Month: April 2017 | the Wakefield Doctrine

TToT -the Wakefield Doctrine-

April 30, 2017 By clarkscottroger

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

The new ‘garden’ in the form of three letters cut into the turf of the side lawn. In dirt brown against the green grass, ‘U’, ‘n’ & ‘a’ spells, Una, of course

It’s Saturday when I type (the beginning of) this post. It may very well be Sunday when you read it. This is, of course, the Ten Things of Thankful bloghop. Originated by Lizzi Lewis, (still not admitting that CS is her great-uncle), now curated by Josie Two Shoes, it is a ‘place’ in the virtual world where people of (similar) mind and good intent gather each week for an exercise (in the cultivation) of gratitude, (both the attitude, outlook and emotion). If you’re new to the TToT, allow me of say, this is a serious effort for many, however, rarely is the word ‘serious’ intended as ponderous and humorless, which is so not the case. Sure there are rules, but they’re Secret! (lol the best kind!) The Book of Secret Rules (aka the Secret Book of Rules) has more blank pages than full, the ideal ratio. (BoSR/SBoR’s motto: “…in a jam? not sure if you can use an event or situation, stuck for items to make the Ten, not feeling overly grateful? There’s a Secret Rule for that! and if you can’t find it, make it up! just try to stick some op. cits., paragraphs and such, and if you can, whats really cool are [t]hose really odd [p]arentheticals.“)

Anyway.

1) the photo above is this year’s garden, pre-plants. Will be vegetables such as tomatoes and possibly celery, (clearly a great deal of thought has gone into what it is to be grown in this here garden here. but then, the fun was in the digging.)

2) the next photo is also yard related. we had a large tree fall in the woods this winter* Unfortunately it fell across one of the path/trails that Phyllis and Una like to walk. And so, chainsaw in hand, I’ve been cutting up limbs in order to clear the area and return the path to walkability.

a large, apparently (because we are told, not that we can see) double-trunked pine tree, lying in the grown in a woods of much smaller and thinner pine trees. most of the branches of the fallen tree have been cut and, towards the end the trunk is a pile of cut limbs, showing green of the pine needles against the mostly brown of the trunks and old needles carpeting the ground.

3) As should be clear by now, the dog and the human are kinda central to my world. Phyllis and Una always merit mention.

4) At the end of the afternoon of dragging tree limbs, sweating and such, I offer as Grat Item #4: “I’m grateful for not being confined to a hospital bed.” (Though kind of obvious, being the clark that I am, I’m better able to experience the emotion of gratitude when it’s couched in simple and somewhat un-sophisticated terms, i.e. I’ve been confined a hospital bed in my past. Physically working well past my comfort range and sweating and all is way, way better.)

5) the Gravity Challenge. It’s good to have something relatively uncomplicated to do every morning (except Sundays). And what it is I do to fulfill that need is post the readouts of all the Graviteers that (have) sent in their photos. It’s fun and encouraging (to each of us, in a very specific, but different way) and I’m inviting you to join us. Questions can be directed to any of the Graviteers: val, kristi, lisa, may, sarah or joy.

6) Working on Chapter 6 of ‘Home and Heart‘ (a Sister Margaret Ryan novel). Come join in the adventure. I say, ‘adventure’ in that my approach is ‘seat-of-the-pants’ writing, applied to a serial format. As a result, I don’t know where the story is going, until we get there. Which adds a certain, shared excitement among those of us following the story.

7) The Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers) if for no other reason than, if I know the other person’s predominant worldview, I have sense of how they are experiencing the current situation. By being aware of the perspective of the other person, my range of responses not only increases, it likely includes the one that will produce the reaction I am after.

8) You know whose TToT post are really kinda excellent? Pat’s over at ‘A season and a Time‘ I write often about how I admire those who can write a TToT thats organized and direct and all. Pat does that, but she adds something extra, a sense of narrative; you totally get the feeling of being there. this is cool, as she most often writes of adventures and occurrences in the week prior. Very much glimpse into a life, which, if there is one thing that this virtual world provides better than any other medium, it’s the privilege of being invited, for a brief time, to share the world as another person has experienced it. Plus, she’s on the opposite coast. I totally identify with the Pacific Northwest, myself being on the Atlantic Ocean.

