loving art, science and creative kids
7/29/2023 6:05:45 PM
THE THREE SIRENS: Friends from youth without the wrinkles they have today.
Ensuring Friendships
When do you call a person your friend? The homeless boy my husband and I took into our house, considered any street kid he spent time with a friend, even if they had only interacted for an hour and the relationship didn't last more than a day. When my elementary school grandchildren play with strangers on the playground or at the beach for the first time, they always introduce them by saying, "I made a new friend," --not an acquaintance.
Years ago, a man in my chamber music group told me it takes twenty years to make a friend. Our group met weekly, went on picnics, and shared dinners. He abandoned my group after a year to join my husband's bluegrass band. He and my husband developed a stronger bond than he did with me, but I still considered him a friend. When I moved to the west coast, our relationship ended. It didn't survive the test of distance.
The Britannica describes friendship as enduring affection, esteem, intimacy, and trust between two people. Emotional ties between friends have lasting implications. William Shakespeare defines a friend as "one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow."
Unlike families and marriage partners, friendships are unique because they lack formal structure, and you choose to enter them. Having someone to talk to, to depend on, and to enjoy are critical components of a good life. And though friendships may dissolve as you age and circumstances change, having friends remain essential to your health and happiness.
Parents set the stage for relationship-building when their children are infants. Nursing and playing games like peek-a-boo establish emotional connections of intimacy and trust. A toddler who pats her brother when he scrapes his knee learns empathy and understanding of another's feelings by imitating adult behavior. Early relationships developed in unstructured environments are the basis for the intimacy and trust required in adult friendship.
During adolescence, friendships are easily influenced by pop culture and kids in school. They are made close to home within the community. High school kids, more secure with who they are, deepen relationships with those who share their values and interests. With plenty of time to explore, most youths spend between ten and twenty-four hours a week cementing friendships.
The Atlantic Monthly reported that young adults socialize more than any other age group. The move to college puts them in a similarly dense social environment with friendships made on campus. Their friendship structure breaks up when they return home or move because of a job opportunity. During this period, twenty-year-olds spend most of their non-working hours with friends while pouring themselves into finding a mate.
The average age for marriage in the U.S. is 27 for women and 29 for men, with variations depending on the state. According to Pew Research, the share of married adults ages 25 to 54 fell from 67 percent in 1990 to 53 percent in 2019, while the share of those cohabiting more than doubled. However, that doesn't make up for the fact that 38 percent of this age group are not partnered and living alone.
All over the world, people opt for a single life. To be happy without marriage, strong social relationships have to be maintained. A study of 270,000 people in 100 countries conducted by Michigan State University Professor William Chopic showed that meaningful relationships are a more significant indicator of health and happiness than familial relationships. This becomes even more so as people age. Singles have more friends and spend more time maintaining friendships than married people. This is especially true for women.
Married couples are so busy with jobs and family affairs that they spend less time with valued friends. An Oxford University study revealed that most people have an average of four to six close friends. The number is dropped by two when a new partner dominates their lives. The study concludes that "Love can lead to a smaller support network with one family member and one friend being pushed out to accommodate the new lover." More friendly acquaintances are developed than deep friendships during this period of long work hours, children's activities, and school functions.
By the time they retire, many are in the same position I was in, an empty nester who was friendless. Both times, after leaving the presidency at OMSI and selling my company, the following administrations expected me to walk away from the staff, board, and donors I had befriended. Employees were instructed to break off their association with me. This is a more common practice than you might imagine. Severing ties helps to transfer loyalty to the new management.
Retirement initiates another phase in the friendship cycle. Once again, there is time for relationship building. To reconnect with old friends and develop new ones, I joined a writer's group and a non-fiction reading group, took pottery classes, and increased my involvement with the Unitarian Church. The internet helped me reestablish relationships with childhood friends.
My days are full, yet I remember the man who said it takes twenty years to make a friend. A University of Kansas study says it takes fifty hours to go from acquaintance to friend and more than two hundred hours to develop a close friend. New friendships are lovely, but they don't provide the same comfort as the ones I've known for decades. We have a shared language that comes from listening to similar music, living through economic cycles, raising children simultaneously, and surviving social upheavals and wars. All it takes is a glance to know what they're thinking.
