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Personal Safety and Self Defense for children, teens and adultsLetter from IreneA Letter from Irene: A Health Scare and A 60th Birthday WishApril 25, 2008 Dear KIDPOWER Friends and Colleagues, I am going to turn 60 on April 27th and have a special birthday wish that was inspired by a health scare. Last week, I had what was my doctors think was a mild stroke from which I am expected to recover completely, but which leaves me at a higher risk of having another stroke. This was a wakeup call to me personally that I need to take better care of The good news is: that I am getting better; that our staff did a superb job of managing with suddenly not having me here: and that everyone on all levels of our organization has been wonderfully understanding, flexible, and helpful. People occasionally say they worry about how KIDPOWER would manage without me. My heart is bursting with pride at how well EVERYONE has done and is doing without me right now. My plan is to be here still for a good long time, but with a great deal more balance, which will require that more things be done without me. Although my job did not in any way cause the stroke, I see that I had worked myself into a state of exhaustion that was contrary to the values of an organization that is committed to safety. One of the things that people say they love about KIDPOWER is that we walk our talk, and I am determined to take some time to figure out how to walk my talk in this part of my life, too. Now, for my birthday wish. Lying in an emergency room with double vision and uncomfortable sensations on the right side of my body, being told that I might be about to have a major stroke, was very frightening. I thought a lot about what my priorities have been and should be. Each of you is tremendously important to many people, but few of us are very good about taking care of ourselves. Just as people use the Wishing Technique and hope that problems with people will go away without their taking action, so to do people use the Wishing Technique when it comes to wishing that potential health and safety problems would go away on their own. Although it’s true that you can do everything “right” and still have problems, it’s also true that you have a much better chance of preventing and fixing problems if you take the appropriate actions. Just as people tell themselves that they are “too busy” to take a self-defense class, so to do people use the “Too Busy” Excuse for deciding that they don’t have enough time to make a healthy meal, reduce their stress, drive safely, get enough exercise, find work they love, go to the doctor for regular health check-ups, do something just for fun with their family, try something new, have lunch with a friend, call someone they care about, resolve a conflict, take a true break with no work attached, and get enough rest. For myself, I do many of these things very well, so I fell into the “But I Do So Much Already” Excuse. On a personal safety level, that is like saying, “Well, I always lock my house doors, so I really shouldn’t have to remember to pay attention to what neighborhood I’m in when I park my car.” So, here is what I am telling people who ask me what I’d like for my 60th birthday: Please take ten minutes and think honestly about whether there are ANY areas relating to your emotional and physical health and safety where you have been using the Wishing Technique, the “Too Busy” Excuse, or the “But I Do So Much Already” Excuse. And then please make a realistic plan for addressing these areas and start doing so as quickly as possible. Knowing that you are each making your well-being a very high priority in as many areas of your life as you can would be the most meaningful 60th birthday gift I could possibly have. With great love, Irene van der Zande |
myself rather than using my body like a 20-year-old who thinks she’s invincible.