Expertise

I'm thinking I should have a lime green "SURVIVOR" diploma.

A friend's recent blog post got me thinking about experts.  What makes someone an expert on something?    I've always taught my students that good writers write about what they know (thank you, Lucy Calkins and Teacher's College).  I'm pretty sure the same rule applies for grown ups too.  So how do we know?  From reading lots of books and articles?  From listening to lectures?  Watching videos?  Well, yeah, sort of.  But also from living it.

Makes me think of the scene in Good Will Hunting where Robin William's character reminds Will (Matt Damon) that all of his knowledge is based upon what he's read and not what he's lived.

I'm pretty sure I've made this clear before, but let me say it again.  I have not gone to school to become a healthy living guru.  I have not earned a nutritionist certification (hell, we went to Elevation Burger for dinner last week as I was in DIRE need of their french fries - both mentally and physically).

By chance and luck and stars aligned - and okay, I'll give a teensy credit to modern medicine - I have lived through a fairly serious illness.  I've done my research (reading, listening, watching), talked to doctors (many), heard what my acupuncturist and massage therapists had to contribute, and tried to use common sense to balance it all out.  Making some sense of the world we live in and how to best navigate it, for me and on behalf of my awesome kid, is my part-time job now.

While I don't always practice the best nutrition sense (some days are for peanut butter patties, some are for extra salad), I do my best to use good judgement in the choices I make for my family.  They're mostly reasonable and not usually crazy overprotective.

One note of pride: I've had several people contact me to tell me how reading this blog has made them think about their own choices and how they can make small changes to improve overall health.  It makes me gleeful!  If you've made a change (new water bottle?  stop nuking your food in plastic?), please share below.

Thanks for reading, following along (feel free to actually click "join this site" on the side bar), and contributing your own expertise to the conversation.

Next up:  I convert my co-teacher with the help of an iPhone.