Who Was Jacqueline Kennedy? by Bonnie Bader

 Who Was Jacqueline Kennedy? – a world famous fashion figure and a beloved First Lady of the United States. As the first lady of the United States, she combined her love for arts and culture, which led to the White House restoration into historical site, and improving the global standing during the volatile time of Cold War.

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (1929-1994) was born in Southampton, New York, to the wealthy family. However, the 1929 stock market crash reduced family’s wealth substantially.

From childhood, she loved reading. She was more like her mother, shy and loved horses. Her younger sister was more like her father, outgoing and daring. Their parents split when the girls were still very young, and mother remarried in 1942.

Throughout her young years, Jackie continued to withdraw. She preferred reading and writing poetry over socializing with friends.

At boarding school, she became editor of the school newspaper.

She wasn’t interested in becoming a housewife. She continued her education at Vassar College. After her freshman year, she took a trip to Paris during the summer time. She fell in love with Paris so much that she returned to Paris to study there during her junior year.

In order to be close to her family, she spent her final year of college at George Washington University in Washington, DC.

After college, Jackie was determined to find an interesting job. Her first job was at the Washington-Times-Herald newspaper answering phones and filing papers. Then, she became an Inquiring Photographer.

At a dinner party, she met John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a congressman from Massachusetts. When he proposed, she wasn’t sure if she should say yes as they both were very independent. He was twelve years older. She didn’t want her life to be taken over by politics. Eventually, they got married in 1953.

She wanted to be a supportive wife. Thus, she took a course in American history at university. She helped him in preparing speeches. But with time, she realized that this wasn’t her passion. She loved culture and arts. Jack’s passion was only politics. They started growing apart.

However, when he ran for presidency, she was very involved. The crowds loved her. When Jack won, she was only thirty-one years old.

She accompanied the new president on trips to many countries. The crowds were wowed by her elegance, beauty and intelligence. She proved to be an excellent First Lady and becoming a superstar.

As a lover of art, Jackie convinced the government to make the White House a national museum. She studied the building’s history and found treasures in dusty closets, attic and basement. She persuaded famous artists to donate paintings and worked with a gardener to redesign the Rose Garden. To help with the upkeep, she wrote a book and the money goes to the fund she set up.

She had an even bigger dream to create a cultural center in the capital. Again, she raised money and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opened in September 8, 1971.

She also focused on her children. She wanted Caroline and John to have a normal childhood as possible.

After assassination of Jack in 1963, she moved to New York City where she helped her brother-in-law, Bobby Kennedy run for a Senate seat and he won the election.

Meanwhile, she became close with Aristotle Onassis whom she had met a few years earlier. He was twenty years older. Her family objected to this union. However, after Bobby Kennedy was shot, Jackie turned to Onassis who provided her with security.

They married in 1968 on his private island in Greece. Many objected to this marriage including his two children from his previous marriage who didn’t attend the wedding. It was a short marriage and not a happy one. Ari died in 1975.

In 1975, she became an editor and it was a position she loved.

In 1994, she died of cancer.

This biography exemplifies a woman who loved her independence as much as she loved arts and culture. She didn’t follow the cultural norms of her time. But when she decided to get married, she put her best effort to support her husband. In doing so, she realized that she also had to stay true to herself and went back to what she loved the most, arts and culture. She learned that she could do both follow her passion and serve the humanity along her husband’s mission.

Source: Penguin Workshop, 2016

 

 

  

TRENDING INSPIRATION: "Every moment one lives is different from the other. The good, the bad, hardship, the joy, the tragedy, love, and happiness are all interwoven into one single, indescribable whole that is called life. You cannot separate the good from the bad." – Jackie Kennedy

 

Traits:

·         She was shy as a child, and throughout her young years she continued to withdraw. She preferred reading and writing poetry over socializing with friends. – But this didn’t stop her from stepping into public spot as the First Lady.

·         At boarding school, she became editor of the school newspaper. – This was the job she got later in life after many experiences and loved this position the most.

·         Despite being shy, she wasn’t afraid of making bold decisions, and going outside the social norms of her time.

·         She fell in love with Paris during her summer trip after freshman year of college, so much that she returned to Paris to study there during her junior year. – She followed what made her excited about life. Many of us find excuses for not doing what excites us.

·         After college, Jackie was determined to find an interesting job - answering phones and filing papers may not sound exciting but for her it was more exciting than just getting married right after college.

·         When she met Jack Kennedy, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to get married. Once she did, she put her best effort into the marriage. – Through this experience she realized that she couldn’t follow her husband’s dreams as political arena wasn’t for her. She realized that she had to stay true to herself. Thus, she returned to art and culture. She learned that she could do both follow her passion and serve the humanity along her husband’s mission.

 

 

 

"I want to live my life, not record it." – Jackie Kennedy

 

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

 

The above words of Jackie Kennedy bring to mind the words of a holistic psychologist who says that we’re using subconscious mind 95% of the day – going back to Jackie’s words if you want to live your life you have to be conscious of what you’re doing every day. So far we’ve been conscious only 5%, the 95% is our recording.

