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Investigative reporter Meg Kissinger investigates her own family
This week’s podcast episode is all about family secrets. Meg Kissinger is one of the premier investigative reporters out there and has been for the last several decades, working for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and teaching journalism at Columbia University. Meg’s primary beat has been the mental health system, which she describes as being not a system at all because systems have parts that work together. Mental health in America and in Milwaukee is revealed by Meg’s work to be a broken set of institutions and practices that don’t run cooperatively at all.
For Meg’s book, While You Were Out, Meg turned her investigative journalism skills to her own family of origin and tells the story of a lot of family secrets and denial about how mental health operated. Meg is fourth oldest in a Chicago Catholic family of eight kids where there were many problems. A father with bipolar disorder, a mother with depression, a substance use disorder operating on both fronts, and some severe mental illness among her siblings that resulted in two suicides.
So in the podcast, Meg tells the story of her family and details the new information that she learned about them through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and extensive interviewing. She also offers advice on how you can chase down the truth in your own family.
When I wrote my own memoir a few years ago, I was fortunate to have the same cooperation from my surviving siblings that Meg enjoyed. It goes a long way.
988 now available in American Sign Language
A big victory for accessibility this week as the crisis line makes a welcome step.
The ASL services launched Friday and will be available for callers who are deaf, deaf-blind or hard of hearing using a videophone – a device used by deaf and blind people that transmits video as well as audio. These callers can now be connected to a 988 Lifeline counselor trained in ASL by clicking on the “ASL Now” button on 988lifeline.org and following the prompts.
Direct dialing to 988 from a videophone will be available in the coming weeks, but for now, ASL users can call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) from their videophone to reach ASL services, the HHS says.
You are not lazy
There’s a school of thought that laziness doesn’t really exist. That the term is more of a bit of lazy shaming than a useful way of looking at not accomplishing a given task. So if a student does not turn in a paper on time, we could say, “Oh they’re lazy,” which is a kind of blanket condemnation, or we could look to an energy deficit, a problem with executive functioning, or a mood problem. In other words, you focus on what can be done about a situation rather than attacking the person who has something wrong going on.
Psychology Today has some advice on reframing the “laziness” issue.
2. Lost Motivation/Sense of Direction
Maybe there doesn't seem to be a point to what you are trying to do. You go to work every day at a job that has lost its glimmer. You've lost sight of your values and goals. You feel adrift.
What You Can Do
Knowing where you are headed, and what values you have is essential for life to feel meaningful. It's very normal to lose sight of these things at times. This may be a good time to reach outside yourself. Talking with a friend, mentor, teacher, spiritual leader, or therapist can help you remember what matters to you. Journaling on what matters to you, writing about what legacy you hope to leave, and/or doing things you enjoyed when you were younger are also ways to get back to you.
The kingfisher in slow motion
This is a pretty beautiful video if you’re a person who enjoys short nature videos but it’s a terrifying video if you’re a small fish. Lesson: don’t be a small fish.
Kristin Hersh this week on Sleeping with Celebrities
The life of a touring rock n’ roll musician can be very exciting. Fortunately, we leave the exciting parts out in our conversation with the deeply hilarious Kristin Hersh, from the bands Throwing Muses and 50-Foot Wave and a prolific solo career. Kristin, who has a brand new album out on Friday called Clear Pond Blue, takes us through the rock star life but focusing on sedate topics like trying to check in to hotel rooms a little bit early and the methodical nature of venue sound checks. Think of this episode as the opposite of a mosh pit. Or as a verbal lullaby.
oh, I'm so glad that there's been a public discussion around the topic of "laziness" lately. I used to feel really self conscious because my brain is a bit wonky and not always as productive as some of the folks around me. The reasons you list are great reminders of things to consider when I am feeling "lazy". :) Appreciate your work so much!