With the advent of technology, it is easier to keep old relationships ticking. Liking friends on Facebook, sending birthday e-cards after receiving a popup reminder, and texting, can maintain closeness over decades. I'm happy to connect from time to time and will visit them if I am in town. The people I have a history with are in my dormant category. Active friendships are with the people I contact regularly. They are there for emotional support and know what's happening in my life. These friends know my flaws yet still accept me.
Numerous studies show that humans benefit from relationships but don't need to be coupled in a marriage or romantic partnership to be happy. In either case, it is essential to take extra care to maintain your close friendships and not let them fall through the cracks.
References:
Tiret, H. (2022) What is friendship? Michigan State University Extension. retrieved from https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/what-is-friendship
Zero to Three website. (2010) Tips on Helping Your Child Build Relationships. retrieved from https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/tips-on-helping-your-child-build-relationships
Beck, J.( 2015) How Friendships Change over Time. The Atlantic. retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/10/how-friendships-change-over-time-in-adulthood/411466/
Pew Research Center. (2021) Rising Share of U.S. Adults Are Living Without a Spouse or Partner. retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2021/10/05/rising-share-of-u-s-adults-are-living-without-a-spouse-or-partner/
Kisley, E. (2019) The Impact of Friendships on Single and Married people. Psychology Today. retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happy-singlehood/201904/the-impact-friendships-single-and-married-people
Heckman R. (2018 )How to Make Friends? Study Reveals How Much Time it Takes. University of Kansas. retrieved from https://news.ku.edu/2018/03/06/study-reveals-number-hours-it-takes-make-friend
What kind of people are your closest friends? I look forward to reading your comments below.
7/22/2023 6:37:49 PM
Are city dwellers lonelier than country folk?
Inspiration Outlining the image
CITY LIFE
I shared the first two images last week. The one diretly above is the completed painting.
City mouse, Country mouse
Loneliness is an under-appreciated public health crisis reaching epic proportions that requires redesigning cities. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warns that over fifty percent of the population reports measurable levels of loneliness that affect their mental, physical, and societal health leading to an increased likelihood of heart disease, dementia, and premature death.
Murthy believes the nation needs to prioritize social connectedness. He suggests changes to high-rise building designs and an increased number of outdoor spaces, making them more accessible. He urges reforms to digital environments that detract from meaningful, healing connections.
While exploring his suggestions, I wondered about the difference between city and country dwellers. With cities hubs of culture and trade, people might imagine them to be an antidote to loneliness. Research articles listed below show that not to be the case. Anxiety and distress are more prevalent in urban settings where residents are less likely to be part of a close-knit community. Millions of apartment dwellers view their neighbors as strangers, not friends to help them when in need.
There was a time in the nation's history that religion was the main avenue for social interactions. Churches, synagogues, and mosques provided schooling, medical care, and assistance to the poor. Religions inspired art, culture, and philosophy, creating a social life centered around holidays, weddings, births, and funerals.
A 2020 Gallup poll reports that more than half the population is unaffiliated with a religious organization. Hundreds more churches are forced to close than are started each year. Scott McConnell of Lifeway Research polled younger people who left. They see church members as judgmental or hypocritical, and they don't like their stance on political and social issues.
The move away from religion affects communal life throughout the nation. With half the remaining churches in rural areas and small towns, they are becoming unsustainable as youth flee to cities. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that 89 percent of the country's population will reside in urban areas by 2030.
I see the dwindling church as having created a hole that's being filled by new paradigms. Meetup groups introduce strangers sharing common interests. Hiking, sports activities, writing, reading, sewing, fantasy acting, and chess are among hundreds of the site's offerings. Co-housing buildings that started in the 1960s in Denmark have become more common in the U.S. Their apartments and condos include communal areas. Lounges, gyms, garden plots, swimming pools, kitchens, shops, and craft areas are shared spaces residents freely access.
Online dating apps like match.com, eharmony, and OkCupid are matchmakers to hopefuls seeking love. More than seventy thousand people applied to be matched on the TV reality series, Married at First Sight. Volunteering is another way people find connections. AmericaCorps data shows that 23 percent of Americans (60 million people) formally volunteered between 2020 and 2021. When it comes to non-organized volunteering, half of all Americans say they exchange favors with neighbors. Baby Boomers are the most active group.
