Living in the Midst
Prior to arriving in Michigan for vacation last week, our just turned 3-year-old niece Ivy kept asking, “Are we at Michigan?” It is hard to explain the concept of “State” to little ones. Our oldest niece, Rosemary, who is almost 6, has an affinity for maps, so when we’re headed somewhere I tell her to… Continue reading Michigan is Over
About a month ago I started sneezing. I thought it was allergies, but I soon realized it was probably a cold. A week later the coughing started and while I was visiting my family in Tennessee I realized I needed to see a doctor. I was diagnosed with bronchitis and sent home with a steroid… Continue reading Returning
Maybe this isn’t the first lesson of 2018 but it feels like the first major one. Last Saturday I participated in a two-hour yoga workshop focused on backbends. Part of the prep work for backbends includes shoulder openers. The class went well, even though it was long and quite intense at times. Of course, as… Continue reading Lesson #1
Yesterday Brad mentioned how I can go seamlessly from conversation with a human into one with an animal without really noticing. He’s right. I talk to Denali as if she’s another person in the room. Brad often gets frustrated because at times it’s hard to know if I’m talking to him or the dog. Last… Continue reading A Basket, Towel and Rock
In January my spiritual director hosted a conversation with Alan and Gem Fadling, co-founders of Unhurried Living. They were leading a discussion about Alan’s first book called An Unhurried Life. I had a lot of takeaways from that first book. So, when I saw a call for people to join the launch team for Alan’s… Continue reading Unhurried
Ever since college, I’ve tried to give blood regularly, although it doesn’t always happen regularly – I’ve gone years without donating. Something will trigger me and then I’ll find myself back in the habit. Even though I hate needles, I know the importance of giving blood and I don’t usually mind taking the time out… Continue reading Drained
From the beginning of my time at North, I’ve been blessed with a good amount of PTO (paid time off). However, I noticed that as the years went on, my pile of hours kept adding up. I wasn’t very good about using my PTO. Clearly it was given to me for a reason, but I… Continue reading PTO
I’ve been busy lately. Not in a bad way – I enjoy (almost) everything I do. However, my schedule has been full. Last week when I met with my therapist, I noticed I did a lot of talking about what I’m doing but not how I’m doing. I noticed that I was a little disconnected… Continue reading Gaps
Dear 3-month-ago me, Thanks. Thanks for thinking to plan a trip in the not-so-distant future to help us get through the winter - through the long, dark nights of the season. Thanks for being willing to spend a little more than usual so that we wouldn't have to think about where to eat or what… Continue reading Thanks
I'm a rule follower. It makes me uneasy to break rules. Even if it's not a "rule" - if it's strongly suggested, I follow that too. So, when Brad got me a FitBit a few years ago at Christmas, I knew what I had to do. 10,000 steps a day. I wanted to feel the… Continue reading Break