9) (left open for the chance Sunday Odd and/or Profound.)

10) Secret Rule 1.3

* yes, it is my favorite joke that, by definition, I treat myself to, on the occasion when I’m within hearing distance when one of the tree falls to the ground. I always jump up and say, (to no one), “I heard that!”

Filed Under: Featured, Psychology, the Wakefield Doctrine Tagged With: predicting human behavior, psychology of personality, relationships, the Wakefield Doctrine

Six Sentence -the Wakefield Doctrine- …Story

April 27, 2017 By clarkscottroger

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

1280px-Henry_Wallis_-_Chatterton_-_Google_Art_Project

1856 painting, ‘The Death of Chatterton’ by Henry Wallis. (A young man lying on a bed thats set beneath a small window overlooking London. His right arm hangs off the bed, lifeless hand on the floor. He’s wearing, like purple pedal pushers. (Don’t ask me why)

Running a bit behind. Early Wednesday evening, for the ‘warm-up’. The occasion is, of course, zoe’s weekly Six Sentence Story bloghop. Every Thursday we go to uncharted, see the word, feel our stomach drop and, dutifully retire to our garrets. Unlike the unfortunate Mr. Chatterton in our lead photo, my window does not overlook mid-1800s London, but we do what we can.

So, don’t end up like young Mr Chatterton! Write a story of Six Sentence length and try to arrange for the appearance of this week’s prompt word, ‘Well’

Well

You feel your eyes open; that you need the soft, up-wrinkling sensation of retracting eyelids to know they are open, makes the bottom of your stomach drop. Darkness takes on a quality of non-touching pressure on your face and you extend your arms away from your body; suddenly, like a spider skittering over the blankets as you read in bed, the thought forms, ‘provided you have a body’. The animal-instinct pushes blood to the extremities, but is immediately entangled by the feeling of liquefaction of leg muscles, and, from the very most bottommost lobe, your brain screams, ‘Become small, get low, freeze’. Your head moves from side to side, your body remains still, there is nothing that makes one side the opposite of ‘the other side’, when a hint of something that makes the blackness merely very dark, comes from ‘above’. A pale moon, at once off in the distance at an angle that confuses your feet, at the same time above you; it’s a lightness that is changing, but you can’t tell if it’s getting closer or, and you wish without words that you had quit while you were ahead, you’re moving away from it. A voice in your mind, both demon and savior parts the dark that smothers you, “Now be careful, the old farm wells are marked and boarded up, your father did the best he could, but you never know.”

Filed Under: Featured, Psychology, the Wakefield Doctrine

Tuesday -the Wakefield Doctrine- “…agents provocatrice“

April 25, 2017 By clarkscottroger

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

Sure, everyone in the ‘sphere, will, from time to time, write a post because of a cool-sounding word (or phrase). In this case, ‘agents provocatrice‘. I came across the term, (the feminine of agent provocateur), while wandering the the internet in search of information, (biographical and otherwise), on the characters in my current book, ‘Home and Heart’

Well, since you asked, while the ‘Everything Rule’ reminds us that clarks, scotts and rogers are capable of being agents provocateurs (and provocatriceses), we’d all agree that our Brethren of the Herd, rogers, would be inclined to be the most effective agents.

New Readers are saying, “Wait, what? How can he make that statement! We need to know how that conclusion was arrived at, and we need to know now!”

Ok..ok!

We have the ‘Everything Rule’ because there are certain elements of life that seem to be made for one worldview* over the other two. You know, being a CPA or a surgeon, a politician (actually two are suited, scotts and rogers, depends on whether the politician in question is exciting or inspiring), elementary school teachers, girls gym teachers, cooks, chefs, priests or carpenter (finish or rough, another double choice); while this is just a sampling of careers and avocations that life offers, it’s easy to be taken by how many are an ideal fit for one worldview over the other. Nevertheless, a clark can be a cop, a roger could be a stripper (one gender**: totally, the other…no way!) and a scott is capable of being a priest.