London initiated Talk to Me London to overcome the image of an unfriendly city. Special days and events encourage strangers to strike up conversations. Though the initiative has gone global, many don't like it. Not engaging with strangers is something most people had drilled into their heads as youngsters.
I was never so lonely as I was on an ocean cruise with my eighteen-year-old granddaughter. The ship held 3,600 passengers, the size of a small town. Though it offered entertainment, had a gym, an ice area, and multiple expensive restaurants catering to couples, strangers didn't interact. I never saw the same person twice when scouring the ship alone. My granddaughter was good company much of the time, but she found people her age by participating in nightly Karaoke sessions. Without such a connection, I ate breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria next to people who had their heads buried in books or mounds of fattening food. The ship's size made me understand the meaning of "too big for comfort."
I've taken small boat cruises designed with intimate lounges and dining areas conducive to socializing. And I've been on large ocean liners where I met interesting people because the dining room had arranged seating. architects, ship designers, builders, and city planners focused on maximizing profit or tax revenue over livability aren't doing their communities a service.
CBC News reports young urban dwellers as lonelier than old rural folks. Though rural youth feel connected to their towns, they suffer from isolation and opportunity. It is easier to succeed in a city if you are outgoing, able-bodied, technically savvy, and financially secure with time to recreate, People who are timid and shy, overburdened by work or children, and those financially insecure or have a disability are more likely to suffer from depression, drug addiction, criminal behavior, and suicide.
I would like our city government to pay more attention to neighborhood concerns. For years, my neighborhood had a local grocery store that served as a social center of sorts. Neighbors walked there together, chatted in the aisles, and shared cups of coffee. Before the owner died, he stipulated in his will that the building was to be sold as a food market. The city council negated his will, approving an out-of-state investor to build expensive apartments. Depriving our neighborhood of a grocer within walking distance fractured our social fabric. What were our leaders thinking? Not about the community, that's for sure.
Good planning will ensure cities stay a melting pot rather than a battleground. One way this is being done is through urban villages.
designed to provide an alternative to decentralized urban sprawl. They are purported to:
- Reduce reliance on cars and promote cycling, walking, and transit use
- Provide a high level of self-containment (people working, shopping, recreating, and living in the same area)
- Help facilitate strong community institutions and interaction
Organizations like the Eastside Village in Portland and Neighborhood Falmouth on Cape Cod are networked villages of volunteers and professional services that enable older adults and those with disabilities to remain in their homes. They assist with pet care, maintenance, transportation, and social activities.
Young city dwellers are reputed to be hardened and unfriendly, while rural communities, where everybody knows each other's name and will share a cup of sugar, are viewed as friendly. Yet data from the Pew Research Center says people are more alike than the stereotype expresses. They say urban life is a bit warmer, and rural life is a little colder.
Though making connections in a mega-city can be quite a challenge, a lot is being done to help the situation. Look at Detroit, the comeback city, and you'll see how spirit and determination can lead to a culture of inclusion, equity, and belonging. What a fun challenge for the next generation. My mind spins with ideas. I would love to brainstorm with people in my community about ways to improve connectedness. Good things can happen if more people get on the bandwagon.
___________________________________________________
Art is always for sale. City Life is the finished version of the one I started last week. It is a 20" by 20" acrylic painting on canvas available for $450, including shipping. I can be reached at [email protected]
I love hearing your comments. Please share your ideas below.
___________________________________________________
References.
2023 Websitee. New Surgeon General Advisory Raises Alarm about the Devastating Impact of the Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation in the United States. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. retrieved from LONELINESS.
Perry, F. (2016) Does city life make us more or less lonely? The Guardian. retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/feb/29/city-life-more-less-lonely-loneliness-cities-share-stories
Joneys, J. (2021) U.S. Church Membership Below Majority for First Time. Gallup Poll. retrieved from https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx
Gabbatt, A. (2023) Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline. The Guardian. retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/22/us-churches-closing-religion-covid-christianity
Kitchener-Waterloo(2022) Rural youth feel connected to their townships but social isolation is still an issue. CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/waterloo-region-rural-youth-wellness-survey-1.6423422
De Melker, S. (2017) Co-housing communities help prevent social isolation. PBS. retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/cohousing-communities-help-prevent-social-isolation
7/15/2023 9:03:40 PM
Embrace Boredom!
