Befriending Stress and Creating Resiliency September 25, 2013 • 2 Comments I recently saw a TED talk by Kelly McGonigal on befriending stress. It is worth watching because she outlines a deceptively simple concept: changing the way we think about something can alter our body’s response to it. My favorite part of her talk is the idea that how you think and act creates the “biology of courage.” In other words,…
A Poem About Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye September 23, 2013 • 0 Comments This has been one of my most popular posts over the past year, so I thought I would repost it for my newer readers. Enjoy. I love the poem “Kindness,” by Naomi Shihab Nye. I thought I would share it because kindness is something that settles deeper and deeper into my being each day. It is a light that connects…
Healing Resources: Sit. Stay. Heal. September 20, 2013 • 0 Comments I am a big fan of Pema Chödrön and I adore her book The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times. I opened the pages many times during the last three years and found myself guided and comforted by the simple, yet profound wisdom on the pages. One of my favorite passages: “How are we going…
Unearthing Hidden Trauma and Beginning to Heal September 18, 2013 • 3 Comments Life exposes both her beauty and her cruel underbelly to us at the moment of birth, as we take our first breath in and the umbilical cord is severed. As we exchange the life giving connection to our mother for the life force of oxygen, the universe whispers to us that this is an invitation to embark on a journey,…
Healing Trauma: Vulnerability Is the New Black September 16, 2013 • 0 Comments I had a conversation with a woman I adore the other day about healing and spirituality, two of my favorite subjects. This woman is all heart, having been on her own painful journey, so we don’t have to pretend or mince words. These are my favorite kind of folks: the ones who don’t flinch when facing taboo or uncomfortable subjects.…
End of Summer Beet + Quinoa Tabbouleh Recipe September 13, 2013 • 0 Comments This summer we decided to plant a vegetable garden. Everything was going along swimmingly until the robust pumpkin plant had an unfortunate encounter with the dreaded powdery mildew, then we discovered some rather large, science-fiction like caterpillars feasting on our tomato plants and I’m still trying to figure out what ails my gorgeous purple heirloom beans. This garden has not…
Post-Script: UPS Driver Rick’s Story Continues September 11, 2013 • 1 Comment This past Saturday I was incredibly lucky to attend the “Celebration of Life” gathering for Rick Story organized by the local community. His UPS truck was parked at the entrance, which ushered in a flood of tears as the realization settled in that he was truly gone and wouldn’t be flashing his infectious smile or waving enthusiastically again. I hadn’t known…
Healing Music: The Power of Music for Healing September 9, 2013 • 0 Comments My friend has been waxing poetic about Spotify for some time now, and I have steadfastly refused her advances to join the musical bandwagon because I have very limited mental bandwidth for technological things. However, the other night, we were listening to an amazing array of music and she sent me home with the admonition to sign up for the…
Coping with Suicide: A Poem About Loss September 6, 2013 • 0 Comments This poem was sent to me by a woman I know whose son recently took his own life. She received it from a friend and found great solace in the words. I can understand why and wanted to share it with you. There is a brokenness out of which comes the unbroken, a shatteredness out of which blooms the unshatterable.…
A Healing Interview and a Forthcoming Book September 4, 2013 • 0 Comments I have some exciting news to share today. First, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Dina Proctor – my very first interview – which you can listen to below: New Self Help Internet Radio with Madly Chasing Peace on BlogTalkRadio Dina is the author a book called Madly Chasing Peace: How I Went From Hell to Happy in…