Memoir: When Breath Becomes Air

August 15th, 2016
Posted By:

Lucy Paul Kalanithi

Dr. Lucy Kalanithi and Dr. Paul Kalanithi with their daughter, Elizabeth Acadia. 

Photo Courtesy of Lucy Kalanithi

 

When friends find something special, they want to share it with others.

I recently found a book that is beyond special and today my friends, I would like to share it with you.

“When Breath Becomes Air” is a beautiful and touching book about giving yourself up to the unexpected joys of life but also fighting with every ounce of energy that you have within your being when you find your ability to experience those simple and spectacular moments in life is … Read More

Finding My Place

August 8th, 2016
Posted By:

There are many reasons why I look forward to my yoga class, but the thing that always brings me back over and over is its ability to help me find my place. By the time I arrive at my class, I usually feel emotionally and physically scattered from work and whatever is going on in my wacky life.  I always start my days with the best of intentions and I try to use my time wisely but somehow things unravel and then I find I am trouble shooting some unexpected crisis.  Of course, there are some days when things go… Read More

Big Little Adjustments

August 1st, 2016
Posted By:

August begins anew today, giving us cause to flip the calendar to a new page. Yes I am old-school and still use paper calendars. Perhaps you find electronic devices easier, but I happen to think paper is fun and enjoy the different beach and nature themes of the calendars I have hanging in my kitchen, my home office and my work office. As I quickly flip the calendar page, I feel a flash of melancholy as I realize that another month, especially a summer month, has come and gone.  The summer season is so uplifting for me that I really… Read More

Real Life Re-Entry

July 25th, 2016
Posted By:

  Today I reluctantly come back to the real world. I have been living as Beach Bum Girl for the past week and loving every minute of it.  To say that the beach is my Happy Place is an understatement.  Every year I return to the same beach with family and friends so that I may slow down and embrace the simple and beautiful ways of living near the shore. Hopefully a vacation of some sort is in your summer plans.  We all need to spend time away from our work routines and relax because it’s important for maintaining good… Read More

Summer Tune Up

July 11th, 2016
Posted By:

  A couple of days ago, I decided it was time for a summer tune up. I sit in front of a computer for my job and even though I try to get up and move around every couple of hours, I know it’s not a healthy routine.  I constantly struggle with my weight and also with making sure that I am exercising enough.  So last week, knowing that I am capable of doing much more, I decided it was time to change things up a bit in order to feel healthier. Instead of doing my regular after work routine… Read More

Holiday Triggers

July 4th, 2016
Posted By:

  The Fourth of July and other long holiday weekends which happen during these spectacular summer months are truly the best for unwinding from the stresses of our daily go-go routines. More time is spent outdoors relaxing and doing the things that we all look forward to: gardening, swimming, walking, grilling and just chillin’ and loungin’ in our favorite space. But those activities can also serve as a difficult reminder that a loved one is no longer with us and while I hope that those reminders don’t stop you from going ahead and doing what you planned, those wistful thoughts… Read More

Rewriting Your Script

June 27th, 2016
Posted By:

On a morning walk in my neighborhood yesterday, I came upon a middle-aged man standing inside a huge moving van parked on the street.  He was calmly talking to a woman who was leaning against a car and she appeared to live across the street from him. Just two neighbors catching up or perhaps saying good-bye?  Either way, as I slipped by the moving van, their words helped me realize that change is not just a constant in my life but it’s also a constant for others too and how we learn to deal with those changes can take us… Read More

Daddy’s Home

June 19th, 2016
Posted By:

You learn a lot about how to navigate the ups and downs of life by watching your parents. I know I did. The people in charge of raising us, for better or worse, are the people who have the first opportunity at influencing us.  Even when we begin to think we have life figured out for ourselves, we may still think back to something that one of our parents did or said and think to ourselves, “I wonder how they did that?”  “I wonder how they knew that?”  Or  perhaps your parents weren’t so wonderful and you might be thinking, … Read More

Ignite Your Dance

June 6th, 2016
Posted By:

  Here’s a thought to keep you going as we begin a new week. Dancing is about motion and being attuned to your body as it discovers new and different ways of communing with music.  Listening for the rhythm of musicals sounds and having all of your body melt into the feeling of it. Dancing is also being mentally attuned to where you want you body to be as you listen to the range of sounds within the music and how you want the movement of your body to flow from one step to the next. With practice, you gain… Read More