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I know I could graduate two or more semesters early if only I would take summer classes. But I won’t. Two courses a semester on top of working full-time and trying to have a life (and have some fun!) is too stressful and I need the three-month break from formal education, tests, papers, discussion boards, wikis and required reading. I admire and applaud those that go to school year round and know that we all have different goals, restrictions and time frames.
I spent most of this summer on my self-help project. I realized that I needed to let go of some things, move on with others, change some behaviors, and learn why I keep making some of the same mistakes and how to make better choices. I also needed to figure out what I want to do when I grow up.
I did a LOT of reading—blogs, articles, and books. Not all information is good information. In fact, some of it is garbage. However, a little discernment and fact checking can do wonders. A beauty magazine suggested a biotin supplement to improve my soft, splitting nails. Dr. Oz said it was OK. I have been taking it for several months and my nails have improved. Speaking of Dr. Oz, I work in the same complex and happened to be in the elevator with him one morning. He must have been experiencing a bad day, because he was not the same persona as on TV. Excuuuuuse me.
I read all kinds of relationship advice, ranging from carving my initials into the leather seats of someone’s car to reciting the following mantra over and over again: “I’m sorry; please forgive me; I love you; thank you.” Forgiveness of a behavior does not mean acceptance, and it allows the forgiver to find peace and move on. Acknowledging my part in a failed venture and seeking forgiveness for my failures is an important ingredient in recovery. Grudges and holding onto hurts destroy the soul.
I read some excellent books, including one with simple yet creative ideas on how to handle money, a beautifully written but disturbing book about the spiritual, physical, and bureaucratic struggles of inhabitants of a Mumbai slum and a poorly written but “different” trilogy about alternate lifestyles. OK—it was the Fifty Shades of Grey books. The first one was riveting and thought provoking, but the experience became less interesting through book two and turned into a boring, eye-rolling page-turner by the third installment. Part of the problem may have been that I read all three books over a several day marathon. Even though I was number 1,000 something on the New York Public Library e-book list for each book, they happened to become available at the same time and I did not want to have to re-request them and become number 1,000 something again.
I tried some new recipes and made food I enjoy but usually buy prepared or in a restaurant. Hummus did not turn out as good as Sabra’s, but my gazpacho is very tasty (but not as good as Billy’s, the brother of a friend) and my sesame noodles are not bad. Since I had so much leftover fresh ginger from the sesame noodles, I chopped it and added it to boiling water for a few minutes. I ended up with ginger water that tastes great in a tall glass of ice or mixed with tea.
Besides cooking, I took time to enjoy crafts again. I made a few pieces of jewelry, picked up a needlepoint that I hadn’t touched in many years, and will finish (I will finish!) the sweater I started about 10 years ago and left more than half done.
One of the best suggestions I learned on the self-help journey is to expand my social group. Be open to new people, different types of people, other experiences and settings. Meetup.com has a meetup group for any and every interest. Joining a group is free and I now belong to several. I have been on walking tours of lower Manhattan, visited Coney Island and City Island, went out to dinner and brunch, explored my ancestry and did other really interesting things with people I did not know a few months ago. I have old and dear friends, but we don’t have the same interests in everything, the time or the resources. I have made some new friends and I am taking a trip with one of them through our travel meetup group.
I have learned so much through my informal education this summer. I am grateful for everything that has brought me to this point in my life (the good and the bad, because nothing is a mistake if you learn from it) and the sense of accomplishment and empowerment that comes with the ongoing and never ending self-discovery process. The journey is as important, if not more important, than the destination.
Mary Casey is a student in the MS in Business Leadership and Management program at CUNY School of Professional Studies and is an alumna of Lehman College. She is an administrator for a university in NYC. She loves to travel and wants to see as much of the world as possible. Mary created and maintained a community/political blog from 2002 to 2004.
Wow! The last few weeks have flown by, and I’m happy to say that I’ve kept up my training schedule for the Run for the Wild, despite the fact that it feels like we’ve traded NYC for Seattle. For those keeping track with me, I’m now in my fourth week, and have one more run for this week. So far, I’m feeling pretty good, though I’ve definitely noticed my right leg seems especially prone to shin splints when I don’t stretch out.
Lucky for me, I happen to work with colleagues who are more seasoned runners, so the other day I picked their brains about what I might do to ease my discomfort. Rachel Smith, an alum who is also a member of the Marketing team here at SPS, offered a particularly peculiar answer. “Use a rolling pin,” she said. “I know it sounds crazy, but roll it down the front of your shin and the back of your calf before and after you run, and you’ll feel better.” I’ll admit, I was skeptical, but I looked online and saw that this was actually a pretty common recommendation among runners.
Sure enough, I went home that night, tried the rolling pin trick, and by the next morning, I was pleasantly surprised at how much better my shins felt. Now, two days after the fact and with another run under my belt, I’m feeling no pain whatsoever. Guess there’s nothing like homegrown remedies!
I’m off to do another run tonight, and am using these guys as my inspiration at the end of a long day. If you’re training along with me, drop a line or two in the comments section at the top of the post, and let me know how you’re doing!
With one month to go, I’m feeling pretty good about the run. If you want to join the SPS team, visit www.wcsrunforthewild.org and sign up today! In addition to the run, you’ll also get free admission for the day to the New York Aquarium, two free rides at Luna Park, and lots of other entertainment! Be sure to use the RFTWCUNY discount code for $5 off registration!
Heather Zeman is the Events Manager at the CUNY School of Professional Studies, where she coordinates a wide variety of recruitment and special events. She’s currently planning a gorilla trek, to take place in Summer 2012.
First things first, and in the interest of full disclosure, I want to be clear about this… I’m not a runner.
