Allowing room for suffering

Allowing room for suffering

I have a good life. I have been blessed, and I am deeply grateful…I am. But lately I’ve been feeling out of sorts. There is so much uncertainty…pain…anger…suffering all around.  Okay, I know…all of life is uncertain, and no one escapes suffering…but everything feels magnified at the moment. A polarizing presidential election in the middle…

Take the grateful awareness challenge

Take the grateful awareness challenge

In this moment, I am full of gratitude… Gratitude for this computer I am typing on…what a marvel. It’s amazing to my unscientific mind that someone figured this out…created a computer when never there was one before. I am grateful for my fingers, the dexterity to move from key to key with relative ease. Grateful…

What to do when the proverbial well runs dry

What to do when the proverbial well runs dry

I’m baaack! I don’t know if you noticed I was absent last week, but I was.  My well had run dry. I needed a weekend laughing and talking with my sisters. I needed to celebrate my granddaughter’s birthday. I needed a week spent reading others blogs…soaking in their wisdom and wit without worrying about coming…

I release this…

I release this…

Breathe in. Breathe out. I cannot stop this virus from doing what it will do in the world. I cannot make another person wear a mask, practice social distancing, or wash their hands. I cannot stop another’s violence or unkind words. I cannot ensure that my children and grandchildren are safe and happy now and…

Why does time speed up as we age?

Why does time speed up as we age?

Time flies—and the older you get, the faster it flies. So I’d always been told by my older, wiser family members. They weren’t wrong.  I recently received a LinkedIn message congratulating me on 22 years of service with my current employer. What?!? That can’t be right. I considered myself “middle-aged” when I arrived for my…

Sometimes you find what you need

Sometimes you find what you need

So far, the year 2020 has not been what I expected.  We started January with my mother’s funeral. In March, we said goodbye to our beloved Charlie Dog. Also in March, we went on COVID-19 lockdown and experienced a 5.7 magnitude earthquake. April brought multiple aftershocks, some rather large. In May, we moved my mother-in-law…

Spring 2020 bucket list update #1

Spring 2020 bucket list update #1

We are finally firmly into spring. Mother Nature and I are on the same page! And I’m ready for the first update on my Spring Bucket List. Health & fitness 1. Join Sue for her 7-Day Eat Healthy for Life Challenge. After that, I’ll set some related goals to carry me through spring. I completed…

When to push and when to pull back

When to push and when to pull back

I went for a 3-mile run today. The weather was perfect—60 degrees F, sun shining, with a light breeze. My plan was to increase the distance between walk breaks and shave a couple of seconds off the pace from my last run.  About a mile in, I was out of breath and miserable. My first…

Spring 2020 bucket list

Spring 2020 bucket list

So we’re a month into spring, and I’ve finally gotten my stuff together enough to post a Spring Bucket List…even if it is a little light. Hey, it’s a kinder, gentler season. Health & fitness Join Sue for her 7-Day Eat Healthy for Life Challenge. After that, I’ll set some related goals to carry me…

My staycation is over…even if sheltering in place is not

My staycation is over…even if sheltering in place is not

If you’ve been on social media at all in the past month, you’ve seen the funny memes about COVID-19 weight gain.  I’ve enjoyed them as much as anyone—exaggerated as they are. Or are they? This week I was stunned to realize the struggle—for me at least—is real.  The time had come for a grocery run….