Just Another Writer

I know by now everyone has heard of trying to lower your “setpoint” when it comes to weight. This would definitely be a good thing. Now, how about tapping into the ability to raise your happiness setpoint? This is the claim made by The Sedona Method.

If you are familiar with The Secret, you are familiar with the work of
Hale Dwoskin, the person behind The Sedona Method. What is it? It is a tool for improving happiness, well-being and relationships. Historically, there have been conferences in Sedona, Arizona (a really gorgeous place) that taught people how to “release” and change their lives for the better. Now these seminars are available on a set of CD’s.

Here are some of the claims being made about The Sedona Method:

“…start making better decisions, be more in control of your life, have better relationships and, in general, have your life improve significantly.”

“The Sedona Method is simply a technique to let go of unwanted feelings, emotions and everything else that is holding you back.”

“…studies…reveal that individuals using The Sedona Method show significant reduction in heart rate and diastolic blood pressure.”

Along with improving your financial status,
The Sedona Method also promises that you can be free from anxiety and fear. That sounds like a good one to me, since I am a known stress case. Interestingly, one of the proponents of this method is Mariel Hemingway, who seems to be one of the few celebrities around who is not shaving her head, binge-drinking or making appearances half-naked.

If you want to sample The Sedona Method, you can do so and receive some freebies. You pay $6.95 for shipping and handling. This sounds like a good way to sample it if you are skeptical but interested. At any rate, the whole shebang is cheaper than years of therapy! Who couldn’t use a little more happiness in their lives?

I had an interesting experience yesterday. It turns out that most of the jaw pain has been caused by a wisdom tooth. The tooth lies mainly below the surface of my gums, so I was surprised when my family dentist said he could pull it out.

I went, sat in the chair, got numbed up, and then the dentist stuck his hand in my mouth for a few seconds. He then removed his fingers and took his gloves off. I thought, “Oh crap, he’s sending me to the oral surgeon after all.” Nope. He had already pulled it. I had thought he was just jacking around with that thing, that’s how painless it was. And no, I was not on anything–not even laughing gas! Today, I haven’t even taken a Tylenol. There is no bleeding. That guy is great!

All that time dreading the tooth pulling for nothing. But that’s okay.

Photo by kastakephoto

My kiddo came home today and recounted numerous instances of bullying at school. He’s in third-grade, and it just broke my heart! He describes being pushed out of line, kicked and other kids saying cruel things to him. Apparently, this has been going on for a while.

I feel pretty helpless. Of course I emailed his teachers immediately to let them know what is going on. But, being a teacher myself, I know that teachers don’t catch everything, and can’t totally prevent bullying, although they can make a relatively safe classroom environment, they can’t stop a little girl from rolling her eyes when she gets a kid she doesn’t like for a partner, for example.

I initially told my son to push his way back into line. “But that would be a bad choice,” he told me. He believes what his teachers tell him about how to handle conflicts, and I, a teacher, know otherwise. Kids can act like dogs, with alpha characteristics being more valued in that milieu. Alpha isn’t necessarily something you can teach.

The complicating factor is that kiddo was diagnosed with a very mild form of Aspergers a while back. He’s a really smart kid, and even outgoing, which is unusual for kids with that characteristic. However, his pragmatic language skills (knowing what to say in a given situation) need work. He’s come a long way, darn it. I don’t want this crap to hold him back.

I want to wring some little third-grade necks. Obviously, that’s not the solution. I still toy with the idea of homeschooling–difficult as a single parent and a good reason to keep on with the freelance work!

Ack. Any advice? What would you do?