It’s National Nurses Week. This Typewriter Rodeo poem celebrates the people that are there to help in some of the happiest and most difficult periods of life.
Thanks
Poem For Doctors, Nurses, and Hospital Staff Everywhere
We always knew the roles of doctors and nurses were important. But, in the midst of a pandemic, they are being revealed even more as true heroes. That was the inspiration for this poem.
WWII Veterans
This Typewriter Rodeo poem came by request. If you have an idea for a poem, let Texas Standard know on social media or email TexasStandard@KUT.org.
Higher Ed: Be Grateful For The Frustration That Can Come With Learning. You’ll Learn From That, Too.
“Thank you” may not always be the words that come to mind when struggling through a difficult lesson or dealing with a mountain of homework in school. But in this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss the role that gratitude can play in learning and education.
Ed firmly believes that those two little words can play a big part in enhancing learning – especially when the going seems tough.
“What if that frustration actually ended up being kind of a positive? What if we became grateful for being frustrated, as a state?” asks Ed. “The truth is, I think that gratitude is such a powerful mindset to move us in a positive direction.”
Ed maintains that expressions of gratitude have a ripple effect on all manner of work in and out of school.
“If we can embrace gratitude and be thankful for any aspect of life or any aspect of one’s work, it uplifts us,” says Ed. “It allows us to be more creative, to be more innovative, to see things more clearly, [and] to look for opportunities and potential.”
For some people, expressing gratitude feels difficult. Ed understands where that comes from says the benefits are worth the effort.
“It’s a vulnerability, and we don’t like being vulnerable. We don’t like to put our feelings and our heart on our sleeves,” says Ed. “But, we have to remember that we are human. To embrace our humanity is a great gift to ourselves and to others. And one way to embrace our humanity is to show appreciation and to express gratitude.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about the benefits of being grateful. And hopefully. you will be thankful for a new puzzler.
This episode was recorded on Oct. 22, 2019.
Thanksgiving (Rebroadcast)
For many of us, Thanksgiving means spending time with our families and carrying out traditions that we’ve practiced for years.
While it can be very stressful, messy, and challenging to spend time with family members you don’t see very often, it can also be a beautiful time of re-centering.
Traditions serve a psychological function. By repeating the same traditional activity with the same group of people over the years, we construct a chronological record of who we’ve been before – and who we are now. It’s a hidden way of staying in touch with the consistent elements of our identities, and it allows us to track ourselves as we develop and change.
Traditions give us an opportunity to become psychologically close to the person that we used to be in childhood, or adolescence – or even as recently as last year. And that’s something to be thankful for.
As always, Drs. Bob Duke and Art Markman are carving it up.
Carrie Fountain Reads W.S. Merwin
Poet and novelist Carrie Fountain reads W.S. Merwin‘s poem “Thanks” and talks with producer KUT’s Rebecca McInroy about how complicated it is to feel and show gratitude in a complex and troubled world.