John Adams

Just finished an HBO mini series, John Adams.  Excellent movie.  A love story.  A political drama.  A story of enduring friendship and personal growth.

My quote of the day is this, excerpted from a letter to John Adams on the death of his wife.

My dear friend,
Tried myself in the school of human affliction, I know well and feel what you have lost, what you have suffered, are suffering and have yet to endure.  These same trials have taught me that for ills so immeasurable, time and silence are the only medicines.  It is of some comfort to us both that the term is not very distant at which we are to deposit our sorrows and suffering bodies, and to ascend to an ecstatic meeting with the friends we have loved and lost and whom we shall still love and never lose again.
God support you under your heavy affliction.
Your friend,
Thomas Jefferson

This quote impresses me even more because now I know a little of their friendship, their political rivalry, and their personal journeys to these words. 

I was inspired by how these men continued to grow and mature throughout their lives.  I hope I can learn the things most difficult to me as John Adams learned simple pleasures and forgiveness in his 70's and 80's.

Good reads

I've got two books to recommend:  Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine, PhD and The Art and Science of Resilience: Surviving Survival by Laurence Gonzales. 

I've only read the first few chapters of Waking the Tiger and it's due back at the library.  I'll recheck it out.  It has, from what I've seen so far, some activities for physically releasing traumatic experiences.  Haven't tried many but I intend to circle back and try.

Surviving Survival is one of those books I've been talking about with everyone the last couple weeks.  Great case studies and even better neuroscience plus practical suggestions without candy coating.  Very well done.

Quote I want to remember from Surviving is:
As my father used to say of certain aircraft that had been distressed by long overuse, the brain is a collection of spare parts flying in close formation.