The photo on the left is taken from Jake's cafe patio. The painting on the right is a work-in-progress, an outline of what might eventually emerge on my canvas. I've been working on it for two days and have no idea what it will look like when finished. Though it has a long way to go, the incomplete work is an example of the creative process in action, a process that keeps me from being bored.
The various angles of the buildings struck me while dining outside. They formed an exciting yet confusing hodgepodge I couldn't wait to put on canvas. The sun reflected off some of the windows and walls, making the images blow hot and cold. Dark green foliage appeared yellow with intense light brightening its leaves. It reminded me of looking for my car at night when the overhead lights made my red Toyota appear blue. I was convinced someone had stolen it.
Creative people don't stay bored because boredom and creativity are opposing states of mind. Instead, they are forever curious; they meditate on mundane happenings and look closely at idiosyncrasies in the natural world. They let their imagination run wild.
Children are often taught that boredom comes from ignorance and a lack of imagination. Parents tell bored offspring to get off their duff and do something productive. Because they don't like moping children who sit around doing nothing, they book them up with extra curricula classes and camps. They look the other way when they spend hours at the computer playing games or browsing social media. It's less of a bother than having them engage in creative endeavors that demand their involvement.
Isn't it possible that boredom is the path to the imagination? Boredom is often the first step to creating a dream that you want to follow. A farmer's daughter told me she made up stories while doing routine tedious tasks as a child. She started writing them down when she had a free moment afterward. Today she is a productive, published writer on her way to fame.
Two of my children were in middle school when self-directed learning was the rage. I put them in a "school within a school" with an unregulated curriculum. They could choose when, what, and how to participate in academic, social, physical, and creative activities. Most of the year, they sat on pillows reading comic books, doing puzzles, chatting with friends, or staring into space. By the time the trees were budding in the spring, they had had enough of doing nothing and asked if they could enroll in the regular academic program the following year. I was surprised and said it was fine, but they had to make up for the year's loss to be in the next grade with their friends. It took three months to complete the year's curriculum. The following semester they aced their courses and engaged in various creative activities. I consider the year of boredom as having contributed to their successful careers. It helped them figure out who they were, how they learned, and it motivated them to engage in productive endeavors.
Raising children helped me realize how boredom sparks the creative process. Adults have transportation, access to information, and money to help them overcome lethargy and engage in activities that enrich their lives. Children are less mobile. They have to be surrounded at home by opportunities they can grab onto. Books, art materials, hammers and screwdrivers, sports equipment, science kits, and an adult willing to answer questions are tools that help them combat boredom. Though there are extracurricular camps and classes designed to promote creative thinking, they are very expensive. On average, a one-week summer camp costs $ 450. Overnight camps are $800 for a full week.
Many families that can't afford such luxuries take refuge in computer games and social media. Unfortunately, so much screen time makes children less willing to engage in the creative process. It's easier to respond to a text with an emoji or to spend hours playing games someone else designed than to hone your writing skills in a letter and make up your own game. Computer activities require reactive thinking rather than the active thinking needed for creativity. A full life requires both sides of the brain to be developed equally.
Yes, we all need downtime, and the computer has non-threatening activities to occupy yourself if trapped at home as we all were during COVID. It may get you through the day, but do you go to bed happy, satisfied that you accomplished something? Does it challenge you to learn and grow? Creative endeavors are more satisfying because they build skills that let you expand your horizon.
Researchers at the University of Arizona suggest that creative people don't need a smartphone or streaming service to stay entertained. When they have downtime during the day and are bored, they explore their mind by allowing one idea to lead to another. During COVID-19, creative people tended to be more engaged with their thoughts and less bored as a result.
I suggest adding balance to your waking hours. Get away from the screen with physical and mentally challenging activities. Walk in nature. Ask questions. Meditate about a future filled with opportunity and be wary of activities that are reactive in nature. Find time for your brain to wander over the curious things and occurrences that made up your day. Though it may seem like a waste of time, an active imagination can lead to projects that fully engage you.
