So Long, Farewell, Our Feet Are the Same (Auf Wiedersehen), Goodbye ???

Hello Professor and Classmates,

I choose not to say goodbye, because this chapter is not an ending, it is somewhere in the very beginning of my “Flourishing” and I wish to thank everyone who participated and walked this journey with me.  Without your companionship, the journey would have been much harder.

I find this posting to be similar to the Final Project that I posted last term.  I hope I do not bore you with my musings.  I try so very hard to keep it interesting each week.  Here I go.

When asked to review my unit three assessment compared to how I assess myself now, here is what I have to say.  In unit three I was a mess.  I really do not think my assessment was a reality as I compare it to myself now and all the things I have learned about myself along the way.  In unit 3, I rated myself as a 2-3 in Mind, a 7 for Body and I perceived my Spirit as an 8.    Looking back now, I do believe I was correct for the assessment of my Mind and Spirit, but way off on my Body.  This discrepancy was most likely due to the cogitative distortions about my body that were fueled by a Mind domain that was really in trouble.

As I review myself today, I will say the Mind has improved to about a 4 by my continued exercises and mindful exercises that keep me grounded.  The Body is more realistically at around a 5 since I have some things that I need to work.  Last but not least is my assessment of my Spirit.  I will say the Spiritual domain has not improved, but an 8 is pretty good.  I will keep striving for enlightenment and see if it changes.  Keep your fingers crossed.

In reviewing my goals, I wanted to exercise more, practice contemplatively and commune more with my higher power; I have to say I have achieved those goals.  Walking, meditating and praying keeps me centered and lowers my stress and I have found I can do all three while I am walking.  I will stick to my goals and become a healthier person.

My experience through this course has been a real eye opener.  I do not believe it could have come at a better time in my life or my education.  I was getting so stressed and burned out that I was starting to really not care if I graduated or not.  I needed loving kindness from myself and others.  I needed contemplative practices and I needed to take a long hard look at where I was and where I wanted to go.  I have gained these insights and more from this course.  I also think I have made some acquaintances that I want to nurture and keep them close to my heart as I feel that is what they deserve.  There uplifting comments each week have replaced the little voice inside my head that told me I could not.  Their voices told me, I could.

While I feel that there was a lot of course work each week, I know that there were valuable lessons to learn in each one.  These are life lessons about loving your neighbor, healing yourself and just down right being a better person.  These lessons have been a gift to me.  They have made me a nicer, stronger person, a person with skills that I will carry with me each day in my nursing practice.

So, my dear compadres, with that, I wish you all Auf wiedersehen.

Rufus J.