Our lives shall
not be sweated from birth until life closes; Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses.
Our lives shall
not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses.
(James Oppenheim published in American Magazine in December 1911)
This line from a song I sometimes sing on International Women’s Day gained new meaning when I started to notice how service workers operated in the Downtown Eastside. They pay attention to the “bread” — the food, clothing, shelter that many residents look for so diligently, but also to the “roses” — enjoyable, sociable, mind-expanding activities that sooth the body and the soul. For example, at the LifeSkills Centre, people can come in for a meal, to do laundry or to get information — but they can also attend art classes, go on an outing or participate in a women’s wellness group. They are working to meet physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. By spirit, we do not mean promoting a particular religion, but “lifting the spirit.”
Karen: “It builds up my spirit when I come here and gives me a bit of time to myself before I go back out into the world.” (Focus Group #1)
This is also about “bringing the whole self into learning” (Horsman, 1998; Morrish et al., 2002) which we have found to be essential at WISH. Research participants had quite a bit to say about this. They participate enthusiastically in “Beauty Night” (where beauty and health practitioners provide free haircuts, facials, pedicures and massages), pajama parties and karaoke nights. They also talk about the need to heal and expand the mind:
Frances: To be healthier, I would like to see a peer help me get to psychotherapy.
Kayla: (Working in a group) allows me to broaden my own skills and abilities to a further spectrum than it currently is, to allow myself to learn more than I currently know at the present moment in my life, to remain open and not to shut down on the inside of what it is I’m wanting to learn to contribute to the group I’m in at the moment. (Focus Group written responses)
One woman even mentioned the focus group as an example of an activity that encourages thinking!