I'm fortunate to have many friends; some since childhood, some from the workplace who've remained in my life beyond the job, some through our common passions of dancing and writing. At times, I've felt I didn't need to make any new friendships because I barely find the time to maintain the ones I have. But … Continue reading Friends for This Season
Just Show Up
Last Thursday night, my energy was low after a day of record-breaking 100 degree heat, a full-on attack of fall allergies, and a couple of nights of disrupted sleep. I could barely summon the energy to go to my Texas 2-Step class, an activity I added to 'cultivate pleasure' as my friend had suggested to … Continue reading Just Show Up
Live Boldly!
This past week I was nostalgic, thinking of the last week of September in 2017 when I was in Iona, Scotland. Each day I've remembered what our group of forty retreat participants were doing. There are things that I learned there that have stayed with me. That Saturday before we checked in at the Abbey, … Continue reading Live Boldly!
Anxiety to Gratitude: Making a Switch
Last Monday night, I left the therapy session feeling satisfied that I'd said what I needed to say and realizing that those sessions aren't for the faint of heart. There have been plenty of times when I would have benefitted from a therapist, a trained professional that would've helped me sort out my life; but … Continue reading Anxiety to Gratitude: Making a Switch
Serendipitous Friend: Treasure from Iona
Over the past few days, I've felt a longing for Iona, Scotland. It has been two years since I traveled there on my Solo Journey, the first to an international pilgrimage site. I chose that island located in the Inner Hebrides to attend a week at The Abbey. There I joined forty other participants in … Continue reading Serendipitous Friend: Treasure from Iona
No Limits: “I Did It!”
My grandson Baker is 16 months old. For him, the world is a wide-open classroom of exploration. He’s as interested in how to use a screwdriver to put batteries in his toy as he is in the smell of a flower. Everything fascinates him. He hasn't lived long enough to put limits on himself, to … Continue reading No Limits: “I Did It!”
Rays of Hope
It’s been four months since I learned my marriage would be ending. I look back on all the initial steps through each phase of the grief process. I know that grief is not ‘one and done’ that when we lose something or someone of importance, we work through that for a long time. While you … Continue reading Rays of Hope
Advice from a Sage: Cultivate Pleasure
Months before my retirement from school nursing, I sought counsel from my friend Jennifer. She'd retired from teaching and had a couple of years on that journey into her next chapter. She'd found her way from taking those first awkward steps to arriving at her new life. I shared with her my plans that included … Continue reading Advice from a Sage: Cultivate Pleasure
Sidetracked Dreams: Getting Back on Track
A year ago, I was working on the edits to my memoir including writing the preface. I thought a long while about what I would say in that opening portion of my memoir, how I wanted to speak to my readers. The paragraph that I 'sat with' for a long time was worded like this … Continue reading Sidetracked Dreams: Getting Back on Track
It’s Still About the Future
This week has been a time of reflection. Monday was supposed to be my 41st wedding anniversary. Instead, it marked the sixth week of separation from my husband. I'd dreaded that day, knowing the reality of it all would hit on that observance that was just ours as a couple-- not a family holiday or … Continue reading It’s Still About the Future
