About Me

KarunaG

My name is Karuna and I was born in 1948.  I grew up as an “army brat”, traveling from place to place, for the most part moving every two to three years.  My family retired in Florida when I was in high school.  As soon as I graduated from high school, I headed to Seattle to go to college and have lived there ever since, except for one year in the 70’s.  I have Bachelors and Masters degrees in Nursing and have worked in hospital Labor and Delivery Room  and  Postpartum units.  I also was an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, and a Maternal Newborn Clinical Nurse Specialist at Swedish Hospital Medical Center in Seattle.   I married in 1971 and had two wonderful children, Sreejit in 1974 and Chaitanya in 1977.

 

My life took a profound change when I began my own personal therapy.  During those years, I worked through most of the anger, fear and sadness that had kept me tied to the past.  I, for the most part, stopped my obsessive thinking and my negative self talk.  I learned to parent myself and my children in healthy ways.

After finishing my own therapy, I started volunteering in our therapy community.  I loved my volunteer work much more than I liked my job, so did what it took to qualify to take the credentialing exams in Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing.  I began a private psychotherapy practice (www.karunapoole.com) and  have been doing that rewarding work ever since.  I love participating in clients’ journeys as they make their way to a full and abundant life.

My life took another major turn in 1989, when I met Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi), a world renowned humanitarian and spiritual leader.  At the time I met her, I had absolutely no interest in anything spiritual. I couldn’t understand why “Yes” came out of my mouth when a friend invited me to go to Amma’s Seattle programs.  My world changed that night.  Six weeks later, I attended Amma’s retreat in New Hampshire, and six months after that I was at her ashram in India.  I have traveled to India every year but two since then.

Amma and me

In the last few years I’ve developed additional major interests:  Litter pick up, cigarette butt pick up, gardening, vermi-composting (i.e. worms!), learning to read, write and eventually speak Sanskrit (संस्कृतं पठामि लिखामि च), and now this blog!

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For many years, I have focused much of my attention on watching for and learning the lessons life sends my way. I love the process of receiving and learning these lessons, whether they be very challenging or easy.  In this blog, I will share my own stories and reflections, past and present, usually taking into account both psychological and spiritual perspectives. My hope is that we will dialog with each other about living, learning and letting go.

210 thoughts on “About Me”

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  4. Hi.
    I’m really interested in your ‘about’ . I like your blog and your posts! I am also a blogger from wordpress, would you mind checking out my blog? http://www.storiesbysherry.wordpress.com

    P.S. I can’t believe you live in the 1900s! You and your family are sooo lucky! I was born in the 2000s, I’ve always dreamed of being born in the early years!
    Anyway, have fun reading my blog, and keep on writing your awesome posts!

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      1. I hope so too… You never know you may be inspired to read my book I’ve just published about the realization that there’s more to me and life that the five senses see… Have a lovely day Karuna, love Barbara x

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  8. Your story is very interesting. I started a spiritual journey about a year ago and it has profoundly changed my mindset. I also am looking to move to Seattle, from IL, one day. What about Seattle do you love the most?

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    1. What comes to my mind is that there is so much nature. Lots of green, lots of water. Not far away there are mountains. Depending on where you live it is multiracial and generally liberal. There are lots of opportunities here whether it be for work, entertainment, eating, etc.

      Have you ever visited Seattle? Where do you live now?

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      1. I live right outside of Chicago and have my whole life. I visited Seattle for the first time, last September, and fell so much in love with the city. Thank you for responding back!

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      2. I visited Seattle for a couple days in 1965 and decided the same. I moved from Florida to Seattle in 1966 and have lived here ever since except the one year after I graduated college when I lived in Oakland. (I went there because Boeing had gone on strike and Boeing wives went back to work. There were no jobs here for new nursing grads.)

