BishopAccountability.org
	Trying to Cope with the News from Philadelphia By Frank Douglas Voice from the Desert February 27, 2011 http://reform-network.net/ The news from Philadelphia about four priests being indicted for child rape and child endangerment is more than very, very sad. It's depressing. Maybe even clinically depressing for some of us. Cardinal Rigali's super-defensive, inane statement on YouTube about the sordid mess in his archdiocese was truly pathetic. Here are some of the things I'm doing to try to cope and maintain my mental health in the wake of all this. Going to the movies. Last week I went to the movies and saw The King's Speech. I thought it was great. I recommend it highly. It was the first time I was in a movie theatre since I had my stroke in December 2008. I really got into it and lost myself in it. For 2 hours, I didn't think about Philly, or my blog, or Send the Bishops a Message. Today I plan to go to the same neighborhood theatre and see True Grit. Tonight I plan to see the Oscars on TV, a show that I try not to miss. Spending money. A couple of days ago I went to Best Buy and bought a new Samsung HD TV to replace my 25-year-old Sony. I bought a Blue Ray DVD player, too. A couple of hours ago I paid five large bills. There's nothing like spending money to relieve stress. The problem is you relieve one stress with another: knowing you have to pay all that money back. There is one saving grace, though. I have the comfort of knowing none of that money went to the pope or Cardinal Rigali or any other bishop. Cuddling with the dog. I find that having our 12-year-old toy poodle Pierre on my lap and exchanging human-canine love touches calms me down and seems to make Pierre happy. Trying "stillness." My acupuncturist suggested that I read daily a page from Stillness Speaks by Eckert Tolle. I just started doing this yesterday. Getting into the pool and doing water aerobics. Living in Tucson is a great gift. Getting into our community pool on many but not all days in winter and doing water aerobics in a group (preferred) or by myself is the best way for me to relax and unwind. Listening to music. I find that listening, really listening, to music that I like helps me relax. Some music I've listened to recently: » Tim Barton's album Branches. There's variety here: classic, jazz, and popular. I highly recommend this album. I particularly like the Bye Bye Blackbird track. » Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Herbert von Karajan & Wiener Philharmoniker. This concerto is one of my all-time favorites. » Joachim Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez: II. Adagio, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, John Eliot Gardiner & Julian Bream. This is my favorite adagio. » John Denver's Annie's Song. This is my favorite love song.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.