Don’t get me wrong, I used to enjoy running when I was in shape to run…you know, back in high school. Now that I’m no longer, shall we say, conditioned, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a bit nervous about this Run for the Wild.
I’ve had a couple of friends train for runs like this, though, and to a person, they’ve all raved about the Couch to 5K training program outlined on CoolRunning.com. The program is an interval-based training schedule that allows you to build up your stamina and running ability over the course of 9 weeks. That gives just enough time to finish this training by October 6th, and have a few days to rest before the run on October 9th.
After a little bit of research, I found that there’s also an inexpensive ($2.99 on iTunes) Couch to 5K app that can be synced to my iPod so that I can train with my own music. There are also lots of free podcasts that can be downloaded with pre-programmed training cues and music; just Google “Couch to 5K podcast” and you’ll likely find something to match your tastes!
If you prefer to walk, you can also use similar training programs to build up to walking a 5K. A quick Google search found a host of options, including this plan from About.com, which also includes helpful tips at each stage and an event-day checklist.
I’m heading out for my first run tonight after work, on what I’m renaming my “Desk Chair to 5K” plan, and hope that some of you will be too!
Heather Zeman is the Events Manager at the CUNY School of Professional Studies, where she coordinates a wide variety of recruitment and special events. She’s currently planning a gorilla trek, to take place in Summer 2012.
By now, you may have heard that SPS is a sponsor for the upcoming WCS Run for the Wild, to be held on Sunday, October 9th, 2011 at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island, Brooklyn. We’re hoping to build a good-sized team of students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of SPS to participate in this 5K event, and build some great SPS spirit!
Participants can choose to run or walk at this event, which makes it accessible to a pretty wide audience, plus all participants get free admission the day of the event to the New York Aquarium. If you’re interested in joining the SPS team, either as a runner or a walker, you can sign up at www.wcsrunforthewild.org. Make sure you join the CUNY School of Professional Studies team, and use the promo code RFTWCUNY to get $5 off your registration.
I’m choosing to run at this event, and will be blogging over the next few weeks about what I’m doing to prepare and how our team is shaping up as well as sharing behind the scenes details about the event itself. I hope you’ll follow along and join us on October 9th for a fantastic day at the New York Aquarium!
Heather Zeman is the Events Manager at the CUNY School of Professional Studies, where she coordinates a wide variety of recruitment and special events. She’s currently planning a gorilla trek, to take place in Summer 2012.
A couple of friends and I were mistaken for vagabonds one time because we were gathering up our change to get on the bus and we happened to be disabled. This is actually a common occurrence because people with disabilities are often subjects to be pitied and their abilities are underestimated. In this blog, I’m going to challenge that notion.
I went to an interview for a part-time job for graduate students at Hunter College this week. This particular job involved working with statistics, and databases, so I was a little scared that I’d be at a disadvantage because I’d require assistive technology to be able to perform my duties for this position. Even though an employer is required to make their workplace environment accessible for people with disabilities, it’s still not a common thing. Because assistive technology can cost up to and even more than $1,000, it’s too easy for employers to say that they have more qualified candidates in order to avoid paying this steep fee. That was my first concern when I was applying for the job.
My second concern was that the interviewer wouldn’t consider me as a serious candidate for the position because of my disability. I decided to apply anyway without disclosing my disability. I figured no one discloses their race, gender, or sexuality when applying for a job so why should I disclose my disability. They’ll eventually find out when they see me anyway.
I have experience using Microsoft Excel, Access and conducting research as well. These were the main qualifications that the employer was looking for so I felt confident when I was applying. I emailed my resume and within a couple of days I heard back from the interviewer. She said that she was impressed with my resume and asked me to come in for an interview.
On Monday I went to the interview. While I was confident of my abilities, I was once again skeptical of the way I would be perceived because of my disability. I’ve gotten some pretty shocking reactions in the past. I once volunteered to clean up Coney Island. When I showed up my team manager was clearly not prepared to manage someone like me. At first he refused to let me pick out the shrubs and weeds with the rest of the volunteers. He claimed that it was for my own safety. I immediately recognized that I was just a liability in his eyes and that he didn’t want this “fragile” person to get hurt from the deadly weeds of Coney Island. I tried to reassure him that I would be ok but he insisted that I just stand there and hold the garbage bag open for the volunteers that were doing the real work.
I was not yet defeated though. I decided to hold the garbage bag from the outside of the garden. I then slowly started picking up whatever weeds I could find on the outskirts of the garden. I talked to the other volunteers and we started working together. They would let me know if any areas looked unsafe and eventually I was picking out weeds with the best of them. He didn’t say anything to me after that. Hopefully I changed his mind and the next volunteer will have a more welcoming experience.
I’m not writing this story to gloat or to boast over my triumph against ignorance. My point is that going into this interview I was prepared for the worst. Because of my previous experiences I expected that I would have to once again prove myself to those who think I am incapable of functioning like everyone else. Fortunately, my interviewer was aware and educated about people with disabilities so my interview wasn’t about myself proving that I’m equal to my sighted counterparts. It was about me proving that I’m the most qualified candidate for the job which is the way it should be. She only asked one question about my disability which is how I am able to use a computer. I informed her of a screen reading software called Jaws. She asked me where she can purchase it and that was the end of that subject. Needless to say, the interview was a success. The interviewer told me that she will no longer interview anyone else and that when the position is available I can have it. So there you have it. Blind people can work. That is if society lets them. Good luck with the end of the semester and remember. The next time you see a person with a disability hanging out in the street or park don’t assume that they’re accepting donations.
Walei is pursuing a masters in Disability Studies in the School of Professional Studies. He has blogged for the Accessible New York project in the past and continues to do so. Walei is also an aspiring writer, musician, and advocate for people with disabilities.
