Psst I have a secret to tell all of you, other than I don’t know how to use twitter (this will be remedied soon by my niece over Christmas)…. An abundance of strengths exist within society and not all things need changing. In social work, we employ strengths-based perspective, a wonderful maneuver to create everlasting change within individuals simply by reminding them they are strong through an emphasis on their individual strengths. Individuals ascend when reminded that within exists a perfect being, made special by unique attributes, talents, interests, experiences, flaws, mistakes, terrors, etc. Each challenge is then transformed into an opportunity to grow stronger, fuller, and even more perfect.
As a person, I tend to naturally focus on positives and amplify them to those around me. Strengths-based perspective then resonated perfectly with my nature and was easy for me to apply in social work practice settings. Recently, I have forgotten strengths-based and lost faith for a short period of time in humanity and myself for a variety of reasons. Distance from family/friends, the absence of Pittsburgh- including its flourishing yoga community, the Cathedral of Learning, three rivers combining, the multitude of steel-imposed bridges, and the variety/liberalness allotted by city life in general. My research too, is admittedly, deficit-focused and emphasizes societal injustices for the purpose of instituting much-needed changes. These among other things influenced my recent negative thinking, but my yoga practice and today’s church attendance brought me back to faith. Yes, indeed the organization of society is flawed and needs reformed, but the individuals composing that structure, are fortified both by what is right and what is wrong. Each time I surmount my yoga mat, I feel my life in a beautifully harmonious and gracious way. In other words self-conscious (let me hide behind stacks of books please) me, actually feels alive, beautiful, gracious, and perfectly in sync with the vibrations of the universe and people within. Each and every part of me is acknowledged as necessary, including my bunk right shoulder, and appreciated so that I might steadfastly ground, balance, stretch, open, expand, flow, meditate, and grow. In this space, I feel supported by people, which rejuvenates my belief in humanity. During my yoga practice, I am aware that innately all people, including myself are good. All that might be classified as “bad” in my life or the lives of others, simply helps us strive towards goodness and fortify our inner perfect selves. Enough of what’s bad, at least for today’s blog, so what’s good. So very much about life is so very good. Such as the unconditional love secured by family and true friends. Professors/Teachers/Mentors that understand, move, and guide you (Dr. June G. Hopps and Elsie Escobar I’m especially grateful). A sincere smile or a simple embrace when needed. A song that makes you so happy you want to dance until your feet hurt or a song that resonates with one or many experiences you’ve had. Symphonies. Making snow angels, ice-skating, and sled-riding. Books and poems. A warm embrace from someone you love. Being in love. Butterflies. Climbing in general, whether it be trees, climbing walls, rocks, mountains, or monkey bars. Swimming in the ocean. A magnificently star-lit sky. The moon and the sun. Sunshine. Twilight, when pink and purple intertwine to paint the sky. Rainbows. The innocence of childhood and its simple pleasures. Children. Hiking or walking in fields lined by trees and nature. Flowers. Water, waterfalls, lakes, rivers, streams, and oceans. Art and entertainment through story-telling, film, TV, and theater. Laughter, sweet laughter. Languages, Italian in particular, for me. Green valleys and fresh air. Faith in all its many forms. Helping a stranger. Holding someone’s hand. Coworkers, especially co-social workers. Animals and insects. The wind when it grabs your attention to look at something you might have missed. Meeting new people and finding shared interests. Truly this list goes on and on. People are innately good and for the most part, life is good too. So the social work profession applies a strengths-based perspective when working with individuals. It seems that this approach can also be applied to society in general, which is really just a composition of individuals' multiple lives. A strengths-based society, I like how that sounds.
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