 

 How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePera explores the aspect of Self-Healing – the holistic approach. These days more and more modern day doctors who were total sceptics of holistic approach, turn inward and toward it after personal experiences.

The same happened with science which has merged with spirituality after many physicists having their own experiences (out-of-body or seeing energy).

We’re entering a new age so called Golden Age (from duality to singularity).

In this book, the author shows how to recognize the core beliefs, identify conditioned thought patterns and tune into your own intuition in a process of reconnecting to your true Self.

Past experiences and traumas, from early childhood, have lasting impact on us and our relationships, believes, and behaviors – product of physiological stress responses stuck in the body.

Holistic psychology focuses on the mind, body, and soul in the service of rebalancing the body. Indigenous and Eastern cultures have fully understood and honored the connection.

There is an awakening happening right this moment. It’s no longer “faulty genes.” Now, it’s the groundbreaking discovery of epigenetics – the impact of our daily environment on our health (reconnecting with nature and cultivating your passions is very important).

1.      Healing is a daily event (develop a habit of doing something that brings you joy every day, even if it’s just 5 minutes). You must go inward to be healed.

2.      Many things are beyond our control, others are within our control.

3.      A lot of times, we cling to something that is familiar – as it makes us feel safe. Take small steps to try something new every day – even if it’s a different route home. A lot of times, fear gets in a way of us doing something new. Thus, start with small steps. Otherwise, we get discouraged quickly if we try a giant step. Don’t let fear get in your way of having a fulfilling life.

4.      Take responsibility for your mental wellness – it’s very empowering.

The Conscious Self – becoming aware – is a big part of this journey.

Most of the time, we run on autopilot, a primitive, or subconscious, part of our mind. When we’re using subconscious mind 95% of the day, then it’s hard to make any changes, because we like comfort zone. Thus, setting intentions is very important, and start with small ones, with something you know you can follow through. Otherwise, you’ll face resistance. Subconscious mind directs us into default mode. We’re comfortable with expected. We don’t like unexpected. Break free from the cycle.

The author goes deeper into explaining different traumas, mind-body healing practices, the power of belief, how to deal with your ego, boundaries and setting them, and emotional maturity.

For those into holistic approach, this is an excellent guidebook.

Who Was Edgar Allan Poe? by Jim Gigliotti

 Who Was Edgar Allan Poe? – One of the most original American writers of all time.

Edgar Poe (1809-1849) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. When he was two, his father left the family and soon after his mother developed tuberculosis and died.

Edgar and his sister, each were taken by a wealthy Virginia family and lived closed to each other. So they spent time together. Their older brother was taken by grandparents who lived in Baltimore. They saw him once or twice a year and constantly exchanged letters.

Edgar was sent to school when he was five years old. He was a good student and he was liked by other students. He was good at languages and science, but at his heart was poetry.

Edgar poked fun at the business world in his poems. Maybe because his foster father, John, wanted him to go into business. John didn’t know how to be a loving father. The warmth and love Edgar received came from his foster mother Fanny.

At seventeen, he began classes at University of Virginia. He quickly became popular among students as he entertained them with reciting poetry or telling stories he made up himself. But he lasted only one year there as his foster father refused to give him more money.

Edgar didn’t like working for his foster father. So he moved to Boston where he tried to make a living by writing. It didn’t go well, so he enlisted in the army. He quickly rose in the ranks to the highest rank. With the help of his foster father, he was admitted to the West Point, NY. However, he didn’t like the rigid life and got kicked out.

Before West Point, he already lost his foster mother to tuberculosis, and the fiasco with the West Point ended his contact with his foster father.

Nevertheless, he vowed to make a name for himself. He dropped his last name Allan – of his foster parents and used Poe – the last name he was born with.

In 1831, he moved to Baltimore where he reunited with his grandmother and brother.

During his time, not too many writers were successful to make a living by writing. He still insisted on joining those few. The same year, he published his poems thanks to the fellow cadets at West Point who covered the cost.

In 1833, he entered a competition at Baltimore newspaper and won both contests for a poem and a story. He began making a name for himself.

In 1835, he became an editor for a magazine in Richmond. The same year, his short story in science-fiction was printed in a magazine.

Meanwhile, he married his cousin Virginia and they had a happy marriage.

He became successful as editor but that left little time for his writing. So he left this position and moved to Philadelphia to concentrate on his writing.

In 1838, his first and only novel was published, but it didn’t receive good reviews. He preferred writing short stories, but they were not selling.

In 1839, he published a gothic story in a magazine which became very popular and made him famous. Despite that he was still struggling to make a living. Thus, he returned to work as editor and continued to write stories. He wrote the very first detective mystery which became very popular.

He never stayed long in one place. He switched jobs frequently, either he quit or was fired.

