Double Vision - by Shana Ogren Lourey
2011 and 2010 Columns
December, 2011 Addicted
I was 13 when I first started smoking cigarettes. I remember my 8th grade friend, Natalie, teaching me how to inhale. "Like this," she would say, while modeling a drag. "You've got to hold it inside, and then exhale." As I tried it, I coughed horribly, but I continued to try and inhale until I eventually became a true cigarette addict. At first I hated cigarettes, and in the end I needed them
November, 2011 Fat Like Me
One sunny afternoon, I was walking back from the market in Malawi with my 17 year old neighborhood pal, Chimwemwe (meaning 'happiness' in English). We strolled leisurely back to our village together, carrying food we had bought for dinner—tomatoes, onion, potatoes, and corn.
October, 2011 Bringing More Life Into Life
In a couple of weeks, I will give birth to my first baby. Hallelujah! He is supposed to be a boy named Quentin. I don't know if I'll believe that I'm going to meet him until he actually comes about.
September, 2011 Now Serving
Spiritually and socially, I ask simply to be used. These are the moments that give
me life's greatest enjoyment and deepest sense of satisfaction, that I may function
as a tool-
August, 2011 The World is Round
The best thing I did during my two year Malawi Peace Corps service was to start a community public library. The nearest library that existed for my mountainous village was a three hour drive away (and nobody owned a vehicle).
July, 2011 Freedom
I hate doctors. I always have. I hate someone else being in control of my body. It is typical for me to ask many, many questions during appointments – "What is this for? What's the purpose of this?" I only want to be a patient in the same way that I am willing to be a student in a classroom—actively, interactively, and collaboratively.
June, 2011 The Stories Behind
While serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi, Africa, I spent two years attempting communication. As a strongly direct, clear, and specific speaker (very American), I began to learn the difficult meaning of indirect communication.
May, 2011 I Think You Hit the Big Time
We usually celebrate birthdays and mourn death anniversaries. But today, on the nine month anniversary of the death of my parent, Sandee, I both mourn and celebrate. I continue to miss her, and I continue to sing to her and to dance to her song.
April, 2011 A Closer Look
St. Andrew's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery and retreat center in rural Valyermo, California. Father Francis Benedict is a 62 year old monk at St. Andrew's. Abbot Francis allowed me to interview him at the monastery where he lives and serves.
March, 2011 Danger + Opportunity
This is the Chinese word for "crisis." It includes two characters; one representing "danger" and the other representing "opportunity." The meaning of "crisis" in Chinese is literally "danger" plus "opportunity." The organizer had posted this word the week that we were preparing childcare center employees for their union election—a chance for employees to vote for whether or not they want to establish a labor union for themselves.
February, 2011 Smell the Roses
This year I pray for something easy: Let me see the good. Prayers are not just words. Prayer is action.
January, 2011 It Doesn't Matter What a Chip Looks Like – I Just Taste It
On and off for the last four years, I have gone over to Peter Schustack's house to read him his mail. Peter is a 60 year old, blind San Luis Obispo resident. In order to learn how lack of sight affects Peter's life, I interviewed him and have included his thoughts below.
December, 2010 Can We Fix It?
Tikkun olam (תיקון עולם ) is a Hebrew phrase. The word tikkun means "repair," and olam means "world." When we say tikkun olam, it translates as "repairing or fixing the world." The action of "world repair" is believed to be either the spiritual or social responsibility that directs the purpose of life.
November, 2010 The Clock Ticks Here
After living for two years in a village in Malawi, Africa, I returned to the United States. Since I have returned, time is not on my side. I worry and long for more. There is not enough. Is there plenty of time to search for a new job? Is there enough time to show each person I love how much they mean to me?
October, 2010 Shalom
It is Yom Kippur now; the Jewish New Year. "Shana Tova" is what we say in Hebrew to celebrate and to send greeting this week. "A good year" is our Jewish wish.
September, 2010 The Selfish Volunteer
I volunteer to please myself. Don't get me wrong—I like helping people. But that's not why I volunteer. The knowledge that I can help somebody does not motivate me. I volunteer so I can help myself. I am a selfish volunteer. When I'm helping other people, I'm actually using them.
August, 2010 A Prayer for an Atheist
I do not trust God. It's like we are still getting to know each other—faith and reliance takes time.
What is a prayer for an atheist? A prayer for an atheist is like being grateful for something that ended horribly. It's a strange oxymoron or contradiction. How do you gratefully receive a beautiful tragedy?
June, 2010 Happiness Lives Here
What makes you happy? I took a day where I asked everybody this question. I asked the cashier at the grocery store, my cousin, and a woman waiting at a pharmacy. I asked my parents. I asked the Charter Communications representative I called about my cable television.
May, 2010 Where Do the Children Play?
Today, on the six-
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