I have always thought of myself as being a right-hemisphere dominant person and doing this exercise reinforced that belief. Besides the obvious distinctions we tend to make about people who work most strongly from the right hemisphere of the brain (more intuitive and feeling based, artistic, visual), I also tend to be more visionary than down to earth with my ideas. I excel at dreaming ideas, but don't always follow through on the step by step process to create them into reality. I am exceedingly optimistic, but not always realistic.

Though I would like to cultivate within myself some of the abilities that seem to come so easily to people who work most easily from the left hemisphere of the brain, I find a lot of beauty in collaborating with others who have this strength inherently and wish to gain a little more right brain perspective. Some of the most creative and fruitful partnerships on projects have been with other people who think in more structured ways and can think up the methods to put something into action.

One of the many, many reasons I love communities and working together. Everyone has strengths and assets they can offer.

When I think about my future goals and I do not see the steps to getting to those goals I receive an image in my mind of my future destination suspended in air away from me with no road leading towards it. This image represents my frustration at times when what I want seems out of reach and I can not clearly see the ways to achieve my goals.

This is understandable when I think about my natural tendencies. I have always been able to visualize the big picture and think in terms of abstract concepts. I can see, smell, hear, and feel the land I would like to have in the future and what it can produce in terms of food, comfort, community, and the legacy for future generations. I do not do as well with figuring out the details to reach that goal.

I've never been a materialistic person and have lived a very fulfilled life with very little at times, but I have been working to visualize creative opportunities for more money in my life lately. I have no desire for money in and of itself, but for the ability to purchase land and the materials to build a personal home and a community center.

I once lived with a woman in a community who told me that the best way to achieve a goal is to visualize yourself already having achieved it and then to work in backwards steps from that goal. In other words, see yourself already having what you want and then think about the last thing you do to get it, the next to last thing, and work backwards to the first step you would take. She has since gone on to starting a community in Baja Mexico, so it obviously worked for her!

Right now I am firmly using the principles of creative visualization and picturing already completing my degree, already working in a capacity of community service, and already having the land and then I will start to visualize building the road to get to those goals.

And I will learn to also take it all one day at a time. . .

Help for those who want more green and less noise

One of the themes that kept reoccurring in the classes this week were the challenges that people living in rural communities faced when trying to access social services and assistance, finding employment, or dealing with transportation issues. Many rural communities do not have public transportation so a vehicle is almost always necessary if someone is trying to find work outside the community. Also, my understanding is that certain social assistance programs, such as food stamps, require someone to be willing or able to work at least twenty hours a week at a job. I know in my community of less than 2500 (per census) most people here earn their wages by working several odd jobs since this is the most reliable source of income for most people in town and a typical work load can vary from week to week or by season. Some people also choose to work to barter for housing or food. I think the different lifestyle of some people in rural communities in comparison to urban ones should be considered by social services. It is not always practical for an individual to seek employment outside of the area just because it may be more steady.

Receiving mental health services and health care services in geographically isolated areas can also be a challenge for some people and may limit their use of these services. I recently discovered something called Telehealth which allows patients to connect with providers by video conferencing, telephone, or home-monitoring devices. I could not find information on its availability through public healthcare systems, such as Medicaid or Medicare, but hope this may be incorporated more in the future so people in rural areas can have more access to health care. I think another more accessible option would be support for more traditional healers, midwives, birth doulas, etc. within health care systems since these people may be within the community of the rural resident and may be more trusted by and accessible to a rural client since they are within their personal network.