Virginia went through tuberculosis which killed his mother, foster mother and brother; seeing his wife going through the sickness made him depressed.

The decade of 1840s was one of the most successful of his life.

In 1845, The Raven made him a celebrity.

In 1847, Virginia died and it made him very depressed and took toll on him.

On October 3, 1849, he was found outside a tavern in Baltimore nearly unconscious. No one knows how he got there and what happened to him. He died four days later.

This biography exemplifies a man who stood steadfast in his dream of becoming a writer even if during his time only a small number of them were able to make a living as writers. He was a complex man, deeply scarred by losing his parents at a very young age. It was even more deepened by loses of the people dear to him, and it was always the same claim – tuberculosis. Later in his life, it did take toll on him as he was battling depression. Nevertheless, he achieved what he set to do, and became very well known for it. His life is also a great example of how we should be careful not to judge others, instead taking time to get to know another human being. 

Source: Penguin Workshop, 2022

 

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Keep searching for what brings you joy. Edgar Poe kept searching for what brought him joy to write and what resonated with readers.

  

 

 

Traits:

·         He was a good student but from young age poetry was at his heart.

·         He didn’t like any rigid structure which is typical for those who like the freedom of writing.

·         During his time, not too many writers were successful to make a living by writing. He still insisted on joining those few.

·         When he won a competition for a poem at Baltimore newspaper, he began to make a name for himself.

·         He became successful as editor but that left little time for his writing. So he was constantly changing jobs in order to do what fit him the best.

·         He tried different genres in writing: poetry, short story, novel, gothic until he found what fit him the best and became well-read

 

 

 “Men have called me mad; but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence.” – Edgar Allan Poe

 

 

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

There are different ways or tools leading to self-discovery. You have to find the one that resonates with you. It could be one of the ancient wisdoms or astrology or mediumship or something else. It doesn’t matter what it is as all roads lead to the same destination Oneness, understanding yourself as each of us is a unique expression of the same divine essence. The point is to seek your truth, ask questions, don’t rely on societal norms as that often mask the authentic you.  

 How to Be the Love You Seek: Break Cycles, Find Peace, and Heal Your Relationships by Nicole LePera

Relationships have always been essential to human survival. Yet they are often at the root of our deepest suffering. Our hearts crave relationships, but our nervous systems responds to threat and negativity because our nervous systems store all our past hurts and disappointments.

It’s not what we were told before - that it’s about compromise. Compromise leads to resentment. It’s about healing our past wounds.

Dr. LePera’s holistic approach to psychology, has attracted an international audience of millions, which offers a new path to healing our relationships.

She teaches how to recognize our unmet needs from our earliest relationships (parents, caregivers, friends) which create our current dysfunctional relationship patterns.

This last book of trilogy shows the way out of trauma bonds and into respectful and compassionate relationships.

There are no perfect partners or relationships. (We’ve been fed too many romantic relationships).
The important step is to turn inward: learning who we are, what made us the way we are, why are we reactive to certain scenarios.

Once you understand yourself, then you can shift to a fulfilling relationship. For some of us, it’s learning how to set boundaries and rejecting relationships with people who are just the takers. (If you’re familiar with how energy works. It all aligns. Meaning, we need to learn how to give and receive, and learn how to recognize just takers).

The author’s success is based on her own journey of discovery and healing, and how she went from a scientific mind, meaning a very academic, mechanistic outlook on the world – if it’s not scientifically proven, then it’s not real - to discovering soul and our connection to it through energetic field.

Despite becoming very successful, she felt consciously aware of how disconnected and unsure she felt about herself – who she was and what she wanted. Her journey began with realizing she didn’t share an emotional connection with her family, especially mom.

She used to say immediately yes to everyone, never considering her physical or emotional well-being, because she never wanted to come across as selfish.

She had to learn how to deal with uncomfortable feelings. For the first time, she saw that the most important relationship she had was with herself. She had to be honest with herself about her deepest needs and desires, breaking some of the conditioned habits.

We can be our authentic Self when we’re meeting our needs in three categories:
1. Physical needs: nourishing our body.
2. Emotional needs: to feel safe to express ourselves and to connect with and be supported by others.
3. Spiritual needs: connecting with our passion, purpose, creativity and imagination.

The author presents her shift, how she observed her own behavior and then reconnected with her soul which is the best testament to what she teaches about.

There is so much more in this book which is a wealth of wisdom.

She also talks about nervous system ladder composed of four groups: connector, distractor, pleaser, detacher.

She delves more into our nervous system containing Seven Conditioned Selves: caretaker, overachiever, underachiever, rescuer/protector, life of the party, yes person (people-pleaser), hero worshiper.

She explains how to use body consciousness to witness our emotions and how to align ourselves. Heart coherence occurs when brain, heart and emotions are aligned. Thus, leading to synchronicity.
She gives examples of breathing, grounding yourself in nature, and boundary setting.

For those into holistic approach, this is an excellent guidebook.