A New Year: Setting Goals and Peace of Mind January 5, 2015 • 2 Comments The beginning of the holidays were heavily dusted with bah humbug for me. When it came to decorating and buying presents, I simply couldn’t muster any Santa spirit. I was truthful with my family about my mindset and so my brother became the de facto Santa. Thankfully, I have kids who accept my honesty and are old enough to appreciate…
The Value of Letting Go January 2, 2015 • 2 Comments Happy New Year! This post is from a while back but in the spirit of ushering new energy in for the new year I thought it was a good one to share again. Next week I will be back on track with new thoughts and ideas for healing in 2015. At coffee the other day, my friend and I were…
What Can We Mindfully Learn From The Suicide Epidemic December 29, 2014 • 0 Comments I know it’s the holidays, not the best time for this topic, but this past week I learned about the recent suicide of a high school senior here in San Diego, a young man voted home coming king at his school, and thought to be happy. I also met a prominent Hollywood figure who knew of four recent suicides in…
David Whyte Poems: Loaves and Fishes December 26, 2014 • 2 Comments I never truly appreciated the beauty of poetry until quite recently. I think my brain was too distracted to understand the gorgeous simplicity contained in so few words. As my life becomes more and more simplified, I find I am drawn to the magical way a poem can evoke an ocean of feeling and understanding. We live in a world…
Healing Habits: Restoring Authentic Self Expression December 24, 2014 • 0 Comments If you have ever watched children at play, before the cookie-cutter world has tampered with their inherent wisdom by imprinting rules and proper behavior, it is obvious that they are emotive-expression machines. Expression — through love, play and creativity — comes naturally and flows through them like a vibrant river. Social structure builds dams in this flow by saying: That behavior is not…
Just Breathe: An Interview with Kathleen Woeber on Healing December 22, 2014 • 3 Comments Since the holiday season is officially upon us, I thought it might be a good time to share some insight into something we rarely give much thought too, even though it is literally a part of every moment of our lives: breathing. I know of no better way to calm and re-connect with myself than the simple practice of noticing…
Relieve Holiday Stress: Whole Body Breathing December 19, 2014 • 0 Comments I remember standing in the living room of our new home four years ago, two weeks before Christmas, feeling totally overwhelmed by the idea of tree and decorations. The move had taken everything out of me but, desperate for a sense of normalcy for my kids, I wrestled my holiday mojo out of thin air and brought the holiday to…
Presence Is A Rare Commodity December 15, 2014 • 0 Comments The other night, I spent an hour chatting on Facetime with my son who is at college in Santa Cruz. My other son and I were curled up in bed, laughing and talking in front of the computer, and it almost felt like we were all together in one room, which made me smile, and reminded me of days when they were younger, long before they encountered tragedy.Read more
Grounding: A Healing Practice for Trauma December 12, 2014 • 2 Comments This post is a reprise but grounding is a good way to cultivate inner peace and stability in the midst of the busy holiday season. When I first started writing about the events that transpired in 2010, I wrote from the space of being a few blocks away, maybe even a few continents. It was something that happened to me,…
Talk About It: Don’t Allow Never to Define Your Future December 8, 2014 • 0 Comments This past week, I encountered the same conversation that I have had again and again during the last four years. It goes something like this: “My [Father/Mother/Sibling/Grandparent] chose suicide [ten/twenty/thirty/forty] years ago, and my family has [NEVER] discussed it.” Never is the common denominator and it is its own kind of wilderness. Never will stop healing dead in its tracks.…