Therapeutic Collage

In the spring of 2016, I spent three days in the psych behavioral health ward at Franciscan Hospital in Dyer, Indiana. 

While I was there, we had a therapist that had a big load of magazines with her.  She asked us to cut out pictures from the magazines, then glue them to a large piece of paper to build a collage that represents our lives and feelings.  This is what I made.

·       The big red tool chest reminds me of the many times I worked hard at tending to my church building as a trustee. In fact, the church had (still has) a red tool chest much like the picture.  I selected the “fixer upper” header and the zip ties for the same reason.

·       The refrigerated fruits and vegetables remind me of my then-recent purchase and frequent use of a food dehydrator. I had used it on green beans, kiwis, oranges, apples, carrots, and more.

·       “Scottsdale Revisited” (along with the desert preserve above it) reminds me of my 2004 trip to Scottsdale, AZ to visit my uncle Dave Kalan. I spent a week there, and I really enjoyed it.

·       The subway picture reminds me of my several visits to Chicago’s Loop and north side. Over there I would often take the “El” train.

·       The Lindt chocolate bars are pretty self-explanatory. I liked buying those when they were on sale at Walgreens.

·       The Beef Taco Skillet recipe reminds me of the multiple times I prepared taco salad for potluck dinners & cookouts.

·       The couple hiking in the fall reminds me of the several trails I hiked recently, mostly at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Scott E. Davis

(December 2022)



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