Living Your Life

Movement As Medicine

July 5th, 2013
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When I spend too much time in front of the computer or television I don’t feel right.
I don’t feel as if my body and mind are working together as they were designed to do, and when this happens I know it’s a signal for me to get up off my inactive butt and do something physical.
As in get the heart pumping and break a sweat.
It doesn’t matter what you do, just get up and move.  Exercise anywhere and everywhere.
Exercise is a gift you give yourself because it can reduce anxiety, clear toxins from your system and … Read More

Happy Birthday America!

July 4th, 2013
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Parades, picnics, cookouts, and the day off from work.  These are just some of the ways we as Americans celebrate the Fourth of July, a day set aside to mark and remember when the United States first declared its independence from Great Britian in 1776! Tonight, in the nation’s capital, there will be a spectacular display of fireworks, and I’m sure it will be just as dazzling as it was last year.  It truly is a special event! Photo Courtesy of Associated Press Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope you have a great day today.  I… Read More

Preventing Burnout

July 3rd, 2013
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Holidays are the best!  They always seem to arrive at the right time, just when we need a break from our daily routines.  Just when we need time out to relax and recharge. Holidays help us take a break, both mentally and physically, from the responsibilities we carry out every day. I intend to sleep in, exercise more, hang out with friends, and read.  I do all of these things on a regular basis but holidays allow me to do them for longer, uninterrupted periods of time.  And I can do them spontaneously which adds to the fun. Holidays also… Read More

Road Trip — Traveling Alone

June 27th, 2013
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I was chatting with one of my friends recently and catching up with the happenings in her life.  We hadn’t spoken for a few months so there was a lot to talk about.  Her husband died about three years ago and she was telling me about the adjustments and bumps in the road that her new life was presenting for her. One big issue was vacation. Sounds great, right?  Easy, right? Just do it, right? Welllllll, it’s not as easy as it sounds if you are still getting used to the idea that you are doing things by yourself.  She… Read More

Live and Let Live

June 17th, 2013
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Street Sense is a small newspaper which is sold on the streets of Washington, DC by men and women who are working their way out of being homeless.  Some, but not all of the people selling the newspaper, have been to rehabilitation for drugs or alcohol. These are people working hard to develop resilience in themselves, to bounce back from hard times, and put themselves out there once again to start once again to rebuild their lives.  To me, they are all about the spirit of hope. The Street Sense vendors are always friendly and easy to talk to.  They… Read More

Strawberry Fields Forever

June 14th, 2013
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Once you have tasted a juicy strawberry, fresh, fresh, fresh from the local farm where it was grown, you will never want to eat another one of those grocery store strawberries (that are white inside) ever again. For the second week in a row, strawberries were the star yesterday at the FRESH Farm Farmer’s Market near the White House.  Beautiful, red, ripe strawberries were lined up in a row just waiting to be bought and eaten.   Photo Courtesy of FRESH Farm Markets I bought a huge amount of strawberries last week and so did a friend of mine from… Read More

Embrace Your Journey

June 13th, 2013
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“Embrace Your Journey.” You may have wondered why that phrase is listed at the top of my blog underneath the title, “Cry, Laugh, Heal. “ “Embrace Your Journey” is something called a tagline, a phrase to give you — my fantastic, wonderful and supportive readers — a heads up about the things that I’m going to write about.  Things that have helped me to slowly but surely work my way through the loss of my husband, learn to be both mother and father to a young son and develop resilience.  “Embrace Your Journey” helps me to set a tone of… Read More

Renewing Friendships

June 12th, 2013
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Academy of the Holy Cross Yearbook 1972 Making friends for the world to see Let the people know you got what you need            ~ Elton John Over the weekend, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to catch up and renew friendships with two women who went to high school with me. Both women are incredibly talented and very smart: one is an internationally respected sculptor and the other is a retired teacher/photographer. They both look great and we easily fell back into conversation about our lives since high school graduation which was (unbelievably!) many decades ago. We lost… Read More

Life’s Garden of Loved Ones

June 11th, 2013
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Two tropical storms have moved through the Washington, DC area recently and we are getting more than our usual dose of rain.  Not complaining because I like the rain.  It’s good for our gardens and everything feels clean after a good downpour. This summer I am trying to pay more attention to the plants in my yard which I guess I think of as my garden even though they are not all planted in one contained space.  I planted some lettuce, rosemary and basil along with geraniums and marigolds.  Watching things grow is hopeful! As you wake-up and embrace today’s… Read More