While the nature of the worldview of any of the three might result in personal qualities, traits, strengths, tropisms and interests that make success more likely for one (than the other two), that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. And, since I’m trying to keep this post short, let me point out that that last sentence describes the foundation of the Wakefield Doctrine. It is our efforts as individuals to contend with the reality that we grow up in, that produce our ‘personality types’. I am good at being odd, mumbling when I speak, dressing creatively and seeing things that are not always there, because I grew up in the reality of the Outsider. I wasn’t born this way. I had to develop these skills to make it, as best I could, given my circumstance. My scottian friends are very quick to respond, loud and comfortable in front of an audience, totally aggressive and don’t seem to be bothered by not necessarily knowing what the hell they’re doing, only because, as little tiny babies, they looked up and found themselves in a (metaphorical) savannah with predators and prey all around. My rogerian friends? lol If you ask them, they’ll tell you that they are the way they are because that’s the only way a person could be. And they’re be right, (god! they’re always right…lol. I kid my rogers). They, as children grew and developed the interactional skills, coping strategies that were most effective in a world where there were Rules, (to learn or ignore) and Limits (to be exceeded or hidden) and, most of all, a place where people belonged.

Thats why we don’t have quizzes and profiles, tests and screenings.*** It doesn’t matter what you think your personality type is. What matters, all that matters, is ‘how you relate yourself to the world around you’.

Speaking of today! Two, (not one, two!) Chapters of ‘Home and Heart‘ (a Sister Margaret Ryan novel) are out on the jukepop! Hurry over, theres still time! (Ask the reader who came late to ‘Almira‘ what I mean. lol “oh! I see you’ve already written 33 Chapters! And, they’re, what 3800 words each? I’ll get back to you.”) Heck! this, the second of the Sister Margaret Ryan series, is much easier to read. Come on down! I could use the votes. (jukepop has a system of comment and vote) Here are the links:

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Thank you.

*what others might call ‘personality types’. We don’t. Because, well, because we’re better than they are. At least in terms of having elements, (to our theory), that can be used for self-benefitting yourself, even if you don’t use the whole thing.

**never hurts to remind Readers, new and experienced, alike, the Wakefield Doctrine is gender and culture neutral (sure, go ahead and ask me how that can possible be)

*** actually we do, but only because one of our scottian friends insisted. lol

oh yeah! almost forgot #wakefielddoctrine (thanks, Cynthia!)

Filed Under: Featured, Psychology, the Wakefield Doctrine Tagged With: personality types, predicting human behavior, psychology of personality, relationships, self-improvement, the Wakefield Doctrine

TToT -the Wakefield Doctrine- OK! Weekend update: I (semi)odd thing and two new Chapters of ‘Home and Heart’

April 22, 2017 By clarkscottroger

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

a color drawing of an Archaic Indian site men and women around an open fire (3000 BC North America) www.tn4me.org

This is the TToT. One of the ‘T’s stands for … things. As such, and on no less an authority than Merriam Webster, in part: ‘…an object or entity not precisely designated or capable of being designated; use this thing.’ (Couldn’t have said it better myself). The beauty part, (as a friend used to malaprop), of the TToT is that we are free to look to any and all areas of life for the items that make up our list (of Ten Things).

Josie does, in fact, provide, in the course of her stewardship of this bloghop, an atmosphere that while maintaining a certain…. order, encourages creativity in what may be considered a list of Ten Things of Thankful. (We suspect that, on some Saturdays, when this blog submits its weekly contribution, she has a moment in which she thinks, “Ok, Josie, Deep breaths. Better yet, step outside for a minute. Look around. Nice normal people doing nice normal things. …now, back to the Wakefield Doctrine.”*)

So for this week, I am grateful for:

1) Music and lyrics. Having a major ‘learn to write good’ jones, I’m more aware of lyrics than I’ve ever been. And so, in the random way of songs on youtube this morning I came across this:

2) Phyllis and Una: one (of these two) bought fencing, the other made it clear that, if we are to have a garden this year, a fence will be helpful.

