I started this blog while going through treatment for breast cancer – a time of much change. During that time my nephew shaved my head but left a strip of hair down the middle. I had the Mohawk for several weeks, until the chemo drugs caused all of my hair to fall out. Then for a year, I wore a baseball cap that once belonged to my dear friend, Angelo. The cap which had a pin attached reading “make art not war” kept my bald head warm during the cold days of winter and protected from the sun’s rays in the summer. And at times it helped me deal with feelings of vulnerability of being in public spaces with a shiny bald head, a symbol of uncertainty. Today, my hair is very short, spiky, and most recently pink. I change the color, basically different shades of red, every other month or so, to remind me of the impermanence and fragility of life.
I am presently retired from twenty years in higher education. I have been a sociology professor, the director of a community-based organization, a clerical worker, a housecleaning worker at an apartment complex in Colorado, and a housewife. I am a mother, grandmother, writer, artist, musician, therapist, and practicing Buddhist. I spend 10 hours a week in the local county jail making art and writing stories with the women who are incarcerated there. You can read about that work here.
My blog photo of the zen pond was taken while on a faculty development tour of China. Originally I had a photo of where I lived at the time of treatment. Since then I have moved to a new place. I want to eventually add more letters some from my past and some others have written to me. I like the peaceful feeling of this image and thought it reflected a sense of healing. Healing is the ultimate purpose of writing this blog, for me and I hope for others who find my writing and my experience helpful in their own struggles in making sense of their lives.
Namaste
Dr. Bonnie
Letters 