St Thomas

If I were to ask you if you have a favorite scene from the movie The Wizard of Oz, what would come to mind? Flying monkeys? A melting witch? The Lollipop Guild? A singing scarecrow? Lions and tigers and bears, oh my? For me, it’s the scene where Toto pulls back the curtain and reveals that the previously fear-inducing Wizard of Oz is in truth just a frightened, insecure man, who at that very moment implores Dorothy and her companions to “pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.” I love that scene because I can so easily relate to it and because I reference it so often in the work I do as a marriage and family therapist. In the context of our closest relationships, when are we most likely to treat others rudely? I know for me, it is when I am feeling most vulnerable, insecure, and…

How would you respond if someone said to you, “I am taking pictures of things that I find beautiful, and I find you beautiful, so can I please take a picture of you”? A high school student ran a social experiment a few years ago and did this exact thing. She made a video of the reactions that the students and faculty at her high school had to hearing that they are beautiful. In the second half of the video, the student conducting the social experiment followed up telling people she finds them beautiful, with a question, “What’s one thing that you think is beautiful or unique about yourself?” You can find the link to her video at the bottom of this piece to see the variety of responses. The student running the experiment wondered why it is so uncomfortable for people to think of themselves as beautiful. After watching…