It has been a while since I've posted, which has been filled with the end of school, a trip of epic proportions (18 states in 20 days), moving to a new city, and finally starting my first clinical rotation at MUSC in Charleston, SC!
I have a significant obsession with The Hunger Games. And for some reason it became the first thing I would read between semesters, so I've read the series four times now. I've been joking about how to make the Hunger Games themselves into an occupational therapy intervention, and while I haven't solved that yet (any ideas, friends?), in this last reading of it I did make a connection between the characters + the importance of occupations + nature, which I would like to share with you all.
If you have never read the books and don't like to know anything at all about the story prior to doing so, there are some SMALL SPOILERS ahead, from book three.
You were warned.
In Mockingjay, Katniss finds herself living underground, recovering from a myriad of psychosocial and physical problems. What's worse, District 13, where she is currently residing, is structured so heavily that residents only have a half hour of free time a day, not nearly enough to engage in play and leisure activities that are critical for emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Now, Katniss, despite being so young knows herself well and recognizes that the best way for her to be able to recover is by spending time outside, partially for hunting. When she gets the opportunity, she makes that part of her deal with the administration. What's more, she convinces them that allowing her sister's cat to remain with them is also necessary. (And when everyone is stuck underground, playing with the cat relieves the tension for everyone.)
What's rather funny is that while I was considering composing this post, I came across this interesting article from NPR entitled To Rehabilitate Young Vets, Go Hunting, which is about having injured vets hunting in the woods and the impact that it has on those soldiers.
Sound familiar?