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      4. When I moved here in the 60’s it was drippy rain most of the time….. Gray sky and misty rain. Weather has really changed. Last summer we had almost no rain and it was hotter than it has ever been. Now when it rains it often rains hard, which rarely happened in the 60’s. Generally Seattle stays fairly mild, rarely any snow at all.

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  9. Karuna
    As I read your about me page, I discovered we truly are kindred spirits. I graduated with a masters degree in nursing administration. But, I also spent nearly 10 years in labor & delivery and 3 years managing the adolescent pregnancy unit. Unfortunately, health took me out of musing in 1996.
    Blogging is therapy to me. My hats off to you for all you have accomplished. It was like reading another Eat, love, Pray story.

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  17. Hello! I have enjoyed reading your blog and getting to know you. I was nominated for the peer-generated Liebster Award and have decided to nominate you in return. Should you choose to accept, please click the following link to learn more: https://kinzieskritiques.wordpress.com/2016/04/05/kinzies-kritiques-liebster-award-2016/

    Not a problem if you would not like to accept at this time. I wanted to let you know that I enjoy your blog and would like others to learn more about your blog as well:)

    Liked by 2 people

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  21. I liked the article, and the main idea of your blog.
    I even age you, but another experience (born in a village in the middle of the underdeveloped mountain, I became a teacher university researcher …)
    I follow your blog
    Welcome écréations see my writings and in mine.

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  25. Lovely to meet you Karuna. I travelled to India in 2003 to see Sai Baba. I travelled onto Amma’s ashram and saw her there and at a temple inauguration in Cochin. I then went to visit the Tibetan community near Mysore. Amma has been to Ireland a number of times now but I felt I got so much in India, I did not feel a need to see her here. As of the future, I don’t know…

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    1. It sounds like you had quite a wonderful trip to India and special times with Amma. Yes, Amma has gone to Ireland quite a few times. I think she goes every other year although I’m not sure.

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      1. Yes, its funny I went all the way there to see her. I too had many synchronicities in India. Just started reading some of your posts. I have written my memoir that includes India and it will be published in November. Life changed dramatically after India! Look forward to reading more of your posts. Blessings.

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  27. I’m so happy to meet you through Song Lyric Sunday. I was born just a few years after you and grew up as a marine corps “brat.” Got a degree in psychology and worked for over thirty years as a substance abuse/mental health counselor in a non-profit agency. I LOVE nature and that spiral garden in the photo!

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  29. Your life story is pretty amazing and inspirational. It’s just awesome that you have been making an active effort to learn Sanskrit, not many people in the world can do that mind you, really appreciate your effort here.

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    1. While I still have a love of Sanskrit, I haven’t studied it for about a year. After five years of study, I still wasn’t able to make it to the end of the 1b level in Samskrita Bharati. I got discouraged with one class after another shooting past me.

      As you may know, many, if not most, of the Indian languages have Sanskrit as a base so the Indian students are able to develop a vocabulary fairly quickly. Not true of Western students, or at least not me.

      I don’t know if my time of studying Sanskrit is over or if I’m just taking a hiatus. For now, my energy is directed towards restoring the forest in the Greenbelt.

      Thanks so much for taking a look at my blog and commenting!

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      1. “As you may know, many, if not most, of the Indian languages have Sanskrit as a base”

        Well all the world’s languages have sanskrit as a base, the most close being the Indian languages. Other languages such as English, Spanish and other European languages branched out much earlier when there were first settlements in Europe. Yet still, you’re right when you say that it’s easier for us Indian people to pick up the vocabulary pretty easily. As a matter of fact, I studied Sanskrit as a language till the eighth grade. 😀

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      2. That’s true. I forgot that there is Sanskrit in English although I knew that at one point. My goal was to learn Sanskrit as a spoken language and I haven’t accomplished that, but I thoroughly enjoyed learning what I did learn and wouldn’t be surprised if I start again at some point.

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  34. I am glad I found your blog. I find it inspiring. I read ‘Getting to Joy’ a number of times over the years since 2003 and also found that so interesting and inspiring. Thanks for writing.

