Category: mindfulness
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Means vs. Ends
I never regret taking time out of my day to write. Still, most days, I have to convince myself to do it. I don’t know exactly why I feel this way. Maybe it’s that writing is difficult. Or that I’m not sure what I might unearth while writing. Or that I fear I’ll fail in…
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Twenty Twenty Thrive
I’ve historically been the goal-setting type, excited about the fresh feeling of a new year. But as we welcome 2025, I don’t feel my usual level of enthusiasm. I’d typically read too much into that, trying to dissect the “why,” but I’ve decided to instead use one of my least favorite phrases: it is what…
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Auld Lang Syne-0ff
It’s been ten loooong days since I returned home from Scotland. While there, I saw more beauty than I could process. But part of what made the trip so lovely was something very simple: my lack of connectivity. When John and I landed overseas, I turned off my mobile data, and, oh my gosh, was…
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Cuddle parties and self-care
Have you ever heard of a Cuddle Party? I’m not referring to my status when I’m on the couch in a pile of beagles. Instead, I’m talking about a capital-C Cuddle, capital-P Party, which is a term I recently learned while reading Melissa Febos’s book, Girlhood. Cuddle Parties were created to “promote and enable empowered…
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Say NO to the second arrow
I was recently leaving the library like the nerd I am. I always pull out of the parking lot slowly because the visibility isn’t great — shrubbery on one side and a sign on the other. As I edged out, I saw a woman approaching on the sidewalk, stroller and dog in tow. I reversed…
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Livin’ it up at the Death Café
When I imagine a café, I picture an atmosphere teeming with energy — pleasant smells, bits of conversation and laughter, an overall sense of coziness. But when I first heard the term “Death Café,” my brain needed a moment to process. I’d never heard those words in such close proximity and certainly not paired together.…
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Mental hodgepodge
You know how Jeopardy! has a “Hodgepodge” category? This post might be similar. Blogpodge? Sometimes I sit down to write with a specific idea in mind, and other times I figure it out as I go. Today there are several things bouncing around in my head, so I’m just gonna say ‘em. I have a…
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Me vs. Mind
My mind has always been my archnemesis. Right now we’re pretty civil, but that hasn’t always been the case. I remember sleepless childhood nights, consumed by worry about this and that. Add in adolescence and hormones and things only got worse. On the surface, life was relatively simple, but in my mind there were so…
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Give paws for thought
Meditation gets a bad rap sometimes. People view it as being too woo-woo or out there, shutting down at the mere mention of words like mindfulness, Zen, or spirituality. And if you’re one of those people, I get it. I used to be in that group, too. I considered meditation impractical and even a waste…
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Simple + Deliberate
I get totally jazzed about the start of a new year, and I don’t care who knows it. Does that mean I’ll actually stay up until the clock strikes midnight? Probably not. But I’ll be excited to wake up with that clean-slate feeling on January 1, 2023. Plus, it’s a good time to reflect on…
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Season’s Grievings
It’s the most wonderful time of year.* *but not for everyone I’ve intended to write this post for weeks now, but I’ve struggled with exactly what to say. I don’t want to go all BAH HUMBUG on the holidays, but it’s important to acknowledge that this time of year can feel particularly un-holly and un-jolly…
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No caveat(s) needed
Today, as I sat on a bench in the backyard, I was overcome with gratitude. I admired a happy Noodle, a beautiful sky, plants in bloom, and this amazing little house that is home to my soul. I wanted to live forever in that moment. Life felt damn near perfect. And though my life has…
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Breathe in gratitude
Today is one of the tougher grief milestones because it marks two years since Ramón’s cardiac arrest. My hope for today is that I can live mostly in a place of gratitude—thankful for the crisp morning air, the vibrant colors of spring, and the piece of extra sharp white cheddar cheese I just had for…
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Profess yo’self
Semester. There was a time I used that word frequently, but it faded into oblivion until the past several months. Before you think I’m going back to school, I’m not (though, dang, was I an amazing test taker). This semester I’ve gone back to college in a different way—as a visiting scholar. Basically, a visiting…
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FUN! WAS HAD
Friday night at around 7:30, I ventured out of the house to attend a wine stroll. I did, in fact, wine and stroll, and it was so much fun! I recently saw another fellow cancer despiser post online about a podcast episode titled ”FUN: What the hell is it and why do we need it?”…