Note from Stacey

Felix, its great to hear from you! It sounds like you are having fun on your trip. Rehab is going better. Yesterday, I met with Will Bowers at the track and he had me do lots of drills to improve running technique. We also did assessment tests, including the “Flying 30” and the standing broad jump. I climbed with Vinita and Zenid last night. It was really rewarding and challenging, because I have started to play on the 5.11’s. I am managing to get to the top with minimal cheating and some hang-dogging (resting on the rope.) Today, I am off to make copies of a resume so I can find a good part-time job, and I am going to swing by the community college to see if there are any interesting classes I can sign up for… On a spiritual note, a couple weeks ago I went to the Unitarian Church in Palo Alto. The topic of the sermon was “compassionate non-violent communication.” The speaker had us do an exercise in which we imagined someone we are having trouble with and, before lashing out in anger or giving the silent treatment, close our eyes and try to imagine what it must feel like to be the other person in this situation and to think of how we can act compassionate. Whew! Pretty tough task in most cases, but in cases like life-long family relationships, mighty important…in most cases, the relationships are worth saving. Stacey, from Belmont