Week 3

    This week was my slowest one yet for Spanish! I had an embarrassing six lessons total for my progress. So, things could be going better. There were quite a few days that I didn't even open the app because it just had no appeal to me at all. I was planning to catch up over the weekend, but I wanted to make it to my six year old niece's birthday party in Utah, so I spent all of Saturday and Sunday with family. This week I really want to hit my goal though, so I need to find a way to make practicing easier. I had this exact same problem with my guitar last year. The thing that worked was putting it on a guitar stand, instead of leaving it in the case. After I did that, every time I entered the room I would see my guitar in the corner, and start practicing on impulse. I think the theory behind my life hack was reducing the number of steps between thinking about doing the occupation and then actually doing it. Before I would have to get my case out of the closet, open it, and later, put it all back again. Now, I pick it up, play it, and put it back down. Now to apply that to the Duolingo app, my plan is to have the Duolingo site open in a tab on my computer. The app and the website are exactly the same, but this way, I can see Duolingo in the corner of my eye while I do my homework. 

    The reading for this week talked about how our occupations enrich our spirituality, and how our spirituality enriches our occupations. I find that concept to be true for all of my most meaningful occupations. Weightlifting is definitely my most consistent meaningful occupation. I think that I have been lifting for so long that it is now part of my identity, and so when I engage in it, I find it meditative and relaxing to my body and spirit. The Hasselkus reading mentioned how we put a narrative to our occupations and the spirituality that comes from them. For me, I started lifting because my older brother took me to the gym with him every week when I was only twelve years old. I always looked up to my brother and so I continued to lift, even to this day. Now when I lift, I honor those good memories, while also expressing my inner identity or spirit as the book put it.

    Spanish on the other hand, has not quite become part of my identity which is likely one of the reasons I've been finding it so hard to study. I don't have any happy memories attatched to it yet the way I do with weight lifting. But I want it to become a source of spiritual nourishment for me. I foresee Spanish becoming a huge part of my life as I connect with patients in ways that I won't be able to in English. 

    The inclusion of spirituality in the framework of OT was the right move. Meaning is everything in this profession. Spirituality as defined in the reading as the thing that gives life meaning. For better or worse, stories we tell about the events in our life show exactly how they affect our spirit. That's why it's our solemn duty to discover with our patients exactly what nourishes their spirit, so that we can heal them.



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