"There are no letters after my name"

This past Christmas, the present on the top of my wish list was an art book discovered at the grand opening of the awesome Phoenix Art Supply up in Doylestown.  (Have to give Phoenix a plug – it’s awesome!)  While the book has zip to do with my areas of artistic dabbling, the artist-author makes an excellent point worth remembering  ~ there are advantages to not being trained.  

That was it, the sum total of why I wanted – and, god bless Santa John – received.  One spot-on thought.

Which reminds me of another quote, this one from the film, The King’s Speech.  The man who had transformed the stuttering Duke of York into the measured speaking King George VI is discovered to be uncredentialled.  

In the film, powers behind the throne put pressure on the fledgling king to ditch Lionel Logue & hire a fully qualified speech therapist.   

Lionel has a great, short speech that fits me as well as it did him.  He points out to the king that he never pretended to be a doctor – that assumption was the king’s.  He freely admits he has no letters after his name, then comes in for the killing point – all he has are his successes.

I have totally embraced that bit of scriptwriting as my own.  Was reminded of it & the quote from my Christmas book last night & this morning. 

Yesterday, I comforted a considerably younger friend who well trained in working with the elderly, particularly with ones dealing with dementia.  When I arrived to take a client out for the evening, he was emotionally worn out.  The client had seemed angry all afternoon, even mean.  What struck me was how, in discussing the older person, the young man used label after label.  Not surprising, as that is a lot of what training is about – identifying.  As he handed off the client to me, it struck me that his training is to identify, quantify & respond, while my background is all about relating.  To the person, not the condition. 

In that, my lack of training is an advantage.  There are an infinite number of things I can't do, lack any training in, and I avoid them like the plague.  In the area of relating, my lack of specialized training is, for me, an advantage.

Just a few minutes ago, I picked up a book – Virus of the Mind – to keep me company during breakfast.  (John had a long two days, is still sound asleep.)  

It’s a book I devoured years ago & learned a lot from, although I can’t give specifics.  (Good memory  about books that matter but very little recall as to specifics why.)  Leafing through its pages turned into an excellent reminder of how a lack of training can be a advantage, brought home how intentional lack of specialized training has always & forever been my peculiar style.  All thanks to flipping open the book to page 216, randomly hitting on Richard Brodie's musings on life purpose.  Abraham Maslow & Viktor Frankl brought to mind something I hadn't thought about in many years, brought out something I hadn't fully realized until that moment.

But more about that later.  Instead of having my breakfast, I came straight to the computer studio to dash off this posting.  My tummy it growling & I have a meeting in twenty minutes about my plans for public relations for Bryn Athyn Community Theater's production of the musical, The Secret Garden, in June.  Sorry to leave you dangling, but will continue later!