“Don’t make me yawn, sneeze or deep breathe, other than that I’m fine,” I commented to friends on Facebook six days after my laparoscopic surgery. I’ve told family members in the past that it’s okay to put me in a nursery home if it’s necessary when I’m older. When life comes down to getting your […]
That’s me after trying to send my son a text from UVA Hospital yesterday but having no signal, and after waiting 3 hours in the surgical family waiting room, and then another 3 hours in a pre-op room. After not eating and drinking all day. Operating rooms are like runways, and Joe and I felt […]
The following originally appeared in Natural Awakenings of Southwest Virginia “Don’t leave before you go.” — Alan Forrest on the last morning of the iBme fall self-care retreat What could be sweeter than gently waking after plenty of sleep in your own room at a self-care retreat by the soft sound of a Tibetan bowl […]
I was thinking maybe I should write a poem about autism since April is National Poetry Month and National Autism Awareness Month, so I stopped for a moment to reflect on what that would look like and realized that I wasn’t up for an angry rant, so I canned the idea. I am so upset […]
Every now and then when the buzz of static in my head crowds out any thoughts of poetry and the stiff ache in my body spreads like a virus, when it’s winter and the ground is frozen and covered with dirty snow and my energy has sunk like the sun to its lowest level, when […]
What could be sweeter than to be surprised with a free hour of sleep at a self-care retreat? Not only that, I had a room of my own and was awakened the morning after the daylight savings time change by a Tibetan bowl being rung outside my door, calling me to meditation. What could be […]
~ The following was first published in the February issue of Natural Awakenings of Southwest Virginia Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. A 2009 series of groundbreaking mindfulness […]
I felt like a failure with my recent attempt to enjoy some time at the pool because after finally getting there for only the second time all summer, I was only there an hour before I got restless and left. More recently, and after finishing the three stories I was working on back-to-back, I returned […]
I suspect that some of my friends are planning an intervention. I’ve recently had to cancel a few dates with them because I’ve been so busy covering stories, taking pictures and writing, and generally getting so wound up that I have to rest in between each activity and every chance I get. Excitement can be […]
I’ve been having a difficult time trying to find a doctor that I can work with, probably because this (burdock root ready for steaming and tincturing) is my idea of medicine.
I belong to a Share the Care circle. It’s a group of people who have agreed to alternate monthly home visits to someone with health issues who has asked for help. Occasionally we all get together for fellowship and a simple meal. My Share the Care home visits got off to a rough start, a […]
It’s the eternal sadness from the Great Beyond. Everything’s coming and everything’s gone. ~ Donna the Buffalo I feel like I’ve been around the world in eighty days, although it’s only been twenty-one days that I’ve been vacationing up and down the east coast of Massachusetts, Delaware, and Virginia by plane, car, and bike. […]
