per·i·pa·tet·ic
ˌperēpəˈtedik/
adjective
  1. 1.
    traveling from place to place, especially working or based in various places for relatively short periods.
    "the peripatetic nature of military life"
    synonyms:nomadic, itinerant, traveling, wandering, roving, roaming, migrant,migratory, unsettled
    "I could never get used to her peripatetic lifestyle"
  2. 2.
    Aristotelian.
noun
  1. 1.
    a person who travels from place to place.
  2. 2.
    an Aristotelian philosopher.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Every Day Is a New Path



We traveled a trail new to us yesterday afternoon in the Wayne Fitzgerrell Park at Rend Lake. There aren't many visitors yet this time of year. Walking among the many still-bare trees, the only sounds we heard for a while were squirrels scampering around and the moaning, creaking noise that tall trees make when the wind is moving through their tops. The scene might have seemed kind of melancholy were it not for the fat buds we spied on some sycamore trees, which seemed ready to literally pop open with fresh greenness. Before you know it, the litter of leaves will hardly be noticeable, and the park will once more be filled with families enjoying an outing at the lake.

I came across a poem today that expresses perfectly my motivation for starting on the path to a new career. It's too long to include all of it, so here is an excerpt:


I Shall Not Pass This Way Again: A Symphony

by Eva Rose York


I shall not pass this way again;

Then let me now relieve some pain,

Remove some barrier from the road,

Or brighten some one's heavy load;

A helping hand to this one lend,

Then turn some other to befriend.


O God, forgive

That now I live


As if I might, sometime, return

To bless the weary ones that yearn

For help and comfort every day,--

For there be such along the way.

O God, forgive that I have seen

The beauty only, have not been

Awake to sorrow such as this;

That I have drunk the cup of bliss

Remembering not that those there be

Who drink the dregs of misery.


I love the beauty of the scene,

Would roam again o'er fields so green;

But since I may not, let me spend

My strength for others to the end,--

For those who tread on rock and stone,

And bear their burdens all alone,

Who loiter not in leafy bowers,

Nor hear the birds nor pluck the flowers...


5 comments:

  1. Hi
    I'm confused after reading your bio - but anxious to hear your answer back. You mentione that you just got your degree in English and started on a new career - and then you talk about carpal tunnel syndrome and working as a massage therapist. So - did you get the degree for fun, and then take the massage training?

    The reason I am asking is because I went back to school when I was 40 to get my degree in music - already had 123 hours - figured it couldn't take too long. Inactuality it was going to take me 4 years, because hardly anything counted anymore! I got talked into switching my degree to Spanish, and graduated only to find out that no one wanted to talk to me - everyone thought I either had no experience (for an entry level management job) or was overqualified ( for the admnistrative work I had done before) SO frustrating. So, I went through alternative certification and taught school for 8 years. All the while, I dreamed of doing massage therapy. In 2006 my husband and I both went to massage school - in spite of the fact that I had been warned not to do so because of problems with hands and wrists.

    Which brings me to one of the points of all this rambling: you mention that you used essential oils to heal your wrists. Please email me and tell me specifically what you used! My hands have been doing much better - turns out massage has gotten rid of what I THOUGHT was arthritis! But of late - my right wrist is giving me fits . . . the top of the wrist, and then the muscle going up to the elbow. It was really aggravated after I did a massage yesterday.

    I know this is a ridiculously long comment to leave on your blog - but I am so pumped that we have not only gardening, but massage in common!

    Maryyx (Mary + yx, an old cattlebrand for our last name)

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  2. whoops - I guess if I want an email I should leave my address:
    maryyx@sbcglobal.net

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  3. Hey thanks for stopping by and spreading the rhubarb love! I wonder if you could grow it in a pot on a balcony? I am sure you could, it is a really tough plant...let me know if you try...

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  4. Maryyx, your situation and mine seem rather similar. It has been difficult for me to find a meaningful, good-paying job around here (S. Illinois). We moved here right after I graduated from UWF. Apparently, all I am qualified for is admin work. After I had already completed four semesters at UWF and was well on my way to finishing the degree (I already had about 120 semester hours of previous coursework), I took a class in public relations and discovered that field to be quite amenable to someone with good writing skills. Unfortunately, this area has a limited number of positions open for that specialization. Years ago I had wanted to become a massage therapist, but finances and circumstances did not permit. Maybe I am doing things backward, but I felt it was more important to finish the university degree first. I guess I was afraid that if I waited much longer, the old brain wouldn't snap to it. Anyway, I finally feel like I am headed in the right direction.

    As far as the oils go, find a good quality supplier first. Supposedly, it should adhere to what is known as AFNOR standards (strict quality control) so that you know you are getting the safest and most effective oil for your money. There are a lot of oils out there, some good, some not so good. I have had the most success with the Young Living oils. For my wrist pain, I started using lavender oil, which is a very mild one and requires no dilution with vegetable oil. Then I switched to Roman chamomile, which is also mild. After several weeks of daily application, I was able to taper off to a couple times a week, then weekly, then monthly. I have discovered it is most beneficial to alternate the oils I apply. Of course, everyone's body chemistry is different, and those oils might not work for you. My advice to you is to do some research online and perhaps find someone in your area who already uses (good quality) oils in massage. Experience them first-hand and see what you think. Whew! I left an even longer message. Thanks so much for commenting. I hope you get some relief for your pain. By the way, I now use a variety of oils for a variety of reasons. For example, lavender is also an excellent treatment for sunburn.

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  5. Jean Ann, thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment. I am really not sure about growing rhubarb in a pot. I will have to give it a try if I move back to Illinois full-time. It is just too hot in Florida to grow the stuff.

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