A photo taken from above (a bedroom window), the left half of the letter ‘U’ shows in the brown of raw earth, against the green of the surrounding lawn. The right half of the letter ‘U’ shows thin outlines of where it will be cut.

3) Kristi over at ‘Thankful Me’ (one of the original Graviteers and who, in fact, contributed ‘Kristi’s Rule’ which makes all the difference.) In any event, I noticed last week (yeah, probably has been there all along) that she has captions on her photos. They are well written descriptions of the photo itself. That is the kind of person she is, to provide something thoughtful as that (for those, for lack of a phone or otherwise able to clearly see the photo) with absolutely no fanfare. v. cool

4) Speaking of the Gravity Challenge. We’re all gearing up for the Summer. If you have a desire to alter the degree of attraction to the earth that you presently possess, stop by and join up. It’s fun and helpful.

5) The Book of Secret Rules (aka the Secret Book of Rules). I like to mention the Book in every TToT post just so that, on the occasion I have need of some legal cover for a more aggressively odd Item. That way, like, no one can say, “What do you mean Secret Book of Rules?!?! What Secret Book of Rules!?! I have never heard of such a thing!!!” Stare decisis, binyons, stare decisis.

6) This weekend will see the release of Chapters 4 and 5 of ‘Home and Heart‘ (a Sister Margaret Ryan novel) As a matter of fact, if I can get them up on jukepop I’ll post the links here. Live on jukepop: Chapter 4 and Chapter 5

7) (this space reserved for something interesting) for now a music video from a lifetime ago

8) (this space reserved for something odd**)

9) the Wakefield Doctrine (‘sure, its called a theory, but it’s totally true!’)

10) Secret Rule 1.3

* I’m kidding, of course, as Forrest Gump didn’t quite say, ‘Normal is as normal does.’

** it’s that kind of off-the-cuff statement that makes experienced TToTeers think, ‘uh oh‘ and invariably prompts zoe to call out, “Joules! To the keyboard!” “ARR!!”

Filed Under: Featured, Psychology, the Wakefield Doctrine Tagged With: 'Home and Heart' a Sister Margaret Ryan novel, the Wakefield Doctrine

six sentence story -the Wakefield Doctrine- ‘…an excerpt from ‘Home and Heart’ (link in the photo)

April 20, 2017 By clarkscottroger

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

This is zoe’s weekly bloghop, the Six Sentence Story. Each week she provides a prompt word and invites one and all to write a story that is six, (and only six), sentences in length. It’s truly a worthy challenge (and) a worthwhile effort. Come and join us!

This week the word is: ‘Question’

“Sorry, sister, didn’t see you there there, the habit kinda blends in with the dark couch and all, try an smile from time to time, so I’ll know that you’re awake,” Det Glen Trahmani grinned his laughter to assure the nun that he was not being too disrespectful.

Sister Catherine sat quietly and watched, as the detective moved about the room. “I have the utmost respect for those in your profession, I promise not to interrupt your questioning,” her wire-rimmed glasses threw shards of light as she continued, with a smile that barely moved her lips but pushed one eyebrow quite high, “perhaps you’d like to know my whereabouts at the time of Mr. Avila’s death?”

Naturally competitive, excessively confident, Glen Trahmani possessed a highly developed talent for picking his battles, held up both hands and said, “Ya got me, sister! ‘Sapientiae Timor Domini Initial.'”

Seeing the distress in the face of Roanne Avila, once a student in her sixth grade class, Sister Catherine said, “Your detective here is showing off for me, and just said, in passable Latin, ‘The fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom’.

The homicide detective turned to the young woman and said, “I have just one question; can you think of anyone who would want to harm you or your husband?”