Version XI: May updates
Pairing images with wisdom cards, photo gallery updates, a new book
Hello, dear people,
Here is your monthly ping re: Canyon Oak updates. I’m arriving with them a couple days later than usual; life has been full! Both Taha and I had real events happening in our lives, and I’m leaning into a philosophy that generally favors in-person events/timelines/community over digital ones. Both are important and have their role in community-building, but for me the digital ones are best fit around the in-person ones (rather than the other way around).
I’m excited about this month’s tidbits:
I’m experimenting with pairing images with wisdom cards, and I’M LOVING IT! This month, I started asking wisdom donors to share one or more images that represent joy, preferably self-created (i.e. a photograph they took themselves or a drawing they created). I am staying away from head shots and generic stock photos/images. Personal self-expression!!
If you have donated wisdom in the past, look out for an e-mail from me asking if you want to add an image, images, and/or web links to your card.
Visit the Wisdom page to enjoy wisdom and images from Hans Duvefelt and Gabe Charbonneau. Sneak peek below:
“Horses are magical… you can’t be tense in a 10’ x 10‘ stall with [a] thousand pound animal of prey with reflexes faster than you. You have to leave your stress behind entering/sharing space with them. People sometimes ask me if it isn’t expensive to have horses, and I’d say I don’t need to go to a gym because of all the work I do with them and for them, and it’s cheaper than psychotherapy.” - Hans Duvefelt
“One persistent and harmful misconception is that family medicine or primary care is somehow a ‘lesser’ specialty — that it’s a backup for people who didn’t match into something else, or that it lacks status or pay. I couldn’t disagree more. Some of the smartest, most intellectually curious people I know are in primary care. Being a great generalist takes real brainpower and adaptability. I’ve been in rural primary care for 12 years now, and I love it. Sure, I could’ve gone into something with more prestige or a bigger paycheck, but this is the work that fills my cup. I knew I wanted to do this before med school, and I’m glad I didn’t let the competitive culture or peer pressure steer me away from it. Choose what speaks to your heart — it’s your life.” - Gabe Charbonneau
I’ve added some images to our Community Gallery to continue documenting our progress. Carlita Shen donated photos of her garden. I couldn’t resist adding one to the gallery.
I want to draw particular attention to a new book written by one of our wisdom donors. Elephant by Gillian Shirreffs is being released in June 2025. I posted the video preview in the Wisdom Collection>Stories & Experiences and am sharing it below as well.
On the Soul Page>Poetry, A Skeleton Walks into an Art Class, a poem by Matt Joseph, shared by Gabrielle VanSpeybroek
Summer internships: Like last year, I have posted an opportunity on the Tufts University alumni site. If you are a college undergraduate, medical student, or resident interested in working with and supporting us over the summer, please reach out (michelle@canyon-oak.org). I’m open to designing an opportunity that is symbiotic. :) Modest stipends are available thanks to generous donations from Tue & Quyen Nguyen and Ann Bui.
Here is an idea from one of our 2024 interns, Rebecca Moriarty: “One thought that comes to mind is … an internship focused on creating a creative piece — like a podcast, an art project, a vlog-style video, or a written piece — where a student could explore a question they have about community health or the healthcare system. They could use interviews, observations, research, and personal reflection to dive into it.”
I think that’s it! I’ll leave you with a photo of my mother picking up nails at our home site. Stem walls have been formed! More house updates to come.
With love,
Michelle