea ceremony with a man named Po.  I’m going to include his website because I want to spread the wealth!  He calls it a tea journey, and so it is. We spent a hour and a half sipping about 5 or 6 teas all with distinct energetic properties from all over the world.  I learned so much, like the tea carries the energy of the land it grows on. We drank teas from sacred places, some that have been undisturbed genetically for thousands of years.  I could feel it. The teas changed our energy and gave us healing in the process. It was so interesting hearing him talk the familiar words of energy h...

I finally discovered why I am sitting in this circle.  I’ve known I was supposed to be here even before the first day.  But I didn’t know why.  To sit with interesting people discussing interesting topics to be sure.  But that’s easy to know.  The deeper reason had to sneak up on me.  I wish I could remember the name of the man who spoke my words.  He was sitting two from my right.  I don’t even remember the context of why he used them, but when he said them they shot through me like an explosion.  I am here to learn to trust men.  I honestly didn’t know I needed to do that, but of course now that I have heard the words I know that they are true and I know why they are true.   This past year I have completed at long last, the task of mucking through my own personal cesspool - a history of abuse, incest, and giving over my power to men in most ways conceivable.  I am finally in a good and calm place.  I feel clean and c...