Caring For Yourself

Lazing In A Summer Hammock

June 18th, 2015
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Summer is my very favorite time of year.

I love the food.  I love the clothes.  I love the attitude of summer.

And believe me when I tell you that I even love the hot temperatures of summer.

I feel more alive in the summer and love the healing spirit of being outdoors on the longer days.

hammock

 

Summer’s amazing long days were brought to my mind yesterday morning as I listened to NPR.

Garrison Keillor’s The Writer’s Almanac came on and that made me feel better right away.  He is the American author, storyteller and creator/host of the hugely … Read More

A Letter to Hallie Biden

June 11th, 2015
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Beau Biden and his family:                                                 Wife Hallie Biden (Left) Daughter Natalie (Middle) and Son Hunter (Right).                                                 Special to The News Journal/SAQUAN STIMPSON Dearest Hallie: We have never met but my thoughts are with you this morning. Please accept my sincerest condolences upon the death of your beloved husband, Beau Biden.  His funeral this past Saturday was touching and heartbreaking and by allowing his Mass to be aired on television, you gave others the opportunity to grieve with you and also to draw strength from the open and emotional manner in which the Biden family gracefully handled the heartbreak of Beau’s… Read More

A New Look For Cry Laugh Heal

June 3rd, 2015
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  Hello! I am beyond excited for you to finally see the makeover of Cry Laugh Heal. It has been in the works for months and after a lot of hard work it feels wonderful to finally reveal it live and in living color. This remake comes about because I wanted a fresher, more polished look for Cry Laugh Heal.  One that would continue to contain personal thoughts about the explosive changes and quiet moments of desperation that can happen when a loved dies but also to give others who are grieving and trying to figure out how to get… Read More

Ways of Encouragement

May 21st, 2015
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You’re having a day. Guess what?  So am I! Let’s join each other in encouragement. We know it’s hard.  It’s stressful and sometimes it’s even lonely and painful. And yet I know I don’t want to give up.  And I know you don’t want to either.  Because right around that corner or even the next time we try to go at a problem and process those feelings of frustration, there is the possibility that it could go away. Right? What is the purpose of always being in a position of trying to solve something?  Sometimes I’m not sure.  Sometimes, I… Read More

Monday Calm & Renewal

May 18th, 2015
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It’s Monday.  I know.  I hear myself joining you in a collective groan. But instead of immediately thinking of all the things I need to accomplish this week, I am going to pause.  And breathe.  Deeply.  Closing my eyes again (not to go back to sleep) and letting my neck slowly drop as I breathe in and remain still. I am determined not to be in a hurry.  I don’t want to rush and I don’t want to be late but I also need to fill my emotional reserves with a feeling of inner calm before I tackle a new… Read More

Those Confounding Gremlins

April 10th, 2015
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Off and on for about the last month, I have had what the awesome Dr. Brene Brown (author of the New York Times bestselling book Daring Greatly) calls “gremlins” in my head, talking to me in a way that makes me occasionally question the validity of some of my decisions and personal projects. You know those gremlins.  The inner voices which can cause you to second guess what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.  Or they make you feel uncomfortable or afraid about life in general.  Sometimes I let the gremlins in and sometimes I don’t.  I try really… Read More

Hooray! The Cake is Gone!

April 7th, 2015
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While cleaning up my kitchen from a family Easter party, the leftovers were talking to me.  Specifically, a delicious cake in the shape of an Easter Egg that a guest had brought from a local eatery called Wagshal’s.  I couldn’t resist and as I stood there with a fork in hand pushing away the icing and eating only the cake, I knew that this was not a good thing to be doing.  But I didn’t care. I was feeling stressed and I wanted immediate relief.  And I got it.  After about four or five bites, I got mad at myself… Read More

Make It Work

April 3rd, 2015
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I love Tim Gunn.  What I especially love about Tim Gunn is that he is oh so comfortable in his own skin and doesn’t try to be anybody other than himself. Gunn, the co-host and breakout star of Lifetime TV’s, Project Runway, is an endearing combination of someone who personally is pinned down and pulled together yet works in and respects the loose and push-the-envelope atmosphere of creativity and artistry that comes with the long running cable television series where fashion trends are sometimes born. Gunn recently came on my radar screen when a good friend posted an interview he… Read More

Balancing Our Busy Brain

March 30th, 2015
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Hey there! It’s Monday morning already! Wherever did the weekend go?  It’s not as if I didn’t make myself productive because I did.  It just amazes me the speed with which Saturday and Sunday seems to fly by. I did learn something new this weekend that I would love to share with you.  During my yoga class on Saturday morning, my teacher talked about how doing new things makes our brain smarter.  Okay maybe you already knew this but I didn’t so please indulge me a bit because I think this is really interesting. Now I’m not a scientist, and… Read More