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    1. I’m glad you found my blog too. That is how I write now, rather than publishing books! Did you look at the India category? There you will find at least three years of writing about Amritapuri experiences! I think my style is very similar to when I wrote the books, i.e. that mixture of spirituality and psychology.

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  38. I was taken back almost a half century when I first saw a photo of you and your friends at the cannery in Fort Valley. I was a very young person then only 12. I remember when the third shift was added. My brother and I took turns working it. My father was the plant manager. Your shift foreman Lowry (not Larry) was his first cousin. I agree with you on the conditions there but would like clear some things, There were never any ten hour shifts unless you were my father who worked many double shifts. Any breakdowns in machinery that were that long, shifts were sent home. We also operated canneries in a small central Florida town “Okeechobee”. This community was mainly white and therefore most of the employee’s were also. Fort Valley is mainly African American and most of the cannery employee’s were Black. Getting on the first shift was simply being first in line at the beginning of the season, My first job there was cleaning rest rooms.
    The plant closed the next year due to Georgia Central Railroad freight train derailing into the plant, the plant was under pressure by the State of Georgia to come into compliance with new clean water regulations. I am sure that you were very honest in your personal experience but I don’t think things are always Black and White but mostly Grey. It was a blast from the past to read your story, I made the syrup and sent it to your “Closing Machine”. Just one more thing , the first shift pitting shed employee’s were almost all Black as they liked being in the open building environment. Hope we can meet some day.

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    1. Pardon my drastically overdue reply. It was such a surprise to read your comment last year. What’s the chance that the person whose father owned that Ft. Valley plant would read my blog? It was very interesting to read the things you wrote. I took the information I shared in the post from the journal I wrote that summer… fifty years ago!!! So I have no memories aside from that source.

      Thanks for commenting.

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    1. DhanyavAdaH Narayan. It was fun to get your comment. Some of the words I knew, some I looked up. And then I called my friend who was one of my Sanskrit teachers for help in putting it all together. Perhaps someday we will meet.

      I read your about page too. You’ve had such a full and fascinating life. And I read one of your stories. Having spent so much time in India, it was easy for me to picture!

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      1. The best part being you are connecting yourself with Sanskrit. There is almost nothing second to this, if one is living away from India/Bharat.
        Thank you, I hope you come back here soon and spend a lot more time to the places you had imagined. Delightful to read from you Karuna. My regards. Nara.

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      2. I studied Sanskrit for about five years. My goal was to learn to speak it. I made progress certainly but eventually gave up because I didn’t devote the time necessary to develop the vocabulary. I got discouraged experiencing class after class of Indian students zoom past me. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing the Devanagari again during my Covid stay at home experience. It will be interesting to discover where that leads!

        From: “Living, Learning and Letting Go” Reply-To: “comment+cyw_ckpbmk0bjlwwd69i_gkd@comment.wordpress.com” Date: Sunday, July 26, 2020 at 9:47 AM To: “livinglearningandlettinggo@gmail.com” Subject: [Living, Learning and Letting Go] Comment: “About Me”

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      3. 🙂 long time ago, one of my friends who used to be mocked at for her carelessness, inattentiveness, suddenly one day started saying, every one has their own pace, and most after that day left her be.
        Please carry one. Read it loudly when alone. Even i am work on it almost each night, telling myself one day i will start speaking it more than english 🙂

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      4. 😊 Thanks

        From: “Living, Learning and Letting Go”
        Reply-To: “comment+cyw_ckpbmk0bjlwi9f83qh5n@comment.wordpress.com”
        Date: Sunday, July 26, 2020 at 10:20 AM
        To: “livinglearningandlettinggo@gmail.com”
        Subject: [Living, Learning and Letting Go] Comment: “About Me”

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    1. Good to know that you are back. I do not post on my blog as much as I used to. You can find many posts from the past and sufficient from the present. Enjoy.

      Sent from my iPhone

      >

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