Getting the Whole Picture

Sometimes I wish I could telepathically transmit my thoughts into words on a page. There is so much I want to write and share. I want to paint stories for you. I want to draw adventures. But, I am so tired. I get energized in my mind, but my fingers are fatigued. I’ll do my best to give a flavor of this past (glorious) week, but I fear my eyelids are sagging a bit too low for brilliance to come forth.

The Skinny: This past week was really wonderful. Work began to fully coalesce. I am starting to grasp what my role and purpose is and envision more autonomy as I move forward. My social life was rich with meeting new people, bringing together old friends, eating tasty Indian food on Devon Street, cooking tasty Mexican and Mediterranean food to share with my roomie (Nora), and taking in art and architecture with my parents who visited for the weekend. I am feeling so energized by this city. Mind you, I am saying that after living through the rainiest day in Chicago history. So yes. I am happy.

The Fat: I want to focus in on a conference that I got to attend for my job this week. I went downtown on Wednesday afternoon for the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) conference. The subject was school wellness. It was an amazing experience. I sat in a room that held people from every major stakeholder group that could care about childhood obesity. There were city officials, school officials, teachers, doctors, health care administrators, members from the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, policy people, community organizers, etc. It was so inspiring to see an issue being faced with such a holistic approach. I felt the community spirit in the room. So often problems are faced unilaterally, and ultimately little is solved. It really seems the only way to affect such a pervasive issue (a crisis) as childhood obesity is to tackle it holistically. If schools integrate comprehensive wellness programs (which is nearly impossible with funding and time restrictions in public schools), it will mean nothing without communities also involved. If kids don’t have consistent care from a primary care physician, it is hard to monitor health in the clinical setting. One study showed that kids most trust their doctors on health information. If they don’t have a consistent doctor they are missing one of their most trusted advisors. But, if doctors, schools, and communities are all on board, it will often mean little without the faith leaders of the community also preaching that message. I have created a Venn diagram in my head to show what I envision is necessary for sustainable social change. I can't figure out how to paste my diagram into this blog... SO, imagine it with me. There are three inner overlapping circles, and then one grand circle around them all. The three inner circles are education, health, and faith. The outer circle is community.

It is both so overwhelming and so exciting to look at issues in very comprehensive ways. There is a way toward change, but it requires an extreme amount of cooperation and will from everyone. We need a shift of consciousness. We need Obama. I have so much more to write and reflect on, but that will have to be for next time.