Mish Mosh and Dressage

So, Dal put up this "No Contest Contest About Me," and Forrest started it all with a short blurb about himself. Then we were all encouraged to put up little blurbs about ourselves, and urged to keep it short and sweet.

Well, it was interesting, because as the comments started pouring in, short and sweet became longer and longer, and some people became not so sweet. There were a few barbs thrown from seemingly out of the blue nowhere. The "two" Diggin Gypsies went at it for a while. To me, there is one original Diggin Gypsy, and that's the one from Georgia. I know the back story, and I believe DG from GA is the original Diggin.

But really, what does it matter? Why fight for an old man's nickname? Does it really matter in the grand scheme of life? And then, when the arguing is seemingly resolved peacefully, why stir it up again by throwing barbs at DG and anyone who dared to stand up for her? Why apologize, if you're going to come right back and start hurling crap again? I don't understand that.

But my boss and I were talking about this kind of thing yesterday, and she said her yoga instructor showed her a video by a psychologist named Marshall Rosenberg. He's known for being a mediator between warring countries and his expertise is in non-violent communication.

She searched around on YouTube and found it, and we watched it together (work was a little slow yesterday), and one thing this guy said stood out. He said, "Any evaluation of others that implies wrongness is a tragic expression of an unmet need." Think about it. He said our country's way of communicating is seriously messed up, and I just violated one of his rules of non-violent communication. In fact, we all do it, every day. He compares non-violent communication to that of a giraffe, and "violent communication" as to that of a jackal. I thought that was right on.

If I say, "My coworker is always loud and rude to the patients," that's a judgmental statement and NOT an observable fact. In some cultures and even among Americans, a loud tone of voice is not considered "loud," and since I can't observe every interaction between the coworker and patient, I can't know if she's "always" rude, and my perception of "rude" may be different than hers and others.

So, it helped to give me a new awareness to perception, and will hopefully help in my communication in everyday life. Even when I don't think I'm being harsh or judgmental, others may perceive it that way. I think we could all use a little help in the area of judging others, don't you think?

Back to the No Contest thread--Iron Will kept it fun and interesting, throwing in a little puzzle of his own.

Anyway, I have to say, Jeremy P. is the bomb. And I mean that in a good way. He posted about horses, and what athletes can do on horses. My mind immediately blinked back to a few scenes in LOTR where Legolas does some amazing elfy things on horses. I posted a link to this video:

I would love to be able to do that. When I was in my teens, my best friend had horses, and for about a year, I had a 16 hand gray thoroughbred, and we took lessons and attempted a few shows. Our focus was on jumping, so I knew nothing about Dressage. Jeremy posted an awesomely hilarious video in response to my Legolas horse mount. You can find it here. I haven't laughed so hard in a month.

Anyway, it was a fun thread, for the most part, and nice to read about most of the other searchers.

However, getting on Dal's site yesterday was nearly impossible for most of the day, because of an overload of people visiting who had heard the sad news that Randy Bilyeu's remains have been positively identified. Linda Bilyeu issued a statement to the press, which Dal put up today, and Forrest's response. I can understand his ex-wife's frustration, and I do think Forrest's seemingly glib comment about having to kill her if he told her where the treasure is was in bad taste, but again, how can I be sure? I have two sides of one story, and I'm sure there are more dynamics involved then I can objectively observe.

All I know is that it's a tragic situation, and a hard pill to swallow for all involved. But life has to go on, you know? You have to keep taking that next breath, and you have to move forward. In time, I hope Linda and her family can keep moving forward, and gain strength from the experience.

Okay, in an effort to lighten things up, I'll tell you about waking up today. I woke up at 3:00 am, when Hermione the Nightcrawler, jumped on my bed after a night of prowling and decided the best place to sleep was on my head, her head on my ear. Then the really loud purring started, and the kneading of claws in my neck. And of course, Monet was instantly jealous, and had to start licking my face and plopping her butt down right against my nose. I actually videoed it in the dark. Lol.

So, I just decided to get up. James is coming tomorrow, and I'm excited for a nice weekend with him and the kids.

Things are progressing well with my solve, and I think I've got the state locked in. :)