Princess Morag has several blog crushes. The biggest of all is probably Glennon Melton. The other day G posted/tedx-talked: All I ever needed to know I learned in the mental hospital. And Princess Morag can testify to the same experience, except she worked at the mental hospital so there is slightly less stigma attached. When she was supposedly an 'allied health professional', Princess Morag learned about these mysterious things called 'anxiety' and 'confidence' and most odd of all 'assertiveness'. She also met people who were profoundly depressed and felt a disturbing connection to them.
Princess Morag learned a lot of things in school. She was very good at school. It was easy. She knew what she was supposed to do, and she did it. But at the same time she was pretty frustrated at learning a lot of stuff that she knew was never going to be useful in life - imaginary numbers?? Really? Imaginary people in books, she liked them, but imaginary numbers seemed a little unnecessary! So Princess Morag knew maths, chemistry, biology, geography but where was she supposed to have learned about these things called feelings and helping other people deal with theirs when she had only just discovered that she had them too!!
The Princess's feelings had been buried for a long time, apparently they were inconvenient to other people when she let them out, so she tried not to do that. But she was like a magnet to other people's feelings, she could sense them, and people would talk to her about stuff that was going on with them. Including, rather inappropriately, her parents while they were separating. So psychology had been the subject she was desperate to study and the mental hospital her first choice of place to work and she probably couldn't explain exactly why, except she was curious and she wanted to help people. Turns out it is hard to help people when you've spent your life ignoring your self. Those feelings that were buried start escaping and then the Princess found herself crying at the dinner table every night, with her new husband looking on, confused.
Thankfully there is this magic thing called counseling and the Princess's boss referred her to the hospital counselor and there Princess Morag was able to unburden herself of some tears and feelings in a place where it was ok to do so. Princess Morag used to joke that her job at the mental hospital was mostly "taking crazy people to the park". She then swapped that occupation for "taking her two children to the park" - it didn't feel much different. And most recently of all she started "taking her crazy self to the park" - are you sensing a theme? When the Princess was an Occupational Therapist, she knew her job was mostly common sense but it turns out that common sense really isn't very common at all. And learning about anxiety and confidence and assertiveness, well, those things are all to do with being HUMAN, and giving people respect for being alive, and showing up, whether that is at the park or any other location.
