Meet Christina – Texas

In Texas, The Red Baroness carried our friends to the home of Christina Shaw. Christina welcomed us into her cozy living room and shared her stories and her truths about how to live a good life.

She sat with Corin and told us about her journey so far. Born Christina Marie Shaw, she talked about growing up in Groves, Texas and what her life has been like from then to now. Having had both challenging and uplifting experiences, just like you and me, she has come to a place of calm where all she wants to do is help others know that feeling.

Christina told us what it was like to go to a school where she never really felt like she was part of the group. She shared some very interesting stories with us from her military and nursing experiences to her personal and family relationships, giving us a glimpse into the events and experiences that have made her into the grateful, joyful, accepting person we see before us today.

Christina shared an event from childhood that left her feeling like an outsider. After being bullied when she was not at a point in her life where she felt she could defend herself, she instead turned to isolation. One interesting point she lightly addressed was how she missed out on social skills that come naturally with school interactions, as a result.

Today, kids are facing a major shift in what has been considered standard for as long as most of us can recall. You would go to school, make friends, have group associations and a best friend (or two). Prom would come, relationships, fights, make-ups, and eventually graduation, maybe off to college. But in this new time, all of these things have been at least temporarily altered or removed.

Christina talked about how her lack of exposure to some of these interactions left her without much of the social experience a person gains through these seemingly standard interactions. She noted that as an adult, she has had to find new ways to be social and learn what so many others have had mastered for some time.

This point is so important because it looks at the true outcome of isolation in youth, like what is inadvertently happening in our world right now. Retreating doesn’t always happen because of being bullied or feeling left out or different. Christina also pointed out that when you are on the outside that way, you develop keen observational skills from that different vantage point.

For her, these divides in life became much more obvious to her. She noticed that she didn’t have all the access to involvement that her peers were enjoying. Her family didn’t have the resources at hand to get her instruments and uniforms to do outside activities. She noted that she had a ditch in her front yard that she came to associate to her family’s social class.

In the Love America Tour interview with Jon, the knifemaker, Corin talked about how there can be an artist in each of us. He mentioned that there can be a variety of reasons someone may not develop an artistic side or hobby. One of those reasons he gave was the lack of exposure to artistic activities or inability to participate due to financial ability.

Christina is a prime example of this and she talks about how she is not an artist, but wishes she was. Although she does not create the street art styles like Corin does, she spends time doing puzzles and that is artistic behavior. She uses the activity to both calm her mind and soul, and to create.

This gives us a broader sense of the knowledge Corin shared in Jon’s interview. We all make art, we are all creative. All it takes is looking at ourselves and finding our passions to see where beauty is being made right in our lives every day. For Christina, the joy and peace she gets from the creative activities she does gives her that sustained calm that brings laughs and smiles long after the fact.

Christina eventually joined the military and has spent most of her life in nursing. She stepped away from that work after an incident that left her injured and spent. The time from that point on was filled with important introspection and personal discoveries about what it means to truly interact with others in life.

Her memory of that day is foggy. Some of the details had to be given to her by others because the nature of her injury left her unable to recall some of the event. One day working in a recovery facility, she was assaulted by a client who had become agitated after he experienced a challenging situation that left him emotional and uncontrolled. After this happened, she decided she was ready to take a break from the work she had done for so long. 

She also talked about how experiencing one event after another when her feelings and opinions were challenged, misinterpreted, and belittled, she came to a point where she was unlikely to express her truths. She struggled with depression and learned slowly but surely that accepting herself and having confidence in her beliefs was the only way to find peace within herself and move forward.

She watched as her father suffered when he lost his ability and opportunities to work. His struggle impressed upon her greatly and when she was older, she experienced some of the same emotions she saw him endure. She struggled with depression and took a long road to the point where she found inner acceptance and comfort.

Christina talked about how she held on to the incident from childhood and eventually confronted the family member behind it. When she learned they had no memory of being the catalyst of something so monumental to her, she realized that many people operate from a place of self, having little or no understanding of their impact on the world around them, and vice versa.

She found that we can go through life striving to be our best selves, but others will not always receive or perceive us as intended. Christina and Corin dug into the self-centered mindset and how to avoid living in that space, as well as how to manage interactions with those who do choose to stay there.

This brought Christina and Corin to their views on the importance of a personal sense of spirituality. Whether you are religious or not, finding the place where you feel centered is so helpful, and many believe necessary, in order to find peace and comfort through the trials of life. Whether it’s going to church or into the woods, finding a place where you can feel connected to something greater than yourself can act as a force that will bring you back from any surrender of personal power or control.

Over all this time, Christina has realized that she feels most at peace when she is within nature. She gets a spiritual sense of connection within herself and turns to nature as a reprieve when she is low or even just to celebrate when she is not. Both Christina and Corin acknowledge that there are times when it’s necessary and acceptable to have a breakdown.

For some, that can look like a mess, but for others, it’s a mere time to put all the thoughts back to better. “There’s beauty in the breakdown,” Christina quoted. Corin’s added that for him, it’s that unity of mind, body, and spirit that he takes time to focus on to get the balance back when he feels like something’s out of place. He noted that things build up sometimes and you just have to release that charge.

Christina had some final words of wisdom for us. One good piece of advice from her has been taken not just from her own life experiences, but also from witnessing the pain of loved ones and through her work. “Don’t let your personal demons get to you. It’s OK to visit with them awhile, but don’t take up residence with them.”

Corin added that “it’s always darkest before the dawn,” and Christina agreed. They point out to us that even though we feel challenged not to give in to those deeply emotional times, it is healthy to give respect to the feelings they bring. It’s about getting back from it that matters in the end. Revisit, but do not dwell.

When asked what she wanted for herself and for the world, her response was simple- peace. She elaborated on that, reminding us that what we must remember is how our state of being affects our world around us. “If you’re doing something you don’t like, you’re going to be miserable. It’s going to seep out into everything.” 

“Find something that you love doing and be happy with that. Don’t settle for anything less than happy.” Corin agreed wholeheartedly and the monumental goal of The Love America Tour was achieved once again. Here lie our differences, laid to rest by the stories of our similarities. Brought to you in part by your new friend, Christina.