In the News

by Nancy Casey

Today, you are going to write questions, lots of questions. Questions you do not know the answer to. To think up questions, you will begin with your surroundings.

Look at something in front of you—whatever your glance happens to land on—and ask a question about it. Any question at all, as long as you don’t know the answer. If at first it seems like you can’t think up a question, give yourself time, a question will come to mind.

For example, if your glance happened to fall on a book, you might be able to ask a question like one of these: Where was it printed? What’s the tenth word on page 56? What is the author like? When will I get a chance to read it? Should I keep it or give it away? Who got it so dirty? How many minutes has it been sitting there?

Your question doesn’t have to be profound. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone but you. You aren’t obliged to find out the answer. Any old question will do.

You can ask a question that begins with: What if…? How many…? When…? Do…? Will…? Can…?

You can ask a question about the past, the present or the future.

Just look at something in front of you and ask a question about it. Then look at something else and ask another question. Fill up the page that way.

Sometimes when a person starts to do this, their mind begins to wander and they think up questions about things that aren’t in front of them. If that happens to you, write down those questions, too. When you run out of questions and don’t know what to ask next, look at something in front of you and ask a question about that.

When you have filled the page with questions, read them over. If there is space, and if there is time, and if you feel like it, draw the answer to one of the questions somewhere on the page.

When you have finished, give your work a title. Make sure the date is on it somewhere, too. Add any additional decoration or color to the page as needed. Here is an example of what a person could write.

Please share what you have written. Post it as a comment below. You can type in your work. Or post a picture of it.

Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. Sometimes she teaches writing classes at the Recovery Center. You can find more of her work here. She offers (free!) writing help to anyone in recovery. This can be for any kind of writing project—resumes, letters, stories novels—email latahrecoverycenter@gmail.com for more information.

by Nancy Casey

Begin with a blank sheet of paper and write the opening phrase, “I have learned…” As you write the words, something that you have learned in your life will occur to you. Finish off the sentence by writing down what it is.

Begin again. Write, “I have learned…” and add a line or two about something else you have learned.

You probably don’t have enough paper in your house to make a complete list of everything you’ve learned so far in your life!

We learn things all the time. Sometimes we do it so effortlessly that we fail to notice. You don’t cross the street until you learn whether or not there is traffic coming. You don’t order food at a restaurant until you learn what’s on the menu. As each day unfolds, we learn whether or not the events of the day match our expectations.

If you picture yourself as a newborn infant, it’s obvious that you have learned an awful lot about functioning as a human. When babies roll over for the first time, parents get excited. Newborns don’t speak—they haven’t even learned that they can! Long before anyone darkens the door of a school they have learned ever-so-many things—physically, psychologically, personally and socially.

As we seek contentment and satisfaction in our lives, there are many things we deliberately set out to learn—relationship skills, career strategies, conversation starters, dance moves, techniques in the arts and sports. In seeking happiness, we learn what makes us unhappy. Then we have to learn what to do with that knowledge.

In some cases, we are forced to learn. If you get hurt, you learn to make-do until you heal up—unless you are not going to heal up, in which case, you learn to do many things differently. Grief is the long process of learning to live alongside the pain of a loss. Changes in friendships and unexpected events can teach you to see yourself and the world differently. As humans, we observe and perceive all the time. We can’t help but learn.

Nobody is ever too old to learn. It’s easy to get excited for someone taking up gymnastics or skydiving at age eighty, but there’s more to learning than deliberately trying new things. Reflecting on the past and understanding the subtleties of your experience is a form of learning. Compassion and empathy grow inside us as we learn about others. Learning to have compassion for ourselves is a project of a lifetime.

So take yourself on a tour of some of the many things you have learned since you made your first appearance on the planet, and fill up a page with some of the things you discover.

When your page is finished, give your work a title. Make sure the date is on it somewhere, too. Add decoration and color to the page as needed. Here is an example of what a person could write.

To share what you have written you can post it as a comment below. You can type in your work. Or post a picture of it.

Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. Sometimes she teaches writing classes at the Recovery Center. You can find more of her work here. She offers (free!) writing help to anyone in recovery. This can be for any kind of writing project—resumes, letters, stories novels—email latahrecoverycenter@gmail.com for more information.