I am stirring my coffee this morning, trying to remember my affirmations I say daily to ward off evil spirits or just an unpleasant mood. Today, though, I am trying to focus on mindfulness as I recover from self-imposed compassion fatigue, or as the seasoned veterans call it, burnout. There were warning signs, I even … Continue reading Brave enough
Leaving work I contemplated muscle memory and how the body and subconscious remember dates long before our conscious mind does. I think of the hippocampus and wonder how my body feeling sore and achy remembered the last day I saw my daughter before I realized the date. I've been trying to get my near 50-year-old … Continue reading Tears from Heaven
Have you ever realized you have lived all your life and just realized the proper use of a tool long after everyone else? I have those moments a lot in life. When I realized you can pop a top off a bottle with just about anything, I was say...30. Joining TikTok has made me realize … Continue reading Ice, Ice, Baby
Chaos was what I was born into, I was born from two creative 60's parents, both amazing artists and musicians. They were barely out of their teens when Vietnam hit. Their parents were WWII pilots and heros that had lived through the depression before there was maternity leave, birth control, or anything related to mental … Continue reading Do What You Can Do
Permanence, until now I never realized the full gravity of something being permanent. We use a permanent marker to write our names on our children's clothing aa they head off to summer camp. Of course you can also scratch out the name, tear out a tag. You can cover it up with another name, make … Continue reading Permanent
The world is in a pandemic. Duh, you say. Well for some of us you are experiencing just a glimpse of what many people have already been feeing, fighting and struggling with. For two months now I have been struggling to figure out this weird emotion I have towards hearing people complain about not being … Continue reading Unconventional Times
When my husband and I were first married, we would daydream about where we would own a vacation home. Though I grew up in Ohio, I was an ocean girl. I used to joke that I moved as far away from the Midwest as possible until I hit the ocean. I moved to California to … Continue reading Emotional Tides
Before the pandemic hit our doorsteps a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to Seattle and stay with my friend's family. I wanted to show my exchange student from the Netherlands our sister city. My friend's cousin, Katie has a daughter Sam. (The names are altered here for privacy.) I knew … Continue reading Silent Superheros
A few days ago I kept daydreaming about my birthday. I could go away for the night with my husband, maybe I could once again meet up at a nearby wine bar with my girlfriends. I thought about getting my hair done or eyebrows, but when the day came I found myself in a puddle … Continue reading Pitfalls of Celebration
My youngest daughter, while walking out the door today said she was quitting her internship at the local NAMI art therapy position. I asked why? I thought it was a good fit? She went on to tell me how her instructor for the internship had told her that her losing her sister was meant … Continue reading Things Not to Say…
Raven and Roses 