References:
Angello, A. (2022) You Can't Have Creativity Without Boredom. Literary Hub. retrieved from BOREDOM
Anderer, J. (2023) Screen-free fun: Creative people enjoy moments of boredom more than others. StudyFInds. retrieved from https://studyfinds.org/creative-people-enjoy-idle-time/
Please take a moment to comment below.
7/9/2023 4:50:16 PM
Naselle in the Mist
The world seemed softer, more magical as I looked through the mist.
Were my eyes playing tricks on me, or had I entered a fairy’s lair?
Though Another’s Eyes
It’s been four-and-a-half years since I became Grandma to an Ethiopian and Somali immigrant family. Though the children were born in the United States and their parents are naturalized citizens, they miss the families they left behind. Our culture differs from theirs, often confusing them as they struggle to understand. I visit my grandchildren weekly, engage with their teachers, and help the family negotiate medical care. I’ve watched over the girls at playgrounds, helped with homework, engaged them in art and science projects, and taken them to plays and museums. We’ve camped overnight in the woods and made sand castles on the coast. This year, the children planted a garden that is already producing vegetables for the table.
Having an accessible grandma has been good for them and eye-opening for me. I have eight biological children who were surrounded by loving extended families. I can only imagine how difficult it must be in a foreign country without relatives where language is a challenge and cultural norms differ.
It has also been a challenge for me to understand where they are coming from. They see the world through the lens of poverty and frightening civil unrest. It was also a place where family, tribe, and community provided love and acceptance. They are a courageous couple that risked leaving their homeland for a better life. I don’t know if I could do that under the same circumstances.
When they are nervous and reluctant to do something I deem necessary, it is easy to offend them. I grew up in a family where education is everything. I was taught that anything was possible if I put my heart and mind into it. If you don’t believe you can make dreams come true, you’re not likely to expose your children to various environments or challenge them to know the world through science, art, and social interactions. Instead, you keep them home in a cocoon that is safe from the risk of failure or hurt.
When a teacher pointed out that their daughter needed eyeglasses, her mother reacted negatively. She was upset and adamantly against her being checked by an optometrist. I couldn’t comprehend her anger nor why she was so unreasonable. It took from November to May to convince her that her child was handicapped at school by being unable to see the board. She told me that glasses damage and weaken the eyes if worn regularly and that the family’s DNA is superior to the wealthy class who wear glasses. Unfortunately, her daughter's vision was like the picture of Naselle above. She had been seeing the world through the mist and was shocked when it disappeared with glasses.
After speaking to a friend from West Africa and reading an article about Nigeria, I discovered that the stigma attached to glasses is common throughout the African continent. A widely held belief says that children and young people shouldn’t have eye problems. Parents are reluctant to seek help for their children for fear it will lead to a prescription for glasses. When they finally succumb, they don’t want their children to wear them outside school unless absolutely necessary.
The family and I eventually met on common ground, and all is well with their daughter. But last week, I was shocked to discover that the aversion to glasses exists in the United States. Though over 14.4 million children wear them in the U.S., kids who do are often labeled “geek,” “nerd,” or “four eyes.” Children with glasses are 36% more likely to be victims of bullying, according to a study published by Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
I was embarrassed by the thoughts in my head about the ignorance in Africa. I had let myself fall into the trap of believing that America was superior, never imagining the problem was equally common on U.S. soil. The shutter on my lens opened wider, enabling me to see through expanded vision. Ignorance is a problem affecting people worldwide and our country too. How to overcome deeply embedded beliefs without merit passed down through generations is an enigma faced by medical professionals and teachers.
References:
Ebeigve, J., Kio, DF, & Okafor, L(.2013) Attitude and Beliefs of Nigerian Undergraduates to Spectacle. Ghana Med. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3743112/#:~:text=In Nigeria/
Naselle in the Mist is 28”* x 40” acrylic on canvas painting/ gold frame./available for $890, shipping included. Purchase online or contact me at [email protected]
I look forward to hearing from you. Please comment below.
.
7/1/2023 10:43:20 AM
Sanna
She’s resilient and shows true grit by persevering to make dreams become reality.
