I come from stock of the Depression era, with resultant parental frugality and childhood sense of deprivation in the midst of a well-off and ritzy suburb of Boston.
I come from the fifties… Ozzie and Harriet, Leave it to Beaver, and Father Knows Best sense of strong family values and clear division of labor, martinis and cigarettes, the middle of five children- three sisters and a brother
I come from family secrets, roles, and messages concerning worth and potential
I come from the sixties… Flower children, peace mongers, Martin Luther King and civil rights, most unfashionable in the height of fashion.
I come from a safe neighborhood, unstructured time, freedom to play and roam to a time fraught with stranger anxiety and relative isolation.
I come from Ben Casey, Dr. Kildaire, Marcus Welby, MD, Medical Center and the vicarious thrill of medical drama gone awry
I come from Violation by presumed friends of family and upstanding community members and lecherous old men
I come from the seventies… the women’s movement and environmental awareness
I come from Christian upbringing, Sunday School, parental pillars of the church, church fairs, pageants, youth group, Sunday School, potential seminarian, rejecter of Religion. Today I am an avid spiritualist with deep faith in a power greater than myself; that it is available to me for the mere recognition that I need only open myself to the energy that permeates the Universe.
I come from a house filled with classical music; show tunes, Mitch Miller and Benny Goodman. I am a wannabe musician, former Student of clarinet. Today I connect and attend to other cultures through world music…
I come from my feelings: rage and insecurity and expansive love
I have grown to become an environmental activist and wildlife enthusiast… avid gardener, horticulturist, birdwatcher… grateful witness of natural beauty through all senses- light and color and fragrance and music of songbirds and insects and frogs and breeze…
I come from connoisseurs of good food, leading to sweet tooth, devotee of dairy products, FAT
Girl Scouts… naturalist, artist, caregiver, committed volunteer
Long line of alcoholics leading me astray to the field of social work in search of answers for salvation
Generations of Book lovers and word smiths
I come from the anti-bureaucrat… resisting state regulation by refusing to be categorized and limited by guidelines deemed necessary by the powers that be,,, leaving social work in part as a result of red tape imposed, and avoiding educational certification on principle. I refuse to be limited and put in a box!