What I Hope to Share…
Welcome to “Whole Notes,” the blog of Dr. Karen Hurula. I’m excited you are here and I want to explain just a bit of what I hope to share with you in this space.
I have been dreaming of and planning this blog for several years now and I am completely thrilled to finally be ready to launch it, so for this first blog I think I will introduce myself and explain why I am blogging and how I got to this point.
My name is Karen, but I am not a “Karen,” I have never asked to speak to the manager, LOL. I am a psychologist with a deep interest in Christian theology and faith. I am the product of pastor/missionary parents, pastor grandparents and some of my great grandparents as well. I am well steeped in the Western, evangelical church. I am bilingual in Spanish and speak a little French and Italian, I was raised primarily in Mexico City, although born in Puerto Rico. As I high school senior I was told I wasn’t smart enough for graduate school so I shouldn’t dream of being a psychologist, my only regret is how long I believed that lie. I believe God called me as a psychologist to the church, specifically church leaders, who I have seen first-hand not practice good self-care, and not speak well of emotions and mental health. Much of my speaking ministry has been focused on self-care that is based in Biblical values, embracing our emotional lives as equally bearing God’s image and able to be fully redeemed by God, and addressing mental health and illness openly and honestly. I believe we in the church can do better and need to do better than we have in this area of our lives.
So why blog? Well, let’s see, I have a lot of thoughts. I mean, lots and lots of thoughts. When I work as a therapist, I mostly listen, and ask probing and reflective questions, but I share much less than I do in normal conversations. Throughout my day I encounter lots of situations that I have thoughts about, sometimes I can express them, sometimes I cannot, but I usually benefit from spending more time reflecting on my thoughts. So, I have decided to write them down.
Today I want to talk about fun. Do you struggle to have fun? I do. I don’t actually consider myself a fun person. Maybe you do see yourself as a fun person. Maybe setting aside your responsibilities for a bit, so that you can have some fun is something you regularly do. If so, congratulations! I think you have won half the battle. Lately the pressures of work and the realities of this pandemic world we are living in, have got me prioritizing more fun. And I am learning how much it helps me manage the stress in life I cannot control. Mind you, others looking at me, may still not see me as fun. I have never planned a practical joke, or a big surprise trip, or let my kids slime me. If those are your ideas of fun, bless, we need you and your version of fun too! No, I have simply played board games more frequently, something I usually don’t think I’ll enjoy, but I have. I have engaged in past and new hobbies, mostly surrounding crafts and floral arrangements. This week I signed up for some golf lessons and clinics. I’ve been saying I wanted golf lessons for years, so I just signed up for some, “FORE!” anyone?
God never intended us to be 24/7 workhorses. In fact, quite the opposite, God made it very clear that we are to rest each week. God’s plan for a weekly Sabbath is for a lot of things, which I will write about more in future posts, but fun and “re-creation” are part of it. If it’s been a while since you’ve had some fun, I challenge you to look at your upcoming week and look for times you can devote to fun! I’d love to hear what you come up with.
– Karen