Perseverance
Perseverance is the ability to keep doing something despite obstacles. It's easy to say but hard to do. When asked why I was successful in starting a museum, my answer is always because I persevered. Many studies have shown that perseverance and resilience are essential qualities for success in life. They are stronger predictors of achievement than aptitude and talent.
Sticking to tasks and remaining focused on a goal takes effort and helps maintain passion. But success requires more. You have to be willing to learn from failure and to try again. As my mother said, "When the horse throws you, you get back in the saddle until you're no longer thrown."
It was months before finding a way to fund my fledgling museum in Michigan. Direct asks weren't doing it. It wasn't until I read that the Playboy Bunnies raised money for charity through sporting events with community leaders that I had my start. I admit it was a sexist solution, but fifty-some years ago it wasn't an outlandish idea. The event never took place due to a devastating flood covering Michigan State's Jenison Field House in three feet of water. But the publicity, both good and bad, got the museum off the ground. The city knew about the museum and wanted it to succeed.
That event and subsequent advice from a businessman saying not to wait for the stars to align to push ahead got me going. When put on a back burner by the city, he told me not to wait but to create my own opportunity and then grab on by acting decisively.
Scientist and author Angela Duckworth argues that "perseverance plus passion equals true grit." She quotes Thomas Edison, who said while still experimenting, "I have not failed: I've just found 10,000 ways to make a lightbulb that won't work." Being resilient and learning from his failures helped him persevere in his quest.
Duckworth describes how J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series got started. As a single mother living in poverty and dependent on welfare, Rowling wrote whenever she had a spare moment. After completing the manuscript, she was repeatedly rejected by agents but continued submitting until someone took her on. Her books and movies became best sellers making her one of the wealthiest women in the world.
As I complete my latest manuscript, I take her example to heart. Rightfully Mine: The Water Factor is waiting for an eager agent to propel it to success. Following is Kirkus review to whet your appetite.
"Eichinger's near-future dystopian eco-thriller explores a world with little water.
"The novel opens dramatically in the year 2039 with James Hokama Byrne leading a team to steal water trucks and take them to the Chekesuwand reservation where his grandparents live. James lives in Portland with his mother, an Indigenous doctor, and his father, an Irish American lawyer. The novel then turns to his high school graduation in 2028 and traces the events leading up to the opening scene and its aftermath. James begins work as a truck driver for Glacier Oceanide, a private, for-profit company that purifies and sells water (bottled and as a commodity), believing he will be helping people made destitute by severe drought brought on by global climate change. When his employer transfers him to Ethiopia, he learns that, far from helping the poor, the company reaps windfall profits by exploiting a limited resource and corrupting the would-be regulators. On his return to Oregon, he quits his job but is horrified to learn that Chekesuwand and other reservations have contracted with Glacier Oceanide to manage their aquifers and water supplies. James enrolls in college, and the story shifts to the perspectives of others, including Aaron Gooding, Glacier Oceanide's second-in-command. The company's founder dies and is succeeded by his unscrupulous nephew, Matt Dunlap, who bullies Aaron into complying with illegal activities and underhanded business practices. The underdog fighting to regain what is rightfully theirs and wreak revenge on wrongdoers is a time-honored thriller plot, and the novel gamely attempts to animate this storyline with the timely theme of water scarcity. Eichinger addresses a critical topic within the frame of an attention-grabbing plot."
Look forward to seeing Rightfully MIne on the shelves of your local bookstore one day. I believe it would make a great TV mini-series. Until then, join me on your quest to grow grit and persevere. Follow your passion to make the world a better place and to help others. Practice deliberately by honing weaknesses and incorporating feedback into your goals. Never give up hope. Remember that your efforts matter. Parents and grandparents can support children by encouraging them to stick with their activities and instilling the belief that it is possible to live up to expectations.
Reference:
Schaffner, K. PhD. (2020) Perseverance in Psychology: Meaning, Importance, and Books. Positive Psychology. retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com/perseverance/
I look forward to your comments below.
Lives of Museum Junkies (a behind the scens look at museums) and Over the Peanut Fence (about homeless and runaway youth) are available in bookstores and online in paperback and ebook formats.
