We've all heard the saying that the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. If you've every tried to tackle a very large task or project or enrolled in a very long program, you know what I mean. It can seem daunting and impossible when you look at something large that … Continue reading Tiny Bites/Surviving
When were we programmed to be rescued? I thought about the concept recently when a guy my daughter went on a date with said he thought it wouldn’t work out because going on a date didn’t make him feel better. The comment bothered me, like why is it someone else’s responsibility to make us feel … Continue reading When were we programmed to be rescued?
ASK THE STORY I listened to the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) tell another bad Dad joke as I finished getting ready for our next surgery. I always wondered if his sometimes bad or dark humor, he vacillated between the two, was his natural personality or if the death of his brother many years ago … Continue reading Ask the Story
This week, my friend asked me over text, what brings you Calm and Peace? Joy? What fills your cup? My first negative thought was nothing brings me Joy, do I have Joy? How can I have Joy ever again? I moved on to the next item on her list, Joy wasn't easy to dissect. Calm? … Continue reading To Reconcile with Loss
As I stood to leave the small well-lit loft of the nearby community center, I felt somewhat convicted that I needed to do the one thing I never wanted to do. Publicly run a grief group. I looked around the room as people slowly trickled through the door, grabbing a cookie for the road that … Continue reading November Chill
Standing in the kitchen eating the entire thawed holiday loaf of ginger bread tears clouded my eyes. I had reasons to feel depressed but that wasn’t at the forefront of my mind this morning. Why did I feel so lethargic? Was it the worry of my daughter in college moving out and not being able … Continue reading Crack in the Wall
Walking along the old Hood River highway, I drank in the prehistoric beauty of the Columbia River Gorge. The deep ancient carved rocks whispering stories of sharp brutal winds and rising turbulent waters from the Columbia River. The early morning was unusually warm and sunny unlike most days where fog and precipitation blanketed the sleepy … Continue reading Grief and Perspective
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
I recently went to Bend, Oregon with a friend to a concert. It's about 4 hours away depending how fast you drive. My walking partner, also my concert partner, couldn't allow us to leave Bend without going on a short hike. At breakfast we asked some locals for advice on a small hike in the … Continue reading Regrowth